thrashingcows

And the economy will leave with it......

mknittle

FIGURES! It really does. It's a good place to be from.

bigragu

I'll have to give ol' Linda Ronstad a call, and ask her to straighten his a$$ out, lol. He's play dough in her hands!

edwinsmith

As old as he is I doubt it's a stiff as play-dough.

bigragu

edwinsmith

I had a clanging sound from under the truck so I decided to take a look at the u-Joints. They were all worn in with grooves so I guess it was time. Unfortunately the trucks sitting in the driveway because we're not strong enough to push it back uphill into the garage. I refuse to work under it when it's on a slope.

The wife has some stuff she needs done so the plan is to hire a few strong backs from the Home-Depot lot to come help. Once I get it back in the garage I can slip the drive shaft back in.

I had to roll the truck out last night because it won't completely fit in the garage and I didn't want to leave it there with the garage door open. Tools tend to escape at night around here.

I'm getting too old for crawling around on the ground.

Edwin

bigragu

No where to hook a come along to the truck and onto a support in the garage? Not to pull the truck in, but that, along with all four wheels chocked, you should be okay. Maybe if you got a beater car, you could park in directly behind your truck, bumper to bumper? Just throwing out ideas, should the muscle heads not be there from Home Depot.

edwinsmith

I may buy the come-along because I need one. I don't have anything to hook onto in the garage unless I attach a bolt anchor to the floor. I have to look into that. The blocking the truck with a beater is a good idea but my wife says no way with her plastic bumper Equinox POS. I could probably get a few of the neighbors to help but I'm sore from beating on the driveshaft with a big hammer so I want to rest up some anyway. I finally had to go find a press to do the last joint because My vise wouldn't hold the yoke. Should have done the press to begin with so I wouldn't be so sore.

Edwin

j_martin

I have an air hammer. I cut off a punch blank real short and ground a 3/8" square on the end. Sacrificed a couple of different cheap sockets for different sized u-joints.

I can change out a u joint underneath the truck laying on my back in about 5 minutes. You'd be amazed at how easy 1000 beats per minute moves a stubborn u-joint cap. I only have to hold the shaft/yoke in my hand. The weight of the piece is enough inertial backing.

As a bonus, there is zero risk of bending the yoke.

edwinsmith

That sounds like a great system. Next time I need u-joints I'm coming to your house.

I used a couple of sockets myself but I used a 10 # hammer. I have an air hammer so next time I'll give it a try.

Thanks for the idea.

Edwin

peckens

These are handy too. Work well for pulling heavy aircraft into hangers. Ironton 120 Volt AC Powered Electric Utility Winch — 1500-Lb. Capacity, Galvanized Steel Aircraft Wire Rope | AC Powered Winches| Northern Tool + Equipment

oliver foster

I set old axle u bolts in the back of the shop when pouring the concrete so I have a spot to hook a chain and my winch or a come-along to when I need to pull in a truck that may not run well or at all.

bigragu

Good move, Oliver!

Edwin, do you have access to a roto hammer? Dewalt or a Hilti? Any commercial guy in construction with a company tuck should have one on him, or you can rent one. Drill and set a Hilti brand flush insert, 3/4" minimum, and afte that's in you can thread in a 3/4" eyelet bolt, so you got something to anchor a come along onto, or for a winch, use 1/2" anchors. That way, you can remove the eye bolt or winch and that flush mount anchor won't ever be a toe stubber. Just make sure with that anchor you use the set tool to drive in the inner tapered wedge inside that anchor so as to expand that anchor in your garage slab.

Home Depot now carries the Hilti line of tools and anchors. With that, I bet you they rent that tool out in their tool rental dept. Like I mentioned earlier, you can use it to just hold the truck in place in your driveway with the use of wheel chocks, also, or if you want to pull your truck in that 3/4" anchor is plenty strong. Your weak point will be your come along if you buy a cheapie unit.

And please, if your come along is maxed out, don't replace the handle with a steel pipe!!! That is a decapitation waiting to happen, brother. The handles on those come along handles will bend if you exceed its capacity.

edwinsmith

The wife hired 3 Mexicans for some yard work so I got them to push the truck back in the garage. After that it was about an hours work to put the drive line back in. I used my EarthQuake impact wrench on it's low setting to tighten the nut on the yoke of the G360. I hope it's tight enough. Since the shaft is splined I don't see it working out anytime soon. I'll check it out in a few weeks just to be sure.

I greased all the new U-Joints and then went for a short drive. No more Clanking when I change gears or lug down.

Bigragu, I have a Home Depot very near which is where we got the Mexicans. Right now they're cheaper than the tool rental and concrete anchors. I have seen the effects of a cable snapping so I have a healthy respect for those things. We had one snap vertically when lifting a machine once and it put a hole in the tin roof of the shop. The machine put a nice gouge in the concrete floor also.

Time to hit the showers.

Edwin

bigragu

If it makes you feel better, lather up the threads with some good old locktite, then re apply that impact gun.