Tight nuts and how to remove?

[Gwil]

I need to remove a notoriously tight nut on my Harley- final drive pulley. One owner needed his full 18 stone and a six foot scaffold pole!

I'm old and decrepit and 10 stone soaking wet, so as a precaution I'm thinking of getting hold of an air impact wrench for the job. I also live in the middle of nowhere so once I embark on this I have to finish it.
My question is whether my old and equally decrepit 50l compressor will handle the impact wrench? I don't know its cfm, but it's atypical cheap diy number. I'm well tooled up for most things but not this.

Any thoughts very welcome.

 

[Craig-SM]

Just find yourself a fat friend.

 

[Yamhon]

Try wetting the part with a penetrating oil first; the one I have is Plus Gas, only used it a few times on my own bike, but it seems to work well. You could always try a cordless or even corded impact driver/wrench, apparently they've come along way to catch up to air fed systems in recent years; so you have that option if your compressor isn't up to the job.

 

[Screwdriver]

They do require a stupid amount of effort to remove. Bit of heat won't hurt and you need a long lever. Tie the socket end or at least wrap it with some cloth. They let go with a bang!

 

[TigTigger]

Reminds me of many years ago trying to remove the drive shaft nut on a Hillman Imp. Despite long levers I had no success until I realised it was a left hand thread. Ah well you learn by experience!!

 

[Dcal]

Impact gun is the answer but only if it got enough grunt.
Some of the cordless ones are great but a proper air one will also do the job.
For your compressor the size of your regulator and hose ID will probably be the limiting factor, if it doesn't let go with a couple of blasts there's little point in hammering the c##p out of it.

 

[8ob]

I reckon you are going to need a torque multiplier, something like 5-1 advantage which will make undoing easy and give you a chance to torque it up properly when it goes back on.

Cheapy https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Torque-M...=322288228628712b71fd52404ad48b3ada24737b5bb7

 

[Gragson]

+1 for all the heat/pen oil prep mentioned above and also a really decent full hex socket.
My corded electric rattle gun has way more torque than my air off a weedy 50l compressor.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Torque multipliers are great (if you have one) if you do try an air impact gun, have a decent bore hose, at least 10mm or 12mm, also with no small bore restrictions in the fittings and regulator etc.

 

[Bladevane]

Suggest using a 6 point hexagon socket not a 12 point one. This will reduce the temptation for the socket to slip and round off the nut corners.

 

[Gwil]

+1 for all the heat/pen oil prep mentioned above and also a really decent full hex socket.
My corded electric rattle gun has way more torque than my air off a weedy 50l compressor.

What make is it? I know some are discouragingly expensive.....and it's a left hand thread. Some I've seen seem to offer a limited tightening torque, which of course in this case would limit their loosening power. Or am I, as usual, missing something?

Generally some great advice here! People who've launched previous assaults on this nut report that with the bike in gear, and someone standing on the brake, all a breaker bar/scaffold pole did was spin the wheel! That's why I thought of an impact wrench.

 

[Maker]

Get one of these.

1625Nm breakaway torque, the only bolts it doesn't loosen are the ones it snaps.

 

[Gragson]

This is what I've got, ebay £50 450nm? watch your wrists!
As @Dcal no point hammering away if its not giving, just damage the nut.
Remember doing clutch hub nut with a mate, even after a lot of tempting with OA it took both of us on a big breaker bar, we would not have got that leverage with air or electric rattle gun I don't think

@8ob thanks for the multiplier idea, I need no excuse

 

[Gwil]

Get one of these.
View attachment 191127
1625Nm breakaway torque, the only bolts it doesn't loosen are the ones it snaps.

Would love it- but bang would go my tool budget for the year! I need a bigger torque wrench currently (engine sprocket nut which I've already managed to remove needs 250ft/lbs or 340nm).

The problem for me with bars, scaffold or otherwise, is that I'm on my own with this, the nut is accessible head on but less so to a bar. It would need an extension which always makes the whole plot less stable, hence the rattle gun approach.

 

[MoreWellie]

the cheap 1/2 air guns don't have a lot of torque My sealey rarely comes out since I bought a clarke CEW1000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clarke-CEW1000-Electric-Impact-Wrench/dp/B0039BQRUO which looks very much like the Moss pictured above

 

[cheb]

Would love it- but bang would go my tool budget for the year! I need a bigger torque wrench currently (engine sprocket nut which I've already managed to remove needs 250ft/lbs or 340nm).

The problem for me with bars, scaffold or otherwise, is that I'm on my own with this, the nut is accessible head on but less so to a bar. It would need an extension which always makes the whole plot less stable, hence the rattle gun approach.

Support the non socket end of the extension bar on an axle stand or similar, then you can give it some leverage and know it won't slip off as easily.

 

[Bill Edwards]

Cheap impact wrenches are rarely very good - in fact, many expensive ones aren’t great either.

Your compressor should do the job provided it has good pressure (120psi is usually adequate) and isn’t running through a restrictive regulator/hose.
For one nut it doesn’t have to be a good compressor as you won’t be waiting for it to refills.

 

[roofman]

99% of frozen nuts and bolts laugh at guys using penetrating sprays of any variety in the hope it will "loosen"...how many times have you sprayed and waited till the following Sunday hoping it will creep in and do its magic, then after another game plan and the fixing comes off and you are met with bone dry red or rusted threads with no sign of the magic spray..save your money and choose from 3 guaranteed ways to remove. 1..repeated hard blows from a high end impact 2..a breaker bar as tall as yourself so mathematical magic converts it to a couple of ton pulling power. 3..my favorite which is just plain old cherry red heat

 

[Melvyn Best]

Might be worth considering buying a new nut and splitting the old one off, Jaguar front hub nuts are often removed using this technique

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Castration?

Sorry.

Some good answers as always