Can't Remove Hydro Couplings

[MadReferee]

I am not sure if you can do this or not as it requires the hose and fitting to be completely off the tractor and back in the workshop. This is how my local hydraulic shop gets stuck fittings out. I watched him do it to my 43 year old dozer spool valve to get the outlet fitting off. I had previoulsy tried everything including an 18" adjustable cresent wrench and a 2" open end box wrench (yes, the fitting was 2") and plenty of PB Blaster with absolutely no success.

He placed the valve on the bench, took a flat nose cold chisel and rapped the fitting hard, twice, on 2 different flats. The fitting came right off. He said it was the shock that did the job.

As always, your mileage may vary.

 

[Tom_H]

He placed the valve on the bench, took a flat nose cold chisel and rapped the fitting hard, twice, on 2 different flats. The fitting came right off. He said it was the shock that did the job.

Wo, you guys've given me a bit to think about. Hmmm, have to ponder this a little. Don't want to destroy anything. May be worth the $ to take it to the shop and watch how they do it, then copy them the next time. Could be cheaper than doin' it the wrong way on my own. Knowledge is power... and $.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[gemini5362]

Mad has a good point. I remember when I used to work in a steel mill with real mechanics. They would take a 5 pound hammer and rap on something nice and hard and it would come loose very easy. The first time I seen that done I spent about an hour getting a 2 inch hydraulic line loose and got no where. They sent a real mechanic down to help me and he hit the union with a 5 pound sledge twice then the union came loose with no effort at all. That might be a good idea to try that. I wished I had thought of it.

 

[Harry c]

Loctite makes a special sealer for hydraulic fittings. Helps stop leaks and doesn't contaminate the system like teflon tape. It, or something similar may have been used originally. That would explain why your old fittings are so hard to loosen. Manufacturers do everything they can to prevent hydraulic leaks. Leaky hydraulics are a major warranty issue.

A good solid whack or some heat will probably break it loose. A proper wrench is an absolute necessity.

 

[Reg]

Old thread, I know.
I had been searching for topics on thread sealants when I came across this.
Not that I am a RICH man, but I do have a decent motorcycle and there are 5 bolts holding the rear wheel to the rear hub. They have a pre-applied thread sealant and the owner's manual says to apply heat to remove them. I read that after I had removed them with a LOT of force, probably too much for that sized bolt. I don't remember the exact temperature, the owner's manual isn't handy.

FWIW, etc.

 

[Harry c]

Last week I took off one of the same quick couplings to attach a pressure gauge for a hydraulic system pressure check. This is on a BX24 that sleeps inside so no corrosion. I used the proper wrenches (Snap-Ons) and put all the torque the fitting could stand. It started twisting the area the wrenches were contacting. Not rounding, actually twisting. I ended up using 2 large high quality Crescents since they are thicker and engaged more metal. Lots of strain but the fitting came loose. There was no evidence of any pipe dope, teflon tape, teflon paste... My guess is one of the thread sealers like LocTite. Acted more like epoxy or Silver solder?!?!?
Tested the pressure, re-installed the fitting and no leaks. Definitely the hardest I ever turned a 1/4" NPT fitting!

 

[rpraymond]

I know that some LocTite has to be heated to release. Good luck and let us know what works.

 

[megaboz]

I have a suggestion that I used when removing spark plugs. Because I couldn't get a good angle to get them loose, I decided to break out my impact gun! Wham that came right out!

That might work on the female ends, now for the male ends, that's a different story.