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Removing taper pins

Greg Arehart

Greg Arehart

Well Known Member
I need to remove a taper pin. I cannot tap very hard on the threaded end because of the tight space (I can tap a bit, but that has not worked thus far). Any suggestions on how to remove this pin? Will heat help?

Greg
 
An application of Mouse Milk and leaving it overnight to wick in might do the trick and certainly wouldn't do any harm.
 
Not knowing where it is located so just taking a stab - put a nut on the pin as far as you can, take a short piece of tubing over the top of the exposed thread and use whatever spacers you need to back the tube against the structure that is limiting your ability to get a hammer on it. Back the nut off which should press the pin out.
 
One way that might do it is to weld a steel fork to a Channel Lock pliers to bracket the fat end of the pin, and then squeeze the pin out.

Dave
 
Is this a gear leg by any chance? something that heat could damage-----heat is very useful in removing these, but also a big nono to use a lot of heat on hardened parts.

If you can get something in there to pry against the end of the pin, then tap against the side of the socket the pin is stuck in.
 
Gear leg. Pin goes in from the front toward the back, so no room to tap on the back side. Not sure I want to pry on anything yet....particularly the firewall. Might be able to pry against the engine mount... will have a look when I get back to the airport.
I already tried using a big C clamp (with a spacer/hole on the head portion of the pin) and no luck.
Not sure why this thing is so resistant to removal. I certainly did not tighten it down THAT much initially.
 
You shouldn't have to pry so hard you damage things, put a preload on the pin with the pry bar, and hit the leg to jar the pin loose.

As long as there isn't a lot of corrosion in there this should do it.

Ever remove a tool form a holder in a lathe mill, or big drill press etc----Morse/Jacobs taper fitment. Pretty much the same idea as what you are working against. You need to break loose the friction holding the pin, once that is done, it should almost fall out.
 
I've used a C-clamp, with the non-turning head of the c-clamp against the threaded end of the pin, with the nut set right at the end so the clamp bears on the nut and the end of the pin both. On the turning side of the c-clamp, I put a socket that was just big enough to fit over the head of the taper pin, and the turning side of the c-clamp bearing on the square drive side of the socket.

Saturate with penetrating oil, put some pre-load on it with the c-clamp, and tap the side of the gear leg sleeve with a hammer.

It goes without saying that the airplane is jacked up so there's no weight on the gear leg, right?
 
Greg Arehart said:
Not sure why this thing is so resistant to removal. I certainly did not tighten it down THAT much initially.
Click to expand...

That is funny :) It does not take much torque to generate 100,000 psi contact stress, that is the reason for the taper.

Take the washer off, position the nut at the top of the threads (flush) and hit it with something light hard and fast - like a small ball peen hammer with a brass drift. Slow and heavy will just bend it.

On something like a ball joint or tire rod end, a little bit of force, then striking the arm with a small ball peen hammer very fast at 90 deg to the taper axis will pop it out every time. The shock wave just loosens it. (Standing by for semantic correction) I would cringe doing that to my landing gear.
 
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Get a vice grips on it with authority and tap on the vice grips. My A&P is of lumberjack stature and he's done more with channel locks and vice grips than I can do with every tool in the shed, and I'm no slouch either. Sometimes the cave man tools are best.

You could also drill a hole with a Unibit at the right location on the floor of the fuselage to get a drift pin on it. Numerous ways to patch that hole.
 
Ok, thanks for all the ideas folks. I'm traveling this week but will give them a try when I return.

Cheers,
Greg
 
can you pre load it again with the vice and then hit the tube-gear leg to shock load release it like doing a tie rod end, I do this trick all the time at work with no pickle fork.
 
Greg,

My gear legs are coming off too, so I can pull and repair my engine mount...taking copious notes here! Maybe we can work together on both sets. Gimme a holler, and let's meet up at the hangars...happy to help!

Cheers,
Bob
 
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