How to remove the pintle hitch on M105A1??

[Jayco36REQS]

How the heck do you remove the pintle hitch on the M105A1??? I removed the big bolt, tried tapping it out, tried prying it out with a 6' gorilla bar, I even hooked it to the back of my 3500 crewcab dually with a log chain, locked both sets of brakes, and hooked up the 5-ton to the pintel and drug both trailer and dually... and HOLY CRAP it STILL wouldn't budge loose!!

What I want to do is flip the pintle upside down so it curves down -vs- up... Any suggestions how to remove it??

 

[M1075]

It just needs a little love!

 

[eagle4g63]

Lots of threads about this very thing, just check out some of them at the bottom of the page.

Short answer though is: gonna want to heat it, definitely going to have to beat it, and might even what to soak it with some penetrating fluid.....hope that all makes sense.

 

[Piper Cub]

Soak with penetrating oil, then heat the top of the "holder". Take a very large hammer and hit the top of the ring off to one side, so it'll spin and break the the rust weld.

 

[Adrian A]

Wow. Glad I live in California. Mine rotates by hand. I was going to say just pull the cotter key and loosen the nut. Good luck.

 

[clinto]

Man, that's a rare M105-it has a pintle? No wonder it's hard to remove, the factory accidentally put it there! Probably a big misunderstanding.


Wait, did you mean the lunette?

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?26893-M105-lunette-removal

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?51347-Lunette-Flipping

*Ignore my humor, it's dry and doesn't across as funny on the internet as it is in person

 

[61sleepercab]

Soak with PB Blaster and lightly rap to allow Blaster to creep in. Wait a couple of day spraying each day, then heat outside of pintle housing and quit before pintle shaft gets heated and then hammer side to side and back and forth.Heat works wonders for stuck bolts, nuts, shafts.

 

[EMD567]

I had to use a M936 wrecker rear winch, a 130 ton locomotive lifting strap, and a 7' diameter oak tree. Put about 5k worth of pull on the lunette, walked up with a 5lb sledge, hit the the top of the hitch( where the lunette goes into)6 times. On the 6th swing, the trl shot backwards about 4', and the lunette shot forwards 7' towards the wrecker.

Tie the trl to a tree. Get a snatch strap, and use the ford to put some pull on the lunette. Take a big hammer, and smack the top of the hitch where the lunette goes thru. MAKE SURE THAT THE FORD IS FAR ENOUGH AWAY THAT THE LUNETTE WON"T HIT IT.
ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THE AREA IN AND AROUND THE TRL IS CLEAR-WHEN THE LUNETTE COMES OUT, IT WILL DO SO WITH FORCE................

 

[Recovry4x4]

Here's the approved tool!

 

[M35A2-AZ]

When I took mine out I had to use some heat to get it out, also a big hammer. Just keep working on it with oil, heat and Big hammer.

 

[Jayco36REQS]

Thanks for all the replies... I guess it would have helped my searching if I knew it was called a Lunette. I've always just heard it called a Pintle loop or Pintle... Learn somethign new every day!

I'll tackle this one this weekend.. I've tried the hammering, tugging, soaking, hammering more route.... so I'll try the plate behind nut/heat/hammer/tug route next. Good tips on where to hammer too... Hadn't tried hammering it back into the trailer (but makes sense as sometimes I'll tighten a stuck bolt a tad before trying to force it back out.), and hadn't tried beating on the edge to try and twist it. I wasn't sure how it fit into the fiture.. (straight hole, tapered, keyed??) But knowing it's tapered helps!

Thanks again!! Let the beatings begin!! lol

 

[Alexsha]

I just used a tow strap from the lunette to my ram 2500. Put tension on it and rapped the lunette with a hammer. I left the bolt on the lunette so it could move less than 1/4 inch when it gave. Then I just took the bolt off.

 

[silverstate55]

Good lord, someone is going to get hurt with some of these suggestions.

While reading through the other threads as outlined by Clinto, it should become apparent that you need pressure on the back side (against the nut) of the lunette. After a couple of swings with the sledge hammer, use a couple of steel plate pieces in between the back metal frame & the lunette nut, then loosen the nut to put pressure against the steel plates & the lunette shaft. A couple more swings of the sledge hammer, and more pressure on the nut. It should pop right off after a series of these.

A little time with a wire brush & a very very light application of anti-sieze make it easy to remove afterwards.

 

[svanhorn]

What he said. When I flipped mine on my M101, I had the whole assembly in a vise, and just heated the housing, and then hit the outside with a hammer a few times. It came right out, and I coated it liberally with anti-sieze once it cooled.

 

[wreckerman893]

I posted this on another thread but I'll tell you how I did it.
Heat the housing that the lunette runs through after backing the nut off (but not removing it). Take a candle, parrifin not beeswax, and melt the wax on the shaft going around and around. The heat will suck the wax up into the joint and eventually it will lube it enough to allow it to break free. You may have to do it a couple of times. Learned this from an old Navy Master Chief that was my welding instructor. He was a whizz at doing stuff like that. Gently tapping the nut after each application will help free it and allow the wax to work its way in.

 

[Adrian A]

I love the old experience!

 

[SteveKuhn]

If you look it up in the TMs you'll find that the lunette is the 'drawbar'. That was good for a lot of frustration here.

I have 3 105s and a 103. All have been peachy except one. That one took everything above including rear pressure from both a fork lift and steel wedges, (but not the parafin trick); broke 2 sledge handles, used a torch, PB and other blasters up the ying-yang and came out after a month of heating and beating sessions. When it did, it was rusted the entire length of the sleeve, 360 degrees. Hope yours isn't.

I figure no lube and nose high so the water laid in there did it.

I know it's coming - I should have tried the parafin.

Steve

 

[navyman]

M105 lunette on an MKT85.

If you look it up in the TMs you'll find that the lunette is the 'drawbar'. That was good for a lot of frustration here.

I have just bought a MKT-85 kitchen and wanted to do the same thing of flipping the Lunette to use on my F350. I too losened the nut till it was flush with end of the threads as not to damage them. I then soaked it down with AeroKroil for about 5 days then used the heat on top while I hit into the ring outwards with a sledge. It was quite the work out but it did finally give up.
Thanks.

 

[MarkM]

That Aerokroil is amazing stuff. I've been using it for over 40 years.

Mark

 

[SteveKuhn]

My friend had an M200 that was giving him trouble and I took my #6 Turbo Torch to it. I was thrilled when it gave up in about 4 mins. I figger'd out that sometimes when you heat it's not the temperature but the volume of heat that does it. Instead of intense hot spots I could do a big swath at once and expand it more evenly. It was fairly tight.

My favorite spots are 3 & 9 o'clock to spin it with an occasional 6 to drive it back into the frame. I've taken to only backing the nut off about 1/4" 'cause that's all it needs to spin. I stay clean away from the threads.

I haven't been out of everything at the right time to buy the Kroil yet. But it's 'way up on my list. Pricey stuff.

Steve