Unsurprisingly, the torsion bars on my knackered rear beam are refusing to give up easily. Have now broken two home-made pullers made of a high tensile (10.9 grade) M8 bolt welded to some M12 threaded bar. The M8 bolt ended up snapping. Am surprised that my messy welding held out!
[
attachment=30040]
I was thinking about applying some heat to help free them. Good idea or not as I assume the torsion bars have been very specifically heat treated in manufacture? If it's OK I only have a plumbers torch - would that put enough heat in to it?
Cheers.
Yeah heat away. Had to use oxy a few times to free some up. I means its not ideal but the only way sometimes. As for the puller get it tight heat them then tap from the other side, its what i find works
Thanks Bash. I assume you have to get the plugs out the other side to hit the end of the TB's? Do they just pop off?
the bars must slide out the arm side, the arm end of the torsion bar is bigger so will not pass through the tube splines. Some bars have taken upto 12tonnes to move just a warning.
typically they come out of the tube end fine, pull/knock the arms off then sort the trailing arm & torsion bars separately.
using an old shaft with a clearance groove cut in it.
these ones I stuck 8 tons on then a few minutes of blowtorch and they went BOINK.
Many thanks for the tips guys - really helpful. I don't have facilities in the back yard to apply 8 tonnes of force to the TB's, let alone 12! A BFH will be applied to them in due course though, and I'll make up some more pullers and persist for now.
Once I have the arms off I was going to re-purpose one of the shafts as a drift for the new inner bearings but will re-purpose another to assist with TB removal. I guess scaffold tube would do the job too.
You do, just crank on them with your homemade puller (after repairing it), once there's some pressure on, apply some heat and if that doesn't work alone a few hits with a BFH on the other side will see you peak past 8 tonnes easily.
yup, that's how I did the last ones, the gauge may go well past 8 tons but its only a 10 ton press so I don't like to crank it too far, give it 7 or 8 and apply heat, or a doink with a hammer, and ping they go.
you do have to be quick if you apply heat though, they soon cool down and you'll be back up at peak tonnage again.
scaffold tube is a bit soft.
Nice one guys. Have a much better chance of success with your input. May not be able to make much progress on this until next weekend though as now working the next 9 days
. (Just need to think about the money).
When I do get time I have to dodge between the showers to do the welding for a start. Hummmm, need to win the lottery so I can have a workshop.
(08-06-2017, 06:00 PM)Mighty306 Wrote: [ -> ]Nice one guys. Have a much better chance of success with your input. May not be able to make much progress on this until next weekend though as now working the next 9 days . (Just need to think about the money).
When I do get time I have to dodge between the showers to do the welding for a start. Hummmm, need to win the lottery so I can have a workshop.
maybe consider a 'pop-up' gazebo as a temp shelter?
I guess I could, although my garden doesn't really lend itself to that - small yard at back which has already bred more sheds than it can comfortably accommodate. After that it's a steep slope - can see well over top of the house at the end of the garden. So, best outcome is lottery win and buy big gaff with outbuildings!!
Sod all the hassle.
Nip down to your local garage with a tenner and as them to put it in their press.
I borrowed a 20 ton press in a lorry maintenance unit. That did the trick!
And deny myself the opportunity to get the BFH out?
Am gonna give it a try at least to get the TB's out but local garage is the backup plan. Luckily I know them pretty well down there and will need them to get the trailing arm shafts out anyway.