cutting off wheel bolts

ericlb · Jul 28, 2015

ok i have some new wheel rims to replace the rusted ones on a utility tractor, if they fit, and with my measurements they should, but 3 of the rim bolts are turning, in other words the rusted square shoulder which should remain in the square holt in the wheel disk has given way and there is no way to hold them they have rounded heads like a carriage bolt , so im having to cut them off, is it better to drill out the rounded head and pop that off, or to take a grinder and cut the nut off the wheel loop the nut has better access

old · Jul 28, 2015

That is 6 to one half dozen to the other type of thing. Cutting the nut off with a grinder you stand a chance of damage to the rims. Drilling one out from the back you stand a chance of damaging the hub

James Howell · Jul 28, 2015

Is it possible to use the grinder behind the hub and grind down/off the rounded heads?

glennster · Jul 28, 2015

what we do here at the shop when we get a stripped lug nut on a car and it has a mag type wheel where you cant get a hold of the stripped nut is center punch the wheel stud close to center as you can, then drill a pilot hole down the center of the stud. from there you can go with bigger drill bits till you drill the stud out of the nut. works good and doesnt damage the rim. they do make sockets that grab the stripped nut, but they dont always work.

Dalex · Jul 28, 2015

Smoke wrench from the back...

DeltaRed · Jul 28, 2015

Fire axe

James Babcock · Jul 29, 2015

Yep, fire axe. If none available, cold chisel and BFH to split the lug nut. Might need a lawn chair to rest in between sessions of hammering. Also might need a grinder to put an edge back on the chisel unless you have one your grandpa gave you made of USA steel.

Leroy · Jul 29, 2015

Should be no wories about dammage to rins as he said they are bad and has new ones to go on so if they get dammaged from being cut off no problem, just do not dammage hub and bolts can and possibly should be replaced.

Goose · Jul 29, 2015

Blue flame socket set?

If the rims are kaput anyway, you have nothing to lose as long as you don't damage the hub. It's amazing what you can do with a torch if you use a little patience and finesse.

KLS · Jul 29, 2015

I have used a cut-off wheel on a small grinder, cut the nut and bolt in half from the end, hit the nut with a hammer and it falls off. If the bolt is junk anyway it only takes a couple seconds per nut.

NoNewParts · Jul 29, 2015

if you can get at the nut, diagonal cut it and split it with an air hammer.

sometimes, a torch is the only way.
But, if the tire is still on...be quick and careful. heat into a rim of an inflated tire can have bad results.

ericlb · Jul 29, 2015

got them off, wound up using a small 4 inch grinder and being careful and taking time, first idea was to weld the bolt to the rim hole since im replacing them anyway, that wouldnt hold either, just twisted the rim hole shoulder off too, finally got all the nuts cut and the rim off the dish, went to put on the new ones, they wont work, they are the right size and bolt pattern, but my dishes wont fit on the loop lugs, so now i got a set coming from john deere itself, this ought to be a nice bill! fortunately the old rims still hold air, and have a second set of holes in them, with new bolts i can move the tractor around, just dont want to move it too far or often! one rim has bead flange split 1/4 of the way around, a blowout waiting for a place to happen , the other has the area around the valve stem all eaten up, just bought this a few weeks ago and the price i paid reflected having to replace the rims , once, not twice, oh well..

cutting off wheel bolts

ericlb

Well-known Member

old

Well-known Member

James Howell

Well-known Member

glennster

Well-known Member

Dalex

Well-known Member

DeltaRed

Well-known Member

James Babcock

Member

Leroy

Well-known Member

Goose

Well-known Member

KLS

Member

NoNewParts

Member

ericlb

Well-known Member

Similar threads