>>> PITMAN ARM PULLER <<<

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Will this PITMAN ARM PULLER fit the pitman arm on my 1985 F-350 and is it a good choice for older vintage Ford and Dodge 3/4- and 1-ton trucks ??

OTC 7311A


Or would the OTC 7310A be a better choice ??

The 7310A has the appearance of possibly being a bit big for the application.


Thank you.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

One more question :

Is this type capable of pulling my pitman ONE TIME :

http://www.amazon.com/Pit-Bull-Pitm...1340510083&sr=1-20&keywords=pitman+arm+puller

: or is it just gonna collapse as soon as I put on the pressure ??


The reason I ask is because I can have one of these in my hands by noon tomorrow and maybe get my task completed by supper-time; a $20 gamble that could be applied to a better tool.

I can't get ahold of the OTC one for 10 to 14 days.

Thanks.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

i'll know by tomorrow lol.i ran down and just grabbed one of the rent ones from AZ.
putting in a redhead tomorrow.didn't even think about buying one,cus it could be many years before i would ever use it again anyway..........of course if i brake theirs........

them OTC units sure look rugged! let's hope the things don't come off "that" hard? how hard can they be anyway? famous last words probably.

 

[rjjp]

I use the carquest heavy duty one, I have used an impact on it.
Huh, guess it's an OTC 7311A. I bought it at carquest for less than $30 back in 07, I miss having a business account.
I have managed to bend the bolts in it.
http://www.carquest.com/webapp/wcs/...ghest+Pitman__10151_-1_10651_94829_?acesApp=0

 

[Mulochico]

When I pulled mine for the lift it was stuck. I put pressure on the Pittman arm, then tapped it with a sledge hammer (not that hard) then it just came loose. Sometimes they are just stuck from rust, etc.

 

[RLDSL]

I just used one of the arsenal of pullers laying around here, mine popped off without a fuss . Now getting the grimey steering box mounting bolts off out through the frame, thats another story . I might suggest a thorough steam cleaning or degreasing in that vacinity before tackling any major parts swapping. you will thank yourselfonce you get deep into the project

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

i'll know by tomorrow lol.i ran down and just grabbed one of the rent ones from AZ.
putting in a redhead tomorrow.didn't even think about buying one,cus it could be many years before i would ever use it again anyway..........of course if i brake theirs........

them OTC units sure look rugged! let's hope the things don't come off "that" hard? how hard can they be anyway? famous last words probably.

I, too, have a shiny REDHEAD laying on the bench as we speak --- er, type.

Be sure to let me know how that rental puller turns out.

Knowing I was sooner or later going to need one, I picked up one of those rigid-jawed C-clamp-looking ones like KD-Tools makes several months ago.

Smug in my knowledge that I didn't need to worry about rounding up a puller, and patting myself on the back for being smart enough to have already laid one in hand, I undertook to swap my new gear-box in this morning.

Needless to say, the gear-box hasn't been moved from where it was two days ago and the truck is no more taken apart than it was before I got out of bed this morning.

My frustrations began when I decided I had better see if I could get the pitman nut off and pull the pitman BEFORE I removed a wheel, dis-connected the Borgeson, and removed the fluid lines.

At least I had enough sense to tackle the deal-breaker stuff before I got a bunch of stuff all taken apart.

First, I opened my nice set of six-point deep-well impact sockets and selected the biggest one, 1-1/4" --- NO GO = too small by just a hair.

Knowing that I had nothing bigger at hand, I headed across the road to my dump-truck/loader owning neighbor and returned with a big 500-pound metal suit-case full of 3/4-drive sockets --- easy enough.

I look beside the 1-1/4 and the next three in line are 1-3/8, which flopped around loosely on the pitman nut.

I searched and read every single socket in that legion of nut-turners and there was NO 1-5/16 --- not nary a one.

I headed back across the road and searched his shop, looked in dump-trucks, pick-ups, and on the ground; the needed socket was nowhere to be found.

So, I put everything stealable back in the house, locked the door, and headed to our tire-shop in town.

There were no less than four of those 3/4-drive socket sets, plus countless 3/4- and inch-drive sockets hanging on nails on the wall.

After a good hour of searching, I didn't find a single 1-5/16 socket, nary a one.

Then, I headed fifteen-miles one-way out in the country to the bargain import tool barn, knowing I was gonna have to shell out sixty-bucks for one of those 3/4-drive sets, just to get that one socket that could very well break on the first attempt.

Luckily, the place was CLOSED when I got there; wasted trip/fuel, but I still have my money in my pocket.

Back home, as I was turning in the drive-way, a little voice in my head reminded me of a solitary socket I had bought long long ago and, since that long-forgotten project, that socket had resided wrapped in an oily rag, tucked within my big 2-9/16 bearing-nut socket.

I drug out that heavy tool-box of seldom-used tools, un-wrapped the oily rag, and lo and behold there she was, the elusive 1-5/16 socket, and she was a six-pointer --- even better.

I crawled under the truck, figuring the only 1-5/16 socket in the entire welfare region would probably fly into fragments before that pitman nut budged, and SURPRISE --- SURPRISE --- I could have screwed it off with a pair of Channel-locks.

Always the pessimist, I tried the nut on the REDHEAD to make certain there were gonna be no surprises there, and then headed back under with shiny new pitman-arm puller in hand.

I got everything centered up and applied about three inch-pounds to the 3/8-drive ratchet and felt something give.

Surely the pitman couldn't have moved so easily --- and it didn't; my shiny new puller was now missing a very important ear.

I drug out the welder, V-grooved both sides of the break, layed a good bead on both sides,give her another try, and learned that pot-metal don't weld no better than it ever did.

I put the nut back on, put away all the tools, headed to town and bought some lottery tickets; with all the good fortune I was having, I'm a cinch to hit big.

 

[riotwarrior]

Midnight....

have had many days of similar tours of frustration....hear ya loud n clear...now...any tool I think I may need....I buy...when I.can...lol....sucks when cheap potmetal crap used for pullers.etc....happens...cut n move.on like a faller in the forest

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

haha thats a good read right there.well i guess i should stop drinking coffee and get out there to see what kind of trouble i can have too.i kinda cheated.i started loosing things up last night.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Now getting the grimey steering box mounting bolts off out through the frame, thats another story .

I will follow the cleaning advice today.

As a general rule, are those bolts gonna be re-usable; or, should I have some Grade-8 replacements on hand ??

What size/length/thread ??

Thanks.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I use the carquest heavy duty one,
Huh, guess it's an OTC 7311A.
I have managed to bend the bolts in it.

If I read you right, your Carquest puller IS INDEED an OTC 7311A, right ??

So, if I get the same, I should be good, right ??


In the product reviews, the only complaint on that unit is that they provide plain-jane bolts.

Several reviewers commented that they had replaced all the bolts with Grade-8 and no more bolt bending episodes.


Thanks.

 

[icanfixall]

I have been there too looking for that "special" demension socket or wrench. I have three complete sets of wrenches and sockets but I still need to search for the one I need at that moment. My truck rear seat toolbox just gets bigger and bigger...

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

well mine went fairly smooth.gave the whole system a good flush once done and took tools back.
their little puller was only good for removing my good tie rod end/drag link.but that was still nice to have for that.
i put a little heat to the pitman arm,and used a large pickle fork.just a little love tap or two she came my way,and the rest was history.
never swapped out a steering box before for some reason never had to.all went well.kinda one of them follow your nose type jobs.
she drives nice now.
hope your having good luck there midnight.i just used the factory 3 mounting bolts.i didn't know to look for new ones in the box? guess i'll have to go peek,but even if i find 'em,i won't bother lol.nothing wrong with the old ones.

 

[Dieselcrawler]

i have rented the advanced auto one before with good luck. never had one break. but as for the pitman nut, i never used a socket to remove. always a pair of adjustables to take it off. if the box is leaking, they normally come off pretty easy from the oil on the threads.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

hey how did everything go midnight?
oh,i see your talking about the bolts of a puller not the steering box.
anyway, took mine to work and i kept expecting to correct the wheel for the slop on the corners and didn't need too lol.
its gunna take a week or so to get used to just steering rather than corrective steering all the time.
hope you enjoy the box too.sure feels like new again.