ROPS Bolts

[Thomas]

"Need to check thread on broken rear axle housing"
I hope the info not for your tractor Jag. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Jag]

Thomas..NH, nop' everything is good, I had just remembered that thread had something on it.. Check twice, cut once.. And Harv gave me the other thread on the ROPS, that boy is something else with his super links... I did torque the bolts down and it was a hard pull on a long handle in a tight place....

 

[markcg2000]

Yeah, Harv, get a torque wrench. I don't have to use it very often, but that meant I have even less a "feel" for how tight bolts need to be.

Incidently, a torque wrench is a lot like any attachment for your tractor - you get what you pay for. I started out with a torque wrench that had a little bar above the main handle, attached only to the end where my hand goes; the other end floated. The main handle would distort, and the top bar would go over a point on a gauge (looks almost like a tiltmeter). Never trusted that, so I went and bougth a fairly high-end Craftsman. Set a dial for what you want, then a very audible click occurs when you've reached the torque level you want. Much easier to use!

mark

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>Yeah, Harv, get a torque wrench.</font color=blue>

Do tractor wish lists ever get shorter? /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Roy]

Harv; I'm convinced it will only shorten if we eventually sell the property, and move into a retirement community. (And even then, I might just take the tractor with me /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif).

Make a mental note of tool-wants, and always keep an eye out. If your observant, it's amazing what you can find at stores or an occasional good yard sale. (For most of them, though, it astonishes me how some people want more for a used item than what it cost new!) For example, when I read through my owner's manual, I noticed that I would need a 1-3/16 socket to remove the mower blades. Drat… I had a 1-1/8" socket for my ½" drive, and a 1-1/4, but not a 1-3/16. Rather than run out and buy one immediately (had plenty of time before having to sharpen the blades), just kept an eye out. Then this winter, paydirt! Was at a Family Farm store when they were clearing out old stock, and had big bins of stuff to rummage through. Found a complete ¾" drive set with every socket I would ever probably need, including the 1-3/16, for $49.99 (marked down from $110).

I am still looking for a good torque wrench myself…. In the meantime, I use an operational bypass; I just borrow one from my neighbor.


Roy

 

[skent]

Found a Snap-On Electronic Torque meter at a yard sale. TQJE1500. Skuffed up and missing the charger and carry case. Seller said it didn't work. $25.00 for the meter, $20 for a new battery (from DigiKey) and $7 for a new charger and it works great! Beeps when you reach the preset value or you can watch the digital display. Sometimes a pain to use - but when you gotta torque, you gotta torque!

 

[GlueGuy]

Re: ROPS Bolts & Torque wrenches

<font color=blue>Incidently, a torque wrench is a lot like any attachment for your tractor - you get what you pay for.</font color=blue>

Got that right. I'll tell a little story though. Several years ago, I was having a problem with the prop bolts on the airplane. Because it has a wooden prop, need to check the torque every 25-50 hours or 6 months, whichever comes first. Every time I would check the torque, I would break a prop bolt./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Now that's scary!!!

Because my torque wrench was an el-cheapo that I'd only gotten for about $75, I was convinced that something was wrong with it, but when I had it calibrated, it was within 1%. Still, I felt something was wrong.

Prompted me to go out and get a super-premium Mountz dial torque wrench... Now this is a little unit, about 10 or 12 inches long. However, because it's dial, it also has a special handle; you can grab it anywhere on the handle, and it's guaranteed to be very, very accurate. Cost me about $400 for this little puppy! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Dang if I didn't keep breaking prop bolts. Started looking closer at the problem, and (finally) figured out that one of the prop bolt holes was at a slight angle. Every time I took a bolt out of that hole and put it back in, I was "bending" it with every revolution. I would basically fatigue the bolt in the process of taking it out and putting it back in.

Solution was dirt simple, I just chucked the prop into the drill press, and reemed the hole out a little. This is not a big deal, as the prop is held by the crush plate (bolts can not be in shear; prop stresses are guaranteed to break bolts in shear). Problem solved.

Sorry for the long story. Just shows to go you about expensive tools. Sometimes you lose, but mostly you win. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

The GlueGuy