Removing Walking Beams

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Truck Shop

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I posted this on the sister site Heavy Equipment Forums a few months ago also.

I know drive axle walking beam suspension Isn't popular anymore. But for those people needing to re-bush one,
I have a quick and dirty method to remove the beams.

#1 park truck so axles are straight
#2 block front wheels and back off the slack adjusters on drives
#3 jack and support mid frame to allow for room to work
#4 remove rear tires and reinstall out side tires only
#5 remove bolts holding S-cam bracket to brake spiders on all four corners
#6 swing S-cams with air cans attached straight up as high as you can and tie them out of the way
#7 loosen the center bushing cap bolts or studs
#8 get a gas powered cut off saw and five metal cutting blades, 12 or 14" and a 2x6x12 long block of wood
#9 set saw up on block for height, plus it will tilt the blade up
#10 wear face protection and gloves, fire up the saw and cut dead center of the rubber bushings on beam ends
#11 steady feed and it will cut through rubber, steel pin, centering puck and bolt
#12 drop the beams with a floor jack and knock out the remaining pucks from axle hangers

Set-up time and cutting them out under two hours

Truck Shop
 

td25c

Well-known member
Or leave everything in place and send a young feller under that's good with a torch . Remove the bolt and slice the pucks through the center with some heat and rattle them out with an air hammer . Drop and install one beam at a time . :) That's how we do it .;)
 

td25c

Well-known member
Something like this . 100_4949.JPGserveimageL6FS5MFG.jpg
After the bolt was removed would fire up the torch and start slicing through the bolt hole working outwards to the flat part of the cap flange to split the cap or get dang close to doing so without damaging the beam hanger .:) It would help relieve the pressure .

Then break out the air hammer with chisel bit & start banging under the beveled part of the cap flange . Even better if ya got two younger type fellers on air hammers at each side . :D

Once in awhile you might run into a cap that would shake out with just the air hammer but most of the time we was knifing on them first with the torch . Seen them so tight that axil bracket would bend from the short handle sledge hammer before the cap / puck would move .
 

Truck Shop

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If your working in a shop for a living my way is the fastest easiest way to remove the beams-hands down. I've done too many both ways.
A cutoff saw is the fastest. And most young fellers don't want to work or get burned. Being a contractor you should own a cutoff saw,
I would guess anyhow, you might find trying it this way works better but probably not.
 

td25c

Well-known member
Good deal ! But I would not grab a cut-off saw on a simple torch job sonny ;)

You drop the beams but still got the cap's /puck stuck in the hangers ?

I truly value the youth as they be the future of the country and gonna share whatever might help them to win ! 🇺🇸
 

rzucker

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Last set I did was the torch method, Haven't seen a set for a long time but I'm willing to try the cutoff saw if I ever see another set. Any method is going to be a stinky mess.
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I'm older than you, so your the sonny. and the caps knock out with a a big punch. And everyone I know that's used a cut-off saw
wouldn't go back to the torch method. And yes you have stink but there is no burning rubber and one hell of allot less smoke.
It's about working smarter not harder. I can cut through two beam ends in the time someone makes it through maybe one end
with a torch.
 

td25c

Well-known member
Sorry guy's ! I was watching that pathetic debate while posting on Heavy Truck Forums last night . LOL ! :D Good Lord !

We still have 8 trucks that use " Hendrickson " type suspension so these threads are of interest .:cool:

The 1969 FWD truck uses a funky " split flange cap " close to the wheel and standard cap inside like pictured below .

1582768987833.png

Was not enough room to get a standard cap installed on the outer hanger .

100_3553[1].JPG


Our CCC cranes use the ball & socket type on the ends of the beams .
 

td25c

Well-known member
I'm older than you, so your the sonny. and the caps knock out with a big punch.
After you slice them through with the torch Sonny !:) They drive out a lot easier (y)

Age and experience aint the same thing Bro !
 
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Truck Shop

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It's pretty obvious you just want to be a smart a$$. You don't know half of what your talking about because you never tried it.
And as far as justifying my experience-You'll never be able to come close to the work I've done. And It's time to hit the report
button for talking about politics.
 

td25c

Well-known member
And as far as justifying my experience-You'll never be able to come close to the work I've done. And It's time to hit the report
button for talking about politics.
I take that as a complement . Thank you ! (y) 🇺🇸
 
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td25c

Well-known member
:cry:
It's pretty obvious you just want to be a smart a$$. You don't know half of what your talking about because you never tried it.
Sonny ... I'm just laying it down and keeping it real :). Think I'm a smart ass ? Could be as " Boss Glen" trained us that way . And at the same time instilled confidence in the youth during the training . https://www.becherkluesner.com/obituaries/Glen-Fleck/

Job was done on a time clock & billed and we changed out a lot of Hendrickson beams . We never took the truck apart to remove the beams .

Can only imagine what " Boss Glen " would say on this thread ? " Your ****** hurting today ?" :LOL: Rock on Boss ! (y)🏀🇺🇸
 
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