My dad works on a tugboat. The tug's propellor is 12 feet in diameter, held on by a huge hex nut. To install the prop, they have a crane hoist it in place, the nut is fitted, and a giant propane torch (think "jet engine") heats the nut cherry red. Then a huge wrench is put on, and a "team of strapping young men" beat on the wrench with sledgehammers until my dad says "enough".
Makes the Ampco wrenches seem a little small.
After all that, who puts in the cotter pin?
Lew
After the nut cools and contracts on the threads, it just doesn't come off. Making sure it *doesn't* fall off is my dad's responsibility as the chief engineer on the tug, that's why *he* is the one that says "enough" when they're beating on the wrench.
That's why he gets the big bucks.
Figured they didn't use one, but just had to ask.
Bet it is a fun time when they have to remove it.
Lew
Yup.
Same procedure, but reversed.
The wrench beats on the strapping young men with sledgehammers until your dad says "enough"?
-Leuf
They heat up the nut and beat on it until it comes loose.
There are probably days when my dad would prefer your procedure though :-)
"Gift wrapping not available for this item".
FORGET IT THEN. I want bows.
-Zz
No, until he says "hguone".
B.
Have I got a deal for you.
Send me $2,500.00 and I'll make sure it is not only gift wrapped but also has a bunch of K-Mart, blue light special bows, all over it.
Lew
wow anybody that has their nuts heated until cherry red, then has a couple strapping young guy's beat them with a sledgehammer until he say's enough should be paid big bucks. ross
I never worked on anything that large but in a previous life I wasa construction and heaby equipment mechanic. I had my own combination wrenches up to 2 1/2 inches and sockets up to 3. When we needed anything bigger, we would take a piece of 3/4 or 1" steel plate, T8, and burn a wrench from it with an oxy-acetylene rig.
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