Caterpillar 977 Bucket Pin Removal

[Catman977]

Hi Everyone:

I have a problem with my 977K Bucket Pin removals. I have tried everything to press from the inside out on both pins, used Heat, Dry ice and a 50ton press jig, on the inside pushing out, also had a Jig set up, for the outside using the pin threads for pulling it.

My question can a pilot hole be drilled through the pin and step it up to 1" diameter so I can put a long bolt through and nut the other side
with a jig made with 1" plates and nut the bolt to Extract? Maybe using Carbide drill bits?

 

[JAW710]

Post pictures of the area. Please.

 

[MeanGene1]

I used to work for a guy who had a K and an L, and had learned to be fanatical about greasing those lower pins twice a day as they lived right in the dirt or asphalt and concrete chunks. When he would pull up in his pickup, you would see him turn up his hearing aids so he could listen for the pins "groaning". His kid "welded" the pins in on that K twice, and I had to fix it, lots of hours right there. He had one of those Peterson demo "clam" buckets, so those pins better be able to be removed to switch buckets. Son would get fired, cry to mom for a week, who would beyotch at dad until he hired him back, he'd booger something else up, repeat, repeat, repeat...

 

[Catman977]

Yep I didn't grease my bucket pins enough.. My son came with a VEVOR press that had a hollow center, he welded a 1 1/2" course threaded rod into the threaded hole in the pin. He then sled the Vevor Beast press, onto the rod then ran a large nut to hold it on. This press is air operated, and within a minute it pulled the pin.. We had to turn the end of the Rod, to the size of the Pin hole that was threaded, then use Nickel Rod to weld it in. First time we used 7018 Rod, and it wouldn't hold, but cast rod did. Hope this helps anyone out there with a impossible Pin problem. I'am in the process of chucking up the pin in the Lathe to clean it up for reinstall after new packing on the Ram end.

 

[farmersamm]

Thermal Lance