Seized bolts on wheels

If all the PB blaster / wd-40 stuff didnt work you;ll need to do one of the following:

1.) heat up the clamp real good - cherry red with a tourch then try the biggest socket set you have - the IH wrench is the best and a real long cheeter bar 6' with 8' even better. With a little luck you can unbolt them. Their is a real good chance you'll have to replace the clamp and bolts.

2.) if the above dosen't wotk cut the bolts off - all 4 of them with a oxy-acc tourch and punch out the clamp. You'll need to purchase a new clamp and 4 bolts. Hopefully the cut off bolts will turn and you can get them out otherwise you'll be cutting them out with the torch also. The newer bolts are made out of grade 8 steel so drilling them out won't work as they will be harder them most drill bits - even the cobalt drill bits will have trouble. Not a real good solution but it might be what you need to do especially if the bolts were bent at some time.

my late 2 cents - hope it helps

Did ya get those darned wheels slid out yet?

Allan

The wrench my dad found was quite similar to the one in the picture you sent. I extended it with a post driver and almost fell over when it turned so easy! Didn't flex the wrench like the 3/4 breaker bar. I got 6 of the 8 bolts loose and I am sure the other 2 will come after I move to that side and jack the tire up so I can rotate it and get a better positioning on it (the wheels were as close in as they could get, which makes getting in there and loosening them difficult). I got some PB Blaster but I didn't even have to use it yet. I'll have to save it for another project. Thanks again for the info. I'll feel a little bit better on the hills now with the wheels set all the way out.

Those multipliers sure look handy. Too bad they are so expensive. I'll look for that wrench tonight when I get home. (recreational farmer :) ).

Thanks,
-Tim

In your case you should squirt some brake cleaner on the parts first to remove the WD-40. The WD will prevent the PB from working its way in.

Been there, done that. Would you believe a day and a half to move the wheels out on a JD? You need a lot of patience, the right tools and help. A 3/4" or even a 1 inch air impact wrench, good air pressure and volumn, heat, good penetrating oil, and a lot of time.

Heat the nut, cool it, spray on PB blaster, tighten the nut, more PB blaster, lossen it a little, heat it again, tighen it, more PB Blaster, lossen it, heat it, etc, etc, etc.

By working it in and out, you are milking the PB blaster into the threads. By heating it, you are increasing the space between the threads.

It really is a pain, but a shot of Jim Beam in the evening will ease that too.

That WD-40 isn't helping you a bit. I think you are wasting your time using it as it is a lubricant and not a penetrant.

Get a good penetrating oil, and let it set for a couple of hours. I'll bet she comes right to ya.

Which bolts; the lug bolts or the axle bolts? Those axle bolts are gonna be tight, especially if they haven't been loosened for awhile.

Tryin' to help,

Allan

-Tim

With all due respect, I don't think you have the right tools.

I used to have to change the spacing on my tractors about four times a year for different crops. A 3/4" breaker bar just isn't going to get it on those bolts.

Do you know of anyone close that has a set of 1" sockets? Or better yet, the original wrench that came with the tractor?

My tractors came new with a 18" iron wrench and a 4 1/2 foot cheater tube and I really had to yank on 'em to break them loose even with them not being "set up" like yours.

Believe me, they are tight--very tight. Get a big wrench or breaker bar, then the longest cheater you can find; preferably about 6' long. They'll come.

When you put 'er back together, you want them just as tight; probably 350 to 400 ftlbs.

Just my view,

Allan

Okay, so I was thinking that the 3/4" were big! :) I used the same set to move out some wheels on my M and that was an even older tractor. They are basically the same setup. What you say makes sense though. Just so we're clear here the bolt only has a 1 5/16" head on it. I'll check to see if I can find a longer breaker bar or a 1" setup. That just seems a little excessive to me for the application. It's an old, small tractor in view of today's machines.

Thanks for all your help!
-Tim

Yep, 1 5/16" and they are tight. They are a stinker even if they aren't "stuck" like yours might be.

Like I say, my tractors all came with that long cheater pipe as standard equipment.

I never could make a 3/4" breaker bar work...it would just "give" or "bow" too much.

Allan

Thanks,
-Tim

Tim,

I think this is the wheel wrench that originally shipped with our 400D. It is 1 5/16" on one end and 1 1/8" on the other. A six foot 1 1/2" pipe will fit over that small end.

Later versions for the 656 & 686 (basic same wheel as the 400) had only one "wrench end" with the other end 'chopped off'. This way, the factory cheater could be made from a smaller 1" diameter pipe.

All my later wrenches are down on the farm or I'd send you a picture of 'em.

I can't imagine changing wheels without using these factory wrenches. They are tough and can stand the load of that cheater.

Allan

-Tim