Have a bolt that is very tight. It’s in a spot that isn’t easy to get too, and would be hard to make it fire safe, to heat. I have removed the other 11 (no loc-tight on the other 11), but this one is being a pita. It’s 1 and 1/4 bolt head, and I got the others out using a 1 inch drive air-impact, but impact wouldn’t touch this one. I now have a 3/4 drive breaker bar, with about 6 feet of cheater on it (36 inches of extension going down to the bolt), with a chain wench pulling on it. This bolt is on the swing gearbox on my excavator (spec says like 580 foot/lbs is what it should have been tightened too). If access was a little better, and wasn’t likely to catch on fire, I’d heat it or cut the head off with a torch. We left the chain pulling on it overnight (curious if temp change would help). I really thought with the cheater, I’d just break the bolt, but no go. Looking for other ideas or tricks to try. Thanks
Hydraulic wrench. Hit it hard a couple times with a sledge. I've seen guys make a wrench and push it with a excavator. Pull the wrench with a chain come a long. Torque multiplier. I've got a standard one, and I've got a set up like this also: https://www.amazon.com/GOTOTOP-Torq...ocphy=9023683&hvtargid=pla-658834748117&psc=1 I actually thought it looked a little gimmicky, but I had some wheels my 1" gun wouldn't get, and I was rolling around my lowboy trailer with a big (8') cheater. This little tool popped them loose. I think mine is like a 87 to 1 reducer.
Is there enough room to hit the head of it with a heavy hammer ? 6 or 8 good hits and it will break loose. Sometimes putting force on it clockwise and then ccw will help. That method has worked many times for me. Even on drain plugs.
Sounds like you might need a striker wrench. I also have one of these, but to be honest, 1-1/4" bolt may be too big for the 1 that I have... I also have the same torque multiplier, in the blue case, above, nice tool!
I ordered the torque multiplier the other day, was trying to see if I could get it off before then. Can you use the torque multiplier with an air impact? Or do you just use a breaker bar? Thx for the ideas.
Strictly hand tool on the multiplier, could always rent a Hytorq, expensive but WILL either come bleed or bust regardless how tight. On the multiplier for every 1 turn on the breaker bar is 1/4 turn output, planetary gearing.
I have used a Bolt buster on 7/8 bolts before, it will heat it up. So I would think it would work on a 1" may take a little longer. The Napa store here in Walla Walla has one they will loan to regular customers with deposit. Truck Shop
Impact will shred the gears in a torque multiplier...hand tools only on the input side And be careful with them. Lots of energy in play to go wrong if something breaks
So were the other bolts caked up with loctite? Does your reduction to the superstructure have locating dowels? I would buff the threads of 2 of the screws, run them in on the holes next to the stubborn one with anti-sieze and a strong impact. With a long piece of drift , I'd pound that bolt head with the heaviest hammer I could handle one-handed. Then try tightening the screw before backing out. Good luck.
That's a big bolt for a swing gear box. What are you working on? I think what you will find a water got into the threads and rusted things up a bit. I've used heat before but always when someone else went on the line for the fire damage. It can be done safely but takes lots of cleaning first. I also have the 4 to 1 seen above and on a box that big you should be able to get the multiplier right on the bolt without three feet of extension. If not you will have to rig something for the bar to push into. I've tied them in with chain and then pulled the torque wrench the same direction so the whole mess pulls into itself. Another item is I always used my torque wrench into the multiplier to try to stay under the capacity of the thing.
Can you get a good solid hit on it with a big hammer or a drift? If so a slugging wrench or a good box end with a cheater and a comalong pull ,get it nice and tight then rap the bolt hard . Shock of the hit usually makes things move. If it wont move ,id sneak in with some 3/32" 7018 and burn a bit of a hot spot on the head, ive done that with many broken bolts in ugly places succesfully ,just never on a bolt with the head still intact . That intense heat loosens things and might be less invasive than the torch. Should be able to do that with out wrecking the head . maybe
You really need a slugging wrench. I like snap on's 1" drive slugging adapter, as you can put another extension or ratchet out the other side and keep good torque on the fastener while hitting it with a hammer. I think a 20# sledge is about as good as a 20' cheater. You need to move up to a 1" extension. A 3/4" will absorb all the impact and shock loading you can throw at the bolt. Were you using an extension on your impact? Don't let your 4:1 anywhere near air tools, impacts, or slugging wrenches. Start small, as the amount of wind-up you can with the reaction bar and an extension can get dangerous.
So, what are you using for an impact and what kinda air flow you got to feed it? I would think a tire gun with the long anvil and a Dayton tire socket would have laughed at just about anything in its path. (Provided it had enough air)
My uncle used stick welder to heat up stubborn long bolts that goes deep inside the housing bodies. Used no electrodes just low amperage as the bolt it self will heat up.
Did you try to shake it with air hammer?
Reinstall all the other 11 and tighten up, then go banging on your one tight bolt..? Right now all the weight of the joint is on that one bolt, if you could persuade the rest of the ring to share some of that load you might get lucky. Otherwise as others have said a good rattle gun with a big diameter hose (3/4" hose minimum - 1" for preference) hooked up to a 200CFM air compressor ought to rattle it loose.
Surprise Impact / Electric in no joke
Did anyone suggested “The Inductor” ? Used to be $500, idk about now.
O, bolt buster ithe same thing!
I know the 1/2" Milwaukee can be had w 1400ft/lbs . Those things are amazing
Someone had mentioned just running current through it. I thought that was a terrific idea
If the bolt is on there with the red lock tite it will take 220 degrees Fahrenheit to break the lock tite. I know this from break bolts on the back of hydraulic cylinders when re packing them. I have the Milwaukee impact wrench but if it’s stuck and assume there is red lock tite IT MUST BE HEATED.
If it is really really a dire situation get an air hammer buy a spare chisel for it and grind it down to fit one side of the hex bolt or nut and hit it a couple of times with the air hammer that may break it loose too.
There's not a lot of real estate up alongside any swing box I've ever seen. Not a bad idea for other "what ifs"
How s it going? Did you get the bolt out,if so what worked?
I haven’t tried again yet, am waiting for my torque multiplier to show up to give that a try. I like several of the ideas, and will let you know what the final outcome is. To answer some of the other questions people asked: I do not believe there is loc-tight as the other 11 do not show any (but don’t know for sure). If it was a bolt I could get to from both sides, I like the welder idea to heat the bolt (without welding). My 1 inch air gun, did not have an extension as it could reach the bolt as it has a built in long anvil. It had plenty of air to do the other 11, so I think I am ok on air supply to the gun. The long cheater and chain winch, hasn’t done anything, but maybe I am to chicken to tighten it until the breaker bar breaks, but I have a really good pull on it. If I wasn’t concerned of catching it on fire, the heating the bolt red hot and cooling with penetrating oil seems like a good idea, but I think id catch it on fire.
Don't have to go "RED" hot just too hot to hold in your bare hand. the expansion and contraction helps break the bond. I put penetrating oil to the threads as it cools. That and a few bolts reinstalled next to the stuck bolt to relieve some pressure.
If you can borrow a 3/4" impact and a 30mm socket try that .Use a 1/2" hose with 125 psi should be good to go,oil up the impact. I usually use my 1/2" impact. Bob
Still try to weasel my 1" into where I have stubborn fasteners, just hard to beat. After that fails the 4/1 comes out of its storage box.
Ps thanks a lot guys. I bought one of those bolt busters.
Yeah it came today.
Any results from your investment?
I haven’t tried it yet. But as soon as I do you guys will be the first to know.
If it comes to it just grind the head off and weld a nut on after to remove what's left.
any thought to a porta power ram pushing against a strike wrench corner?
OK... so, for that stupid tight last bolt, I ordered the bolt buster and it could heat the bolt, so I heated and sprayed with pb blaster, still no go. I also ordered a torque multiplier, but it took over a week to get it. Once it arrived, I found that I needed a different socket length to use the multiplier then what I had, so got that. Bolt came right out with the multiplier, no pops or bangs... so, final answer was ‘torque multiplier’. Thanks for all the suggestions.
And you can reuse the bolt as well.
I'd have thrown it as far as humanly possible.
It could be reused, but I am going to replace it, cause when I used the 7 foot cheater, the socket slipped off once and dinged then head.
Bolt buster mighta still gave it enough heat to get it started, though... Glad you got it loose, uninjured!
Nothing works better the brute force. All the other stuff is in case brute force fails.
Well said John C ! I am a huge fan of beating bolt heads with a BBBIG hammer. Fifty years ago a coworker showed me that method on a 977 hydraulic filter, canister lid. The one that is next to the seat. Dam those bolts were tight ! I broke a nice socket on one them. Then my buddy got a 2 lb hammer and showed me how to cure the problem. Perhaps if that cover has no dowl pins the op could smack it on the edge, forcing it counter clock-wise a bit to get it started.