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galion brakedrum removeal

rod miller

New Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2012
Messages
2
Location
ohio
I have a 1973 galion t 500 grader with a leaking wheel cylinder ,it has keyed axels what is the best way to remove drum ,made a puller but still no luck
 

Silveroddo

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
299
Location
Northern MN
Got a Pic? I just got done w/ brakes on a champion. What I ended up with was plate and bolts that allowed for a 20 ton bottle jack between the puller and the spindle. It took that cranked all the way up and a few hits w/ a 5lb hammer to get it to brake loose. The big thing was the ammount of force needed to re-install. Do you have anyway to look up the torque spec for re-installation? On my champion it was 2500 lbs, I used a torque ampliphier or else you'd need a really big impact gun and sockets. I can probably find a pick of what my puller plate ended up looking like if you need it for ideas. (note that was the backwoods farmer way of doing it, as I didnt have access to a hydraulic power pack set up)
 

alwaysbusted

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2010
Messages
22
Location
South central texas
Had a similar problem with my Galion 104. We were referred to a long time Galion mechanic in Indiana or Iowa who gave us his time tested method. First, loosen the retaining nut and run the machine thru some figure eight patterns. In a good day some of the hubs will break loose. If not, he said back off the retaining nut and weld a 3/4 inch plate across it. Run the nut back on til the plate bottoms out against the end of the axle shaft. Go to the inboard end of the axle shaft and remove the bearing retaining cover. Now comes the skill part, take the biggest sledge hammer in the shop and lay some good solid blows squarely on the plate. Most times 3 or 4 hits will do the job. Mine took a dozen on the first hub, the rest broke loose with much less. Most times you can cut the weld plate off, some times the nut has to be replaced. This shock method does get results. Good luck.
 

bigrus

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
323
Location
Southern Queensland Australia
Occupation
Joystick attendant
Also jack the machine up & put as much weight as possible on the wheel/hub to be removed, using the sledgehammer method described previously.
 

thegraderguy

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2023
Messages
8
Location
Great Bend,ks
The best way is to build a "knocker". Get a spare axle nut. Weld a solid piece of round steel to it 4-6" long. Remove Axle nut from spindle. Screw on the "knocker". Make sure it (the round steel) fits tight against the end of the spindle (unless you like chasing threads). Grab a sledge and give it a few solid blows. The hub will become loose from the spindle and you can then remove the hub (with proper lifting equipment).

This works better than ANY puller and we have used them hundreds of times.
 

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Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
14,457
Location
Canada
There is a video online removing a Champion hub. They used a rosebud to heat the hub and a big hyd. puller. I think it was on the Vanatter site. I have 1 brake line disconnected and plugged on my Champion but don't think it's a big enough deal to pull the hub. The brakes seem to work pretty good for my needs. The cap on the master cylinder could fit a little tighter though.
 

thegraderguy

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2023
Messages
8
Location
Great Bend,ks
There is a video online removing a Champion hub. They used a rosebud to heat the hub and a big hyd. puller. I think it was on the Vanatter site. I have 1 brake line disconnected and plugged on my Champion but don't think it's a big enough deal to pull the hub. The brakes seem to work pretty good for my needs. The cap on the master cylinder could fit a little tighter though.
No heat needed with the knocker I described above!!
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
14,457
Location
Canada
So with the knocker welded to an axle nut there's a few threads on the spindle not used and it leaves a space between the nut and the hub? Champion hubs have 2 1" threaded holes for a puller. I can see the knocker working if there is tension on the hubs from some kind of puller set up but just by itself pounding on the axle there's no contact with hub.
 
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thegraderguy

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2023
Messages
8
Location
Great Bend,ks
So with the knocker welded to an axle nut there's a few threads on the spindle not used and it leaves a space between the nut and the hub? Champion hubs have 2 1" threaded holes for a puller. I can see the knocker working if there is tension on the hubs from some kind of puller set up but just by itself pounding on the axle there's no contact with hub.
As long as the solid piece is firmly against the end of the spindle the exposed threads will not be harmed. We haven't used those puller holes on any of the graders with this sort of hub (tapered. keyed) since the 80's. This works, trust me!!!!
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
14,457
Location
Canada
I'm not worried about the threads. I'm wondering how the hub comes loose if there's no tension on it? Your knocker is basically just pounding on the spindle. Is the shock what causes the hub to come loose? It would seem if you had a heavy bar across the knocker with bolts to the hub, the knocker would work the best. Tighten the bolts, hit the knocker, tighten the bolts again and hit the knocker.
 

thegraderguy

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2023
Messages
8
Location
Great Bend,ks
I'm not worried about the threads. I'm wondering how the hub comes loose if there's no tension on it? Your knocker is basically just pounding on the spindle. Is the shock what causes the hub to come loose? It would seem if you had a heavy bar across the knocker with bolts to the hub, the knocker would work the best. Tighten the bolts, hit the knocker, tighten the bolts again and hit the knocker.
Correct, it is the shock that loosens it. It "can" be done with the grader sitting on the ground, but it's easier with the weight off the wheel. The poster above who welded the plate across the nut uses the same idea, but driving in figure 8's and taking the inner bearing retainer off were never part of our process. We are shocked at how well it works, ands it is amazingly fast. Issues can arise if silver anti seize was used. But we don't see much of that. I could sure post a video of one being knocked off!
 

thegraderguy

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2023
Messages
8
Location
Great Bend,ks
I wonder how Galion came up with the knocker? Does it still work if the wheels on the opposite side are on the ground?
Yes, the opposite side wheels can be on the ground. I know nothing about the back story on that tool, but I do know it works like a charm in 90%+ of cases. Like to give an award to whoever came up with the idea!!
 

Duey C

New Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2024
Messages
1
Location
centrl MN
The knocker:
I have brake work to do on the early 50's (no suffix) 118 soon and I'd like to try one.
If Galion showed how to; the bearings must be able to withstand the blows.
The theory is excellent tho.
Since I can't order a D-60539 axle nut from Galion, should I try to find one at a scrap yard?
Favorite grader recycler? One yard's prices make me guess it'd cost a bundle IF they have one.

Anyone know the size and threads of a regular axle nut for a knocker?
McMaster Carr? Machine a nut?

2. The 118 has cast? flat-topped nuts so those wouldn't work for a knocker without modification/machining.
 

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eastroad

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
123
Location
SW Vermont
For parts, try General Gear in Boise, ID. See my post concerning CAT 112 grader for the phone number. They have a web page, too.
 
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