Stuck gooseneck ball

[RLDSL]

Well, I'm trying to remove my gooseneck ball to put one a little taller on there ( the one on it is really a bumper pull ball and it's so short, there are marks on the bed around it from the goseneck hitch hitting ).
Anyways, I've soaked it everyday for about 5 days with Aero Kroil, and went after it today with my half inch impact. I think I could hear it laughing.
So I put my 3/4 drive breaker bar on it along with a 4' length of pipe ( that's as long as I can use without hitting the cab) I gave it all my worn out ol' body could do and it wasn't budging.
Any ideas on getting that thing off short of taking it to the local big truck shop where they can go after it with a 1" impact ( or finding some gorilla with beer barrel sized arms

Thanks--------Robert

 

[PackRat]

This may sound a little simple....

Are you sure the nut wasn't spot tacked, to be sure it wouldn't loosen?

 

[RLDSL]

No signs of a weld, I looked and felt around up there for a while. Plenty of rust though, and from experience of everything else the previous owner did on this beast I know that sucker was put on way too tight

-------Robert

 

[MMeier]

Put some heat to it!!

 

[RLDSL]

Put some heat to it!!

I tried that a little earlier. Heated up the nut underneath and put a big pipe wrench with an 11 ft cheater pipe on it. I managed to squeek a half a turn out of it, spinning the whole works I bet. now the bottom of the ball is so chewed up the pipe wrench won't bite. I tried a bit later to put a socket on it and jam the ratchet against the frame , now I can't get the ball to budge at all.

It's starting to look like a trip to the heavy truck shop is in my future. A 1" drive impact gun would make short work of that thing. Tricky part will be finding someone with a 1 incher with a swivel joint since the ball is directly over the differental.

--------------Robert

 

[hugeredford]

use the smoke wrench and cut the nut off

 

[RLDSL]

use the smoke wrench and cut the nut off

Unfortunately, I don't have one of those anymore, but I think you've got the right idea. I can run it by my friends welding shop and he'll cook that thing off for a lot less than it would cost to get it removed.

----------Robert

 

[sle2115]

use the smoke wrench and cut the nut off

+1

That would be my plan of attack! If you can't turn it with an 11' cheater, use the 2 foot one that burns!!!

 

[RLDSL]

Yup, that's going to be the trick.
A little quick farmboy math with all 220 pounds of me into an 11+ft pipe works out to somewhere around 2000 ft lbs ( realistically probably more like 12-1400) and thats more than even a 3/4 drive impact can do anything about.
I'm so sore this morning from cranking on that thing it's not even funny
It's of to the weld shop on Monday. I've got a friend in town who still does $5 and $10 quick weld and cut jobs so I haven't been able to justify the expense of getting another torch setup.

Thanks---------Robert

 

[sle2115]

It's of to the weld shop on Monday. I've got a friend in town who still does $5 and $10 quick weld and cut jobs so I haven't been able to justify the expense of getting another torch setup.

Thanks---------Robert

You just justified it for me!

 

[RLDSL]

You just justified it for me!

I wonder if I can get that one past my wife

------Robert

 

[RLDSL]

Well, I'm pretty sure that ball was cursed
I finally got over to my buddies weld shop and first off, he falls off the bed, then he started to go after it and the O2 tank ran dry. Switched the torch to another set, cut a little more, then the cutting torch decides that after years of service, it was going to pick that moment to have a valve give out
Switch another torch head and after a little artistic cutting, the thing is finally off.
I don't think I'll be getting a new torch set anytime soon. I just love to watch this guy work How he can cut that thing off from the top when the base of the ball is below the surrounding diamond plate by 1/4" and the ball is way harder metal than the stuff it's bolted to, and not damage the mounting surface or the diamond plate is beyond me. I guess 50+ years experience might have something to do with it

-------------Robert

 

[sle2115]

It is all in how you direct the heat! Same with welding. If you are joining two pieces but hold the torch/rod/wire so the heat only hits one of the two pieces, you will get a good bond to the one getting the heat, but the other will most likely chip off like water on a waxed car.

I am no expert, but can burn the nut off a bolt and generally not hurt the bolt it is threaded onto! You just got to point the heat in the right spot. I am self taught at using both a torch and welder, had some pointers here and there, but believe me, there is about 10 pounds of 6013 rod in the dump mechanism on my dump bed and I burnt it all in, in about a year, nothing has fallen off yet.

It does sound like your ball was possessed...glad you didn't catch anything on fire in the process!

 

[RLDSL]

In theory, I know how it all works. I went to welding school years ago, but a complete lack of artistic talent convinced me to stick to engines

About the only welding I do anymore is with my mig setup, it even makes my welds look good .

---------Robert

 

[ford killer]

stop and grab a cold beer....jerry