Replacement bolts sourced from work. 6x6x1/8 sheet of viton ordered. Need an M6 x 1.0 tap set...none in stock.
Replacement hydro filter sourced at NAPA. #1551 This stuff was about $55/bucket 3-4 months ago when I looked? Asked NAPA if they could beat it and they were $14 higher at their lowest price. Dex/Merc III. Viton sheet will be here Friday. Circle cutter and taps Wednesday. Debating whether I want to try to get the bolts out tonight or not.
Don't underestimate the power of compound leverage. Fought it a little but the parrot nosed pliers were successful. Also used some penetrating oil and a 2lb hammer to give the bolt a couple good shock whacks. These pliers are also great for small diameter pipe. There is still one stuck in there. Too small a nub to get ahold of. I'm going to dismount the engine since I have the lines loose and purged anyways to make better room for drilling sometime this weekend hopefully.
I don't want to talk about the bolt much. As of now it's in the L column. Even used wax. Now there's a broken off easy out in it. Went and studied the mouse trap a bit more. Will probably wait until I have someone else with me to finish this up. I'm just as tough as you! Have at thee! lol Had planned some tractor work yesterday grooming trails. One of the rears was sitting on the rim. Valve stem issue. Rough weekend for me with things not going well so I quit early yesterday.
'know when to say when' I have fully admitted defeat though I could surely go further. Once the easy out broke, the last remaining thing I did was to chisel out the first couple threads of the stuck both with a very small cold chisel, trying to make enough room to get the end of the bit out. No joy. I tore the entire splitter down to it's pieces and chucked the axle/tank into my pickup knowing that it was going to go somewhere to have something done. Initally I had thought that welding a new flange on top of the old one would be the least painful approach. Those flanges are available, but $130 + plus shipping from where I could find them (stainless and pre threaded). Plus I'd still have to beg or pay for welding service too. Toted it up to a local practical machine shop before lunch today for evaluation. The owner says it shouldn't be a big deal if he can get it jigged to his machine. I brought back to work and removed the tires and the spring catch and washed it. He's going to take out the extractor and the old bolt for ~$100 (which I told him sounds cheap, meaning this repair is worth more to me than that). Advised him that if he finds trouble, I'm ok brining that hole up to 1/4-20 if needed. Will drop it back off after work and told him I'd be very happy if I got it back in two weeks or less (it's not an emergency at present). Hate that it escalated to hiring out. I figured best to leave it as undamaged as possible for the man who would eventually fix it. (I really had to fight the urge to try more stuff)
"A man has got to know his limitations", a smart man once said. LOL. It's tough to quit on a problem and hand it to someone else, but you did the right thing.
A sizable part of my job is to repair things like this especially when it’s an emergency. I’ve been in the trade for 25 years and believe me, stuff like this can be a real bear, even with years of experience. You made the right call in the end, rather than letting pride get in the way and boogering it up further.
Frustrating. Because the manufacturer used a 'rubber' gasket, I ended up here. I won a lot of these battles when I worked on small equipment, but I'm long out of practice. Best I can muster is to celebrate getting the other 5 bolts out of it. Only two came willingly.
I'm lucky to have a shop close by. There is another attached to a trucking outfit near me also, but their labor rates are high. lol Place I took it is a third generation local business. My dad used to take stuff to the father of the current owner John that I've known for a long time from work. John's son Austin has worked there about 5 years now. Nice family. Makes it easy to hand them money for service. No fancy CNC units in that shop. All manual. CNC places are great for making things. Practical shops are great for repairing things.
