Help removing front axle bolts to mount new bumper

Before I go nuts with a BFH, torch and bad attitude, I'd like to ask for some wise input. I bought a late '52 Ford 8N this summer, and a new
bumper to put on it. I'm having one H of a time getting the axle bolts removed so I can replace them and put on the bumper. The original bolts are
too short to hold the bumper. I can not get the original bolts to budge out of their holes. So far, I've tried pounding on the end of the bolt
(protected with a sacrificial nut), twisting with a wrench, vibrating/pounding with an air impact hammer. No Soap! What am I missing? What's next?
I'd sure like to get the bumper on. Any/all input welcomed!

I'm assuming that you are soaking it with PB blaster or equivalent.

Try this, heat it up with the torch and soak it with candle wax or any wax, put the rattle gun on it if you have one or just try to turn it first.

I've been wrestling with the same problem with mine, still haven't got them off lol.

Have you jacked up the front of the tractor to take the shear load off the bolts you are trying to remove?

I ended up taking mine to a machine shop and he blew them out with a torch.



Gary (Or)

Dale,Jack it up then spray it down good with some PB,then smack the head of the bolt square hit it hard a couple licks with a BFH to break it loose.Then turn it with a impact or long breaker bar.

Thanks for the input so far. Yes, I have it jacked up, jacked down, jacked sideways. I've just really started squirting it, but I'll keep it
up. I'm thinking about leaving the nuts one or two turns loose and just driving it around a little while to see if I can jolt something
loose. Hate to blow them out with a torch, but it is always a possibility. BFH and Cusswords come first. I've had luck with other projects in
the past by doing something extremely difficult to do - I used patience. I'll squirt, rattle and pound a little every day for a couple of
weeks to see if I can get something to give up first. I'm in no hurry but I do want to win in the end. I never give up. Just wanted to be
sure I hadn't missed the obvious - again.....

All I can say is stay with it...

On a parts tractor I removed the front axle and beat on it off and on for a week are more with a 10lb sledge... It fought me the whole way...

plus one on staying with it.
keep telling yourself....it went in, it will come out.
I keep one of those (what's left of it on my bench as a reminder never to give up.)
broke the nut off....broke the head off...torch, drilling...pounding.
took the better part of an afternoon.

beginning of your post...yes, it takes a bfh, torch and a bad attitude sometimes.
I was at the point of..'I don't care if I break the axle in half....that bolt is coming OUT'
besides....I like victory....walking around the yard with arms raised...pointing at the glowing, beat-up, drilled-out stub...
"I told ya not to mess with me"
lol Good Luck

Flame wrench

ditto.. jack it up, take all nuts off to loosen the leafs from the axle center.

lube it with penetrant and put a big impact on it to start it turning.. then it should beat out.

Buy some used axles.

Dale, I do this frequently: Torch the bolt heads almost red hot then cool them back down with wet rags, etc, then put the long wrench to them. I bought a 3/4 drive set on the cheap years ago for stuff like this. Usually works pretty well. gm

I just realized that you already have the nuts off and are having trouble getting the bolt out. My problem is I can't get the nuts off. So, once I get the nuts off it sounds like I'll have trouble getting the bolts out too. lol Not fun.

Good advice. Here's the progress after one day of squirting PB and pounding: The bold DID turn a half-turn. So, I'm on the way. I do like the idea of heating and cooling. I'll do that step next if a few more days of liquid and force don't get the job done. Also, I did leave the nuts a couple of turns loose and took Henry for a ride around the farm. I think this will help, too. Big force is so easy to default to, patience is sooo hard to use. But we're gaining! Thanks!!!!

I still have to get the old ones off, though.

Well, we got it off! AND, the new bumper is on. Once again, patience paid out in the end. For the benefit of others fighting this same problem, here is what I did. First, checked in here to be sure they were just bolts through holes and not threaded into anything. Second, got a BFWrech and tried turning. No Soap. Applied Bug Juice (PB Blaster) generously. Tapped with a 1-lb hammer repeatedly to vibrate the bolts and help get the juice in where it needed to go. Tried BFW again. Applied impact wrench. Applied impact hammer and more bug juice. No Soap. Went away for the weekend. Next attempt, the nuts did turn (under huge torque). More bug juice. more pounding. Still no go. I loosened all the axle bolts (4) holding the knees to the main axle. I left them a turn or two loose. Applied bug juice and drove it around over bumpy ground. Still no go. Went to Wisconsin to my son's for a long weekend. Came back and applied more juice. Used a 3-lb hammer on the nuts. Hooray! The bolts moved. Still couldn't remove them though. So, over the next couple of weeks, I have applied juice every morning, and tapped away with my light hammer. Finally today they gave up. I knew I was making headway when the bug juice dripped on the floor and it was full of rust. With the front jacked up, and a mighty 3-lb hammer in hand, WHACK! and they came right out. Had to chase one out with a punch, but uneventful otherwises. Now, the bumper is on, new bolts installed and all is right with the world. I really didn't want to use the torch, as my temperament can get out of hand when too much power is easily at hand. Who knows? In frustration I might just have set the whole works on fire and had a weenie roast!

Thanks to all who offered advice!

I had kind of the opposite problem.
I couldn't get the bumper bolts through on one side of the tractor and concluded that the axle halves were out of alignment, so I loosened the through bolt by the kingpin and jacked around with the axle halves until my holes lined up.

So conversely if you loosen that key end bolt, you increase your chances of relieving pressure on the bolts you are trying to get out.

That said, I did the same on the left side of the tractor but can't get those two bolts out. I wanted to turn them around so the bolt heads are up front like my right side.

I guess the moral of the story is to nev'r seize the snot out of whatever bolts you put in.