Replacing a broken hat clamp took me almost 4 hours yesterday

I was swapping out a hydraulic line on a job off the Gulf coast and the hat clamp on my Kirby Morgan just snapped. Thought it'd be a quick fix, but the bolt was seized and I couldn't get the new one seated without fighting it for what felt like forever. Finally got it sorted at 3 pm after burning through 3 cans of PB Blaster and my whole morning. Anyone else run into random gear failures that eat up way more time than they should?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_perry624d ago

Man that seized bolt nightmare is REAL. Next time try hitting it with a torch for like 30 seconds before you even bust out the PB Blaster, it loosens the rust way faster. I learned that the HARD way after a similar fight on a truck suspension bolt.

gavine4124d ago

Yeah that torch trick is the real deal. Heat kills seized bolts cold.