440 crawler bottom rolls???

[Dave Holt]

Any suggestions on how to remove roller mounting bolts?? Have to change three rolls and two bolts have broken off. Have tried heating but still broke. Dave

[Lavoy]

Heat the area around the bolt, not the bolt itself. Heating the bolt expands it, and can make it a tighter fit. Heating the area around the bolt expands the metal and releases the tension on the bolt. The other option is to drill the center out of the bolt, plug weld it back shut, and as the weld contracts, it will shrink the bolt.
Lavoy

[Paul Buhler]

Hi:
Good luck with your project. This thread may have some useful info for you. The second or third page deals with rolls. I got a lot of good advise that was helpful.
http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... php?t=5989
Paul

[Dave T]

When you heat up the bolts get them red hot and hold them there for a bit so the heat can soak up into the threaded area of the bolt, then allow it to cool dowm stone cold. The bolt will shrink and allow for hopefully easier removal. If you do as Lavoy suggested then you work it while it is hot. What I am suggesting is to heat the bolt only and do it rather quickly so there is minimum heat transfer to the base metal. Steel will expand when heated then shrink alittle more than it expanded. This will only work one time normally. I have done it many times and it works most of the time. Have fun