RESOLVED - Pittman arm woes Help Please!

[Solace in Solitude]

^^X3^^ what @redrock said!! He pointed me to the gearbox rebuilders, saying they had rebuilt several for him - so, he's pulled a few Pittmans!!

@lostmarbles Yeah, but we're not as steady handed as you Tom!!

 

[78fj40mg]

Thank you all for your help and great ideas!

Tonight I mixed the special cocktail of ATF and Acetone and sprayed the Pittman arm I'll let cook overnight and see what happens.
If the cocktail doesn't work I''ll cut off the arm with a cutting wheel and call it a day.

I'm ready for a drink now specially after Seattle Hawks lost to the cheaters.

Stay tuned for the continuing saga.

 

[lcwizard]

Try two 5lb sledge hammers. Place one against the side of the pitman at the splined hole like a floating anvil and hit it hard with the other 180 degrees out. Do this a bunch of times. If you only have one hammer you can use anvil in place of the first hammer. You'll probably need someone to balance the box. The shaft is tapered so the idea is that a sharp blow straight on will compress the hole and force the arm to walk down the taper. It also helps break up any rust holding it on

seriously, in 26 years of being in business, I've never NOT got a pitman arm loose. We're talking hundreds

 

[Stumpalama]

Try two 5lb sledge hammers. Place one against the side of the pitman at the splined hole like a floating anvil and hit it hard with the other 180 degrees out. Do this a bunch of times. If you only have one hammer you can use anvil in place of the first hammer. You'll probably need someone to balance the box. The shaft is tapered so the idea is that a sharp blow straight on will compress the hole and force the arm to walk down the taper. It also helps break up any rust holding it on

This has worked for me every time I've done it,even when every other method failed.

Another method is tension from a puller for an extended period of time, I.e. put the puller on it, crank it down and leave it overnight. Don't sh!t yourself if it pops off overnight as it makes a hell of a noise when it lets go. If it doesn't let go overnight, tighten the puller more and whack it with a 5lb hammer several times.

 

[Weber Sarge]

I lay an 8-10lb sledge on the floor , position the box on some 4x4's so it's level and give it a good solid whack with a 3-5lb maul or hand drill opposite the sledge face - they usually fall off by themselves . If not , the puller comes out with some tension on the pitman and the Harris comes out . You cannot use propane toy torches for this kind of work , not nearly enough heat fast enough - it just soaks the joint and makes it worse . Banging on the puller really hard or using a pickle fork can destroy the box - that is a big no-no . Never had one beat me in over 30yrs yet ...
Sarge

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I lay an 8-10lb sledge on the floor , position the box on some 4x4's so it's level and give it a good solid whack with a 3-5lb maul or hand drill opposite the sledge face - they usually fall off by themselves . If not , the puller comes out with some tension on the pitman and the Harris comes out . You cannot use propane toy torches for this kind of work , not nearly enough heat fast enough - it just soaks the joint and makes it worse . Banging on the puller really hard or using a pickle fork can destroy the box - that is a big no-no . Never had one beat me in over 30yrs yet ...
Sarge

Sorry Sarge... you lost me... I was drinking Dr Pepper during the Super Bowl... I could be tipsy... would you mind expounding on your statements above? The ones I highlighted in yellow

Thanks!

 

[Weber Sarge]

Prop the box up on wood to support it , position a sledgehammer under the pitman arm at the bulge where the splines are located . Hit the opposite side with at least a 3lb hand maul , or proper term is a hand drill - those short-handled big hammers were for hand drilling rock many moons ago in mines and quarries .
I've had a few that resisted the biggest hammers and pullers , in that case Harris Steelworker torch comes out with a large cutting tip . A quick heat and they always pop , wet rag around the shaft is a good idea as well . Do not quench a pitman arm when hot , just let it cool on a metal table , never on concrete floor unless you like flying shrapnel from heat-popped aggregate .
Been a long day standing in front of the lathe , missing parts of sentences here tonight ...time to relax .
Sarge

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Just as I thought... I need to cut down on my Dr Pepper!!

I hope Mike hasn't broken his hand drill...

Thanks Sarge!!

 

[Weber Sarge]

I get a lot of people with that one - worked around a lot of very old guys growing up who taught me most of what I know , which results in using terms no longer recognized in this world . That's where I get the basics , like using paraffin to loosen parts under light heat ...
Sarge

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I get a lot of people with that one - worked around a lot of very old guys growing up who taught me most of what I know , which results in using terms no longer recognized in this world . That's where I get the basics , like using paraffin to loosen parts under light heat ...
Sarge

Oddly, I knew what a hand drill was... but, you threw me with the context, or my over indulgence in Dr Pepper... you had me thinking of a cordless drill... your timing was impeccable!! ...and then you threw Harris in and I didn't know who Harris was...

Good job!!

 

[shawnfj40]

I pull these things all the time. Use a simple puller like someone showed from summit. You can probably rent one from a parts place that rents them (good idea if it brakes). I have not broen one in years though. Use free all or any of the penetrating mixes and a really good high torque impact gun. The gun is the key Some guns need very little air volume to reach max potential and some like snap on need a ton of air and big hoses to supply it. If you hit it with a good gun it will not resist.

 

[lostmarbles]

..... You cannot use propane toy torches for this kind of work , not nearly enough heat fast enough .... ... Sarge

I couldn't agree more.

You need the "shock heat" that only oxy-acetylene can provide for the stubborn ones. (I've never tried an impact gun though.)

The object of the exercise for me is never to get the pitman glowing red either (or anywhere near it). Instead it is simply to "pound in a lot of heat fast" to get the pitman female spline PCD expanding before much heat reaches the male spline (to cause it to expand too). This will hopefully eliminate the interference that is causing the two parts to hold together.

.... proper term is a hand drill - those short-handled big hammers were for hand drilling rock many moons ago in mines and quarries ................... Harris Steelworker torch comes out with a large cutting tip . ....................Sarge

I'm glad you explained those things too Sarge

 

[lcwizard]

well Sarge, I'm in a mining town and I still hear the hammer referred to as such. It does get confusing.
You ask for a drill and someone either brings a hammer, a black & decker or a brace

 

[broth9640]

X3 on the oxy acetylene torch. Propane is a waste of time. A MAP gas torch worked for mine if you don't have access to a acetylene torch. It's the yellow canisters at Home Depot.

 

[Howard705]

HIGH acetylene torch heat with a cutting tip/rosebud. FAST and HOT around the pittman splines opposite the arm. RED will start to show-hit the puller. Enough heat to expand the arm-fast enough to not heat all the way down the shaft too bad and waste the heat transfer expanding everything else too.

 

[Pete]

The other guys might be right that something hotter than a propane torch is needed to get enough heat or works better, but that has not been my experience. I've removed 2 or 3 using propane torch but I don't get anywhere near as hot as they refer to. If you've got propane, I would try that before buying something else. I think the most important part of the whole operation is to use a PITTMAN ARM PULLER like the one somebody showed from Summit or rent one as I did. You don't need a high torque impact wrench, just a box end wrench with a long cheater bar or 3/4 socket and breaker bar with a long cheater pipe will work too. Don't waste your time with WD40, use a real penetrating oil like Ole Red (equal parts kerosene, mineral spirits, acetone, and ATF). What I've done is soak a day or two with the penetrating oil, install and tighten the puller as much as you can, heat with the torch, wack the collar part of the arm a few times with a BFH, tighten the puller some more, heat, wack, tighten puller, heat, wack, etc etc etc. Oh yeah, be patient. It will come off! The problem is the Pittman arm shaft is slightly tapered and the arm is tightened to force it down that taper or so I was told by the machinist that removed my first one, after I broke pullers and pickle forks just like you did.

HTH
Pete

 

[78fj40mg]

I tried again today to remove the pit arm without success. So I've got the puller cranked up and currently soaking in the special cocktail acetone/ATF. Will try again on Thursday.

 

[Pin_Head]

Try two 5lb sledge hammers. Place one against the side of the pitman at the splined hole like a floating anvil and hit it hard with the other 180 degrees out. Do this a bunch of times. If you only have one hammer you can use anvil in place of the first hammer. You'll probably need someone to balance the box. The shaft is tapered so the idea is that a sharp blow straight on will compress the hole and force the arm to walk down the taper. It also helps break up any rust holding it on

This works! If you don't have two hammers, then one sledge and an anvil will work. If you don't have two hammers or an anvil, then cutting the pitman arm will work as described below, but it is more work.

Instead of destroying a p/s gearbox or mangling a $350 cross shaft, why not just slice through the pitman arm where it is stuck on the shaft with a cutoff wheel, clean up the splines, slap a new or used arm on it, and call it a day? You can find a good used arm here on Mud cheaper than buying another puller or fork.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

^^XE(verhowmany)^^ I think I'd be taking @redrock seriously by now, Mike!!

 

[78fj40mg]

After fooling with this Pittman arm for almost a week last night I cleaned it and decided to install it with its existing arm, although it's about 3 to 5 inches shorter than the one I currently have on my manual steering box. If the short arm becomes an issue for me I will then try the removal process again.

Cleaned and ready for paint.