1850 Axle U Bolts

super99

Well-known Member
Got started on the 1850 axle seal leaking, got the wheel off and took the nuts loose on the U bolts. These babies are stuck good!!I beat on them with a BFH and a block of hardwood, tried heating the hub till it was smoking and still no go. Any sure fire ways to get them loose?? I took the air chisel with a blunt end and hammered on it a while also. I have them soaking overnite. Any help appreciated, Thanks, Chris
 

Chances are, you gotta use a hot wrench.

First, you need to find replacement u-bolts. I get mine from a heavy truck suspension repair/supply company in Tulsa. Check in your area. I have no idea if Agco can get them, but it's also worth a try.

My supplier makes u-bolts to fit any application. Round, or square.

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Just a matter of putting a caliper on the bolt to find diameter, and putting a caliper on the axle for diameter. They cut to any length desired for the threaded portion.

Cut the bolt at the center of the radius. This will relieve any spring pressure, or distortion from tightening. You're probably fighting outward tension on the bolt bores now.

If you cut them, and still can't remove them, use a plasma cutter if available. A plasma will blast a bolt out of a hole cleaner than a whistle if you're a good operator, and careful. The plasma also will cut with no preheat, like an O/A rig. Preheating for a cut like this can damage the bore, and you're in real trouble.

When plasma cutting, remove all of the bolt at each side of the hole. It should be flush. Turn your amps all the way up on the plasma, and start a piercing cut at the center of the bolt, and do a swirly...working your way out to the edge of the hole. Cut shy of the edge.

When cutting the bolts flush to the hole, use your O/A. Cut the round portion of the bolt about 1/2" from flush, and do the same with the nut side. Then to go flush on the final cut...start your preheat at the end of the stub, and gently wash the metal until you're near flush, then you can grind if necessary. Depends on how good you run a gas axe.

Removing bearing race from shaft. You'd never know anyone was near that shaft with a torch if done right.

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Walk your oxygen stream gently towards the flush point. Don't use full pressure on the oxygen lever, just enough to get a very gentle stream of O2. Use a full pressure stream, and you may find that the stream will stray, and cut stuff you don't wanna cut.

Another thing to understand about most u-bolts. They have rolled thread, not cut thread. Rolled thread is distorted when it's torqued, making it risky to reuse the bolt.
 
"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." - Archimedes
 
I've had the best luck removing them by loosening the nuts till they're flush with the end of the threads. Then heat with a torch, especially where the u bolt comes thru the hub. When its red hot then dump cold water on the heated area. The cool water will help break the temper of the rust in the hub. Then use a sledgehammer and directly beat on the end of the ubolt and nut which again is flush with top of ubolt. Once it starts to move a little bit, pound on the round end of ubolt till it bottoms out on axle then rotate axle and pound on nuts again. This helps the rust to fall out of the hole in the hub making it easier to eventually remove ubolt. Sometimes I've been able to reuse ubolts after cleaning threads with a tap and always using new nuts. I think Korves has new ubolts in stock. Hope this helps,
John
 

I don't see why that wouldn't work. Heating, and rapid cooling, will break a rust bond.

I'd still hesitate to reuse the bolt. The heat/quench cycle can have some strange effects on hardening and metallurgy.

I know that sometimes you have to reuse a threaded fastener. But when you do, and there's been some damage to the threads, it's a good idea to use a thread chaser instead of a threading die.

A die is designed to cut thread, whereas a thread chaser acts more like a plow.......pushing the thread back into shape.

Here's a damaged lathe headstock spindle. The thread had been ruined by somebody prior to me. In this case, I'm not going to trash a spindle because of bad threads. I use a chaser to reform the threads as best as I can do.

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Notice how the damaged area has been reformed. No removal of additional material, like a die would do. It's pushed the damaged metal into the proper profile. This particular job was only possible because the shaft wasn't hardened. You can ruin your thread chaser if you attempt to repair hardened metal.

I don't mean to beat the thread to death, but sometimes a thread will lead to other interesting discussions.
 
If you cannot get them to move after heating with a torch and using cold water. I would then use the torch and cut off the rounded part of the u-bolts as close to the hub as you possibly can. Then get the hub off the tractor and on the ground or a suitable bench. You can then try and drive out the remaining portion of the bolts with a air hammer or even take the nuts off and stack a bunch of extra washers over the bolt put the nut back on and tighten it with a impact as you tighten the nut it should draw the cut off u- bolt back up thru the hub and you can then remove it. I just a did 3 different tractors one as I described above, another one by just heating the u-bolts and the third one came apart very nicely and easy. U should really try not to re-use u-bolts over again. The only ones I did re use was on the tractor that everything came apart nicely. Make sure when you put it back together you use antiseize or grease on the u-bolts and where the hub meets the axle.
 
Went through that on dad?s 2-85 white. I ended up cutting the bolts out and replacing them; Agco can get them but $$$. Maibach tractor in creston Ohio has a local shop make them for much less than what Agco wants I believe they ship if you order with a credit card.

Dave
 
Got them out!! Lots of heat on bolts and hub and beating with a BFH. New bolts coming from Ag Parts First at $20 each. The reason for taking hub off was axle seal leaking oil. Took the end cap off and bearing looks OK, feels smooth when turning the axle, There were 6 thin shims on the end cap, I think I will take 3 out and put it back together and see how much vertical play is in the axle and go from there. Thanks, Chris
 

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