How should I free this up?

[Tractor boy 239]

I wnet out to replace the cable on my new to me 1056’s hitch lift. Well the hitch is lovked up tighter then Fort Knox. Couldn’t budge it with a hammer or lubricant so I heated it up and wa-bam small flames. So after i snuffed those out, I tried to move it again. No luck. Any suggestions? I would really like to avoid splitting the tractor if possible. Tonight i am going to try and use a jack braced in between the frame and hitch to pop it lose. Any ideas are welcome!! (Pictures coming soon)  

[ebinmaine 67,279]

Believe it or not you were already headed down the right Road. There is one big huge large incredibly important key when trying to do something like this

 

 

PATIENCE

 

Penetrating fluid of your choice and a hand torch.

Heat. Soak. Heat. Soak. Heat. Soak.. tap it a little bit with a hammer one way or the other.

Repeat

 

Patience

 

Repeat steps above

 

More patience

 

 

important to remember that it took 50 or 60 years for these tractors to become Frozen up with rust so it isn't something you can undo in 5 minutes

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

I’ve got some bolt buster made by beaver 

research that is supposed to be real good for that

[Achto 27,505]

A real good penetrating fluid is a 50/50 mix of ATF/ tranny fluid & acetone. Works better than most stuff in a can, for me any way. Like Eric said soak, heat, try to work it, repeat. Be mindful that cast does have a breaking point, don't wanna shatter the tranny cases or hitch if you can help it. After you get it a part clean the holes & the pin then use some type of anti-seize on the pin for assembly.

 

 When I do a resto, I drill and tap a hole in the tranny towards the top of the hitch pin hole for a grease sert. this allows me to lube this pivot point at will.

 

[Tractor boy 239]

Hmm. Worth a shot. Will update with progress. 

[Racinbob 11,045]

I had the same issue with an 854 I picked up last summer. I kept soaking it for weeks. Finally I was able to get it to move in the trans case but not the slot hitch. I ended up cutting the pin on both sides of the case and remove the hitch. Then the pin came out of the case. The hitch is still sitting out there with a piece of the pin in it. Someday I'll find someone with a press to get it out. 

[953 nut 55,085]

If the pin is rusted in place in the hitch and the transmission then the only option I have had success with is to center drill the pin from both sides meeting in the middle. Continue using progressively larger bits until you come to a point where the drill bit is at the edge of the casting. It should be weakened enough that twisting the hitch will free it up. 

[Sarge 3,463]

Your best option is patience and a lot of penetrating oil. If you are hitting the end of the pin - use a brass drift, lead hammer or something that will not distort the steel pin. Using hardened hammer heads on a pin of that type will not just mushroom the end of it in the hitch itself - but it will also enlarge the pin inside the casting, making it even tougher to remove. If you're really good with a drill - you can drill a hole into the wider portion of the casting and thread it for a grease zerk. What I've had to do with a few of them is mix up the acetone and trans fluid mix, soak the newly drilled hole with it for a day or so - then, install the grease zerk and use the grease gun's pressure to force it into the casting. Be careful here, with lever type guns you can actually blow the gasket out and might even pump grease into the transaxle case past the gasket. Some heat is ok - but if you use too much you will burn that gasket out. I've had a couple that had not only a frozen hitch but also had badly damaged axles and hubs - so the red and green wrench comes out to remove the pin/hubs as a last resort - then, split the trans and fix it once and for all.

 

One other option is to use a thin metal cutting blade such as a hacksaw, sawzall or other and cut the pin off between the hitch and the casting. Some of the big ball joint presses will expand large enough to push that pin out - but be aware that a cheap ball joint press will just bend - it takes a high-quality model and those aren't cheap. Some auto parts stores will rent them - but inspect it first as most are bent and never replaced. 

 

There are probably 50 methods for getting these pins out - your job is to find the one that works for you and doesn't damage the case.

 

Sarge

[bellevillerod 834]

Just went through this myself. Got to be careful that you don't mushroom the pin over on the ends. I used a large punch to strike at the center of the pin. Mine still refused to come out. Once I cut it out I was able to use a large torch and cherry red the ends. When I did this I was able to tap the ends out and made a new pin. Good Luck.

Edited April 10, 2019 by bellevillerod