Steering Wheel Removal...Not

[rmaynard 17,138]

I was given a 12 ton HFT press back in 2019. The first thing that I thought was I can't wait until I have the next stuck steering wheel. So, seven years later here we are. Grandson Mason picked up a 69 Raider 12 at the show last year. Two weeks ago he brought me his steering wheel with the dash still attached. First thing we did was get the roll pin out, then cut the locking collar off from under the dash. Next I discovered that you can't get the whole assembly into the press because the gap in the apron (as they call it) is fixed and too narrow. So I removed it and replaced it with a 4x4 on either side. See picture..

 

 

Okay. One would think that this would be easy-peasy. Nope. I have been soaking this with PB Blaster now for a week. The shaft has not budged at all. The other problem is that as I add pressure, the 4x4's are compressing (denting) where they sit on the pins that are supposed to hold the steel apron. This problem is probably turning 12 tons of pressure into about 4 tons. Because I can't use heat due to the plastic steering wheel, my next step will be to cut the support that hold the two sides of the apron together, spread it apart to get the steering shaft in, then clamp it back together, to get a non-moving apron. 

 

More to follow...

 

 

[rmaynard 17,138]

Well, that answers that.

 

[ri702bill 11,996]

23 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

my next step will be to cut the support that hold the two sides of the apron together, spread it apart to get the steering shaft in, then clamp it back together, to get a non-moving apron. 

This has been done before... I recall the angle being completely removed at one end and a stout piece of rod tapped on both ends substituted. One hole in each chanel, two bolts, good to go...

[ri702bill 11,996]

The welded-on lower gear does make it more interresting....

[sqrlgtr 2,746]

@rmaynard I cant tell by the pics, what did you end up doing?

[squonk 46,289]

14 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

This has been done before... I recall the angle being completely removed at one end and a stout piece of rod tapped on both ends substituted. One hole in each chanel, two bolts, good to go...

@WHX?? modified his press. And so did @gt14rider

 

 

 

Edited 22 hours ago by squonk

[rmaynard 17,138]

8 minutes ago, sqrlgtr said:

@rmaynard I cant tell by the pics, what did you end up doing?

I cut the angle holding the two pieces. Spread it open far enough to get the 3/4" shaft in.

[squonk 46,289]

As the tool thread shows most of the force is still on the beams. The bolts will keep the beams from spreading apart. 

[JoeM 9,834]

The 20 ton press must be a touch wider. I was able to get the dash piece through and below. 

That last one was tight. 

[ebinmaine 78,511]

7 minutes ago, JoeM said:

The 20 ton press must be a touch wider. I was able to get the dash piece through and below. 

That last one was tight. 

 

IMG_7448.mov 2.96 MB · 0 downloads

 

 

My press is a 20 ton HF and it does NOT have enough space to allow that. 

Perhaps different models...

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 78,511]

1 hour ago, rmaynard said:

Well, that answers that.

 

 

Niiiiice

[ri702bill 11,996]

And you have to love that "Kabang!!" when it finally yields!

[ineedanother 2,196]

Hmmmm. I hope the guys in the shop at work won't mind me modifying their press 

[rmaynard 17,138]

52 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

And you have to love that "Kabang!!" when it finally yields!

I had an initial kabang, followed by at least 4 more. Weird. 

[ri702bill 11,996]

Indeed... Years of "familiarity" between the hub & shaft, both dry assembled most likely, make them difficult to remove.

[JoeM 9,834]

12 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

20 ton HF and it does NOT have enough space to allow that.

Got me thinking now......that's dangerous! 

Might have extended the wheel and shaft and the wheel came up through???? 

I know I did not have to modify the press. 

[ebinmaine 78,511]

3 minutes ago, JoeM said:

Got me thinking now......that's dangerous! 

 

 

 

I can relate

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, JoeM said:

Might have extended the wheel and shaft and the wheel came up through???? 

I know I did not have to modify the press. 

 

 

Like anything made in the lands of cheapness, there are many manufacturers and different versions. That's one of the reasons why HF changes their little five or six digit part number so often. When you read the reviews or watch some of the videos about purchasing their tools, you'll see the same general model of something but it'll say to "avoid these numbers,...."

Those are the different series places of manufacture.

[wallfish 19,861]

My preferred method is to grind off the weld holding the gear at the bottom of the shaft and slip that gear off the end. It can be pinned back on like the earlier tractors had done if you don't have a welder to weld it back on. I don't have a press.

I've just cut the shaft under the dash then used a 3/4" solid shaft coupler to put it back. That can be pinned too if no welder.  Cutting the shaft is by far the fastest method of removal and repair and can be completely done before the amount of time it takes just to knock the pin out of the wheel.

If the wheel is damaged and needs to be replaced, cut the wheel off the shaft

[sqrlgtr 2,746]

2 hours ago, wallfish said:

I've just cut the shaft under the dash then used a 3/4" solid shaft coupler to put it back. That can be pinned too if no welder.  Cutting the shaft is by far the fastest method of removal and repair and can be completely done before the amount of time it takes just to knock the pin out of the wheel.

I try and remove steering wheel first but if it's being a B!tC$h it don't bother me at all to cut shaft and use a coupling to put back together, plus you don't have to worry about the gear on the end of shaft either.

[squonk 46,289]

Cutting the shaft makes it easy to extend the height of the steering wheel if needed. 

[kpinnc 18,058]

3 minutes ago, squonk said:

Cutting the shaft makes it easy to extend the height of the steering wheel if needed. 

 

 

I'm no giant, but at 6 feet almost all of my tractors have a steering wheel that is too low. 

 

Adding a coupler does two things: raises the wheel a couple inches and makes removal later so much easier. 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by kpinnc

[Achto 31,681]

20 hours ago, rmaynard said:

 

 

Is it just me, or is the anvil / pin on your press look crooked? I have one of the early orange HF presses and my anvil was not straight at all. I ended up cutting mine at it's base and rewelding it so that it was strait.

[WHX?? 56,346]

20 hours ago, rmaynard said:

cut the support that hold the two sides of the apron together, spread it apart to get the steering shaft in,

Did this Bob ... thread on it

 

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/77425-hf-20-ton-shop-press-product-review/?tab=comments#comment-749340

Edited 2 hours ago by WHX??

[WHX?? 56,346]

41 minutes ago, Achto said:

have one of the early orange HF presses and my anvil was not straight at all. 

But the price was right... 

[gt14rider 1,161]

Grade 8 bolts and nuts, working great, simple and fast,