Stuck bows on M116A2 suggestions?

[jacobsk]

Does anyone have any suggestions for removing some well rusted bows from an M116A2 trailer? I have had them soaking with penetrating oil for almost two weeks at this point without much luck.

Yesterday I attempted to use a small jack to and steel fixture to push one out and ended up tearing the metal where I bolted through the bow.... At this point I've about had it and may just sawzall them off ...but after taking a step back and thinking about it I would really rather not cut them if I don't have to.

I have a feeling that I am not the first unfortunate soul to face this challenge... Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Recovry4x4]

I suffered through this 10 years back or so. I ended up building a fixture to enter the bow pocket from the bottom and after jacking it up a bit, I wailed on the trailer with a sledge. the shock eventually broke them free. Wasn't easy and the trailer had scars.

 

[glassk]

I used a longer board and had to jack each side of each bow to get mine out

 

[John Galt]

Can you push the bow out from the bottom?

 

[SteveKuhn]

I'd think that the bow metal is too thin to get a good push going from underneath, similar to the reason it tore when you jacked it. I also think that you gotta not only soak over time but work it as below. I wouldn't be surprised at over 2 weeks with a bow. Longer might be necessary. My M105 lunette took 5 weeks and 2 sledge handles to break loose.

Steady pressure isn't nearly as effective as impact. It's the impact that cracks the rust weld and allows the penetrating oil to move through it. Also, try a couple kinds of penetrating oil and home concoctions like 50/50 - ATF/Acetone.

When I had the same rusted in situation described on my M103 bows, I did similar to the drawing above except that I:
- jacked up the landing leg (in your case, the tongue)
- wedged a 2 x 4 from the ground up to the curve/corner piece in top of the bow
- dropped the leg just enough to put constant upward pressure on the bow
- laid a 6 x 8 right at the foot of the bow leg
- then banged the be-whats-its out of the 6 x 8 (hence the trailer deck) with a sledge
The combination of weight and shock eventually broke it loose. Don't forget to alternate sides to avoid binding. The bows go 'way down in the pockets. Watch those wood braces. If they kick loose, they do so with a vengence. Best to stand on the bed and if you can to help with that. Put some heavy stuff on the front of the deck to increase pressure.

I did try heating the stake pocket along the way but by the time I decided to do that I had too much oil in the gap and it kept catching fire. I'd have probably gone farther down that road if I had somebody standing by with a fire extinguisher, but I liked the above better.

Good luck.

Steve

 

[jacobsk]

Well today I had a little time on my hands and tried unsuccessfully to heat the pockets into submission. I did however prove that CARC paint can burn!

My desire to remove the bows got the best of me and I took a fine blade in the sawzall to cut them off flush. In the future when I get around to it I will use a longer sawzall blade and cut each of the "stubs" left rusted in place axially, and maybe I can pry the pieces out one at a time. If I intend to use the bows in the future they'll simply be ~6 inches shorter, and I will have to re-drill the the through hole so the pin can slide through.

I appreciate the input, who's idea was it to usesteel bows in steel pockets with almost 36 square inches of surface area to rust solid? I'd like to meet that guy!

 

[SteveKuhn]

Prolly the same guy who put grease in the TM.

Steve

 

[jacobsk]

Prolly the same guy who put grease in the TM.

Steve

Touche'

Well here's an image of how they turned out. The only bow I was able to remove was the rear most on the trailer. In the image you can see the empty rear pocket and the stub of the bow filling the pocket by the wheel well.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Well, it's a little late, but I'll chime in for future reference.

Also, try a couple kinds of penetrating oil and home concoctions like 50/50 - ATF/Acetone.

YES!

All penetrating oils are NOT created equal. A machinist's magazine did a controlled test a few years back, and published the results. Here's what they found:

• WD-40 is almost useless. (Not surprising, since it's not sold as a penetrating oil! Good as a lube, but not for breaking rust.)
• Liquid Wrench helps.
• PB Blaster beats Liquid Wrench by a mile.
• Kroil beats PB Blaster by a mile.
• 50/50 Acetone/ATF beats Kroil by a mile.

Also, I agree about the impact. I just did some muffler work, and you know what that's like! I tried my El Cheapo (Campbell Hausfield) air chisel for the first time. That rust just JUMPED off the parts! I plan to get a flat tip for it, if I can find one, just for loosening rusted parts.


One more thing: I'd have cut it down to a 1 inch stub, then used vice grips on the stub to start peeling the stake out. Bend the walls IN, away from the socket walls to break them loose and let more penetrant get in.

 

[RodUSMC1962]

The knowledge and experience on this site is incredible!