Advice needed on oxy acetylene torch

[Dave M7040]

I am having to remove the fan/impeller on my farm tractor size snow blower.
Manufacturer said some heating of the hub will be needed to get it to release from the gear box splined shaft.
Years ago when I was doing a lot of work I had a heavy duty torch set made by Purox.
That set eventually became a problem and repairs did not work so I bought a cheap set.
Now that I am having to apply a lot of heat to the fan hub I dont have the right equipment.
With my old set there was a very large tip which was called a "Rosebub."
It was just a large tip with a single large hole in it that produced a strong flame.
I am prepared to buy a torch (handle only) and rose bud tip.
My local welding supplier is saying to use a tip like this one on ebay.
Replacement Rosebud Heating Torch TIP FOR GAS Welder Welding Tool Rose BUD | eBay
Is this the best thing to use when you need to heat something heavy up quickly so that the heat does not have a chance to also heat the splined shaft?
Thanks for any advice.
Dave M7040

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My first question is, do you have a big enough set of tanks to support a rose bud?

SR

 

[k0ua]

A #6 rosebud is rated to need from 14 to 40 cubic foot per hour so if you use the old rate of 1/7 you will need anywhere from a 98 to a 280 cubic foot tank. if you go by the new rating of 1/10 per hour you would need a 140 cubic foot to 400 cubic foot tank to be safe. Most people have a manifold of several acetylene tanks together to use these tips. Or propane is perhaps a much better solution.

 

[Arc weld]

You could save yourself some money and just use a large cutting tip in your current torch. Just make sure not to touch the cutting lever. The old tip you had was not a rosebud but a large welding tip. The splined shaft is going to get heated no matter what you use. The idea is to heat up the hub so it expands and comes off easier. A lot of heat is definitely going to transfer to the splined shaft.

 

[yomax4]

If you do decide to buy a rosebud, Get one for Propane. That will eliminate the 1/7 rule and save you some cash. You didn't mention the brand of the torch you have now but some brands or brand styles will offer a short heating tip that screws on to the cutting attachment and it wont allow cutting oxygen to get through.

 

[ultrarunner]

Anyway to use two or three propane torches at the same time?

Smaller flame often means slower but not impossible.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My vote goes to using the cutting head for heating... I do it all the time, and it works just fine...

SR

 

[Dave M7040]

My first question is, do you have a big enough set of tanks to support a rose bud?

SR

Thanks to all for the comments.
I looked at my tanks today but because of the light level was not able to read any info.
Both tanks are 24" high before valve and approx 8" dia.
Does this help?
I tried the cutting tip but clearly could not get the hub hot enough. There are three heavy fan blades made of channel welded to the hub so the heat is carried away quickly.
Dave M7070

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I don't think tanks that small will support much of a rose bud....

SR

 

[k0ua]

Thanks to all for the comments.
I looked at my tanks today but because of the light level was not able to read any info.
Both tanks are 24" high before valve and approx 8" dia.
Does this help?
I tried the cutting tip but clearly could not get the hub hot enough. There are three heavy fan blades made of channel welded to the hub so the heat is carried away quickly.
Dave M7070

That would be a #3 or 70 cubic foot cylinder if it is 7 inches in diameter and about 2 foot high not including the valve. So 70 cubic foot and using the 1/7 rule you could pull a maximum of 10 cubic foot an hour. Not enough to run the rosebud you linked to, Not enough by half at least.