I HATE cotter pins

[canoetrpr]

I am trying to take my Pats off my tractor as it gets traded in tomorrow. Each has a shaft that goes into the ball on the arms and the shaft is held there by a cotter pin and a spring pin.

I tried to take the cotter pin off one to no avail. One part twisted right off and no amount of hammering will take the rest of it out - no pulling will pliers will either. I can't think of anything other than trying to drill the hole out to get whatever is in it out.

What do the rest of you do when you are challenged with a beefy cotter pin that cannot be manipulated out?

 

[ultrarunner]

I use a pin puller... probably made in the 1930's... only works if the head of the pin is intact.

Otherwise a cut flush and use a pin punch or drill.

 

[skylarkguy]

I usually punch them out with the appropriately sized punch. It likely needed to be replaced anyway.

 

[SandburRanch]

Cotter pins aren't the problem so much as the idiots that install them. I'm not sure where people think that pin is going to go that they need to bend both legs back 180° and then beat he** out of it with a hammer until it is so distorted it looks as if a Gorilla had been there.

 

[crash325]

I use a pin puller... probably made in the 1930's... only works if the head of the pin is intact.

Otherwise a cut flush and use a pin punch or drill.

:thumbsup:

Puller is sort of like a center punch, starts off with a point, then gets straight. Even a good sized nail will work. :2cents:

 

[k0ua]

yep pretty much what the others said, except if the head is still there, I usually use a pair of "needle nose" vice grips, latch on and yank all in one motion. If that is not possible, then the punch like everyone else said.

James K0UA

 

[Sackett2]

Sometimes I give up, beat the socket on it and let the nut cut the ends off. Then I use a punch on the remains (this system works very well)

 

[ultrarunner]

Sometimes squeezing the head with vise grips will allow it to pass through the hole.

Most modern cars have two cotter pins... some of my older cars have dozens of them.

 

[canoetrpr]

Drilling manged to get the first one out. Broke one drill bit. I best stop by Princess Auto as my supply of cheepo thin drill bits is rather low.

The next one came out easy. I straightened the two ends out and then used a punch to push it out by placing the punch on the curled section. There wasn't enough room for me to get a pair of vice grips there. Came out within seconds.

Some of them are just buggers.

 

[oldballs]

Cotter pins aren't the problem so much as the idiots that install them. I'm not sure where people think that pin is going to go that they need to bend both legs back 180ｰ and then beat he** out of it with a hammer until it is so distorted it looks as if a Gorilla had been there.

I Heard That!