Success - 3/8" wedge bolt removal

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Messages 21 - 28 of total 28 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
randy88fj62

Trad climber
LA, CA
May 10, 2016 - 02:34pm PT
Bruce,
I have access to a basic machine shop. I am trying to avoid buying a hydraulic puller. Hence the C-Clamp comment.

I am also interested in Banquo's puller design since it's not bulky.
JimT

climber
Munich
May 10, 2016 - 10:29pm PT
It should be fairly easy. Drill out the center expansion pin and then it should pull right out.

Sure, drilling 2" of stainless steel pin is real simple up on the cliff. Especially by hand :-)
BruceHildenbrand

Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
May 11, 2016 - 08:42am PT
randy88fj62,

at the recent Access Fund's Future of Fixed Anchors II conference at Red Rocks a guy from Tucson made a puller similar to Banquo's. It was very nice and pulled a lot of bolts including a Powers 5-piece from limestone.

BTW, when you are spinning the bolt to destroy the cone, using some jewelry grit mixed in water helps more quickly tear up the cone.
Coach37

Social climber
Philly
May 11, 2016 - 09:21am PT
I went along with a guy that used to post here to do some removal several years ago. He pulled wedge bolts by just prying on it with a 3' crowbar, then hammering the stud back in the hole a little, pry on it again, tap it back in, and so on.

Eventually the sleeve around the cone end of the bolt busted into pieces and the bolts pulled. We chopped many 3/8" this way, but were unsuccessful for 1/2". It took maybe 5 min per bolt for most of them, with an occasional stubborn one.
rick d

climber
ol pueblo, az
May 11, 2016 - 09:41am PT
randy land cruiser owner

I don't think the bolts are cooked yet and not ready to come out. They sound like split shafts not wedge bolts. I would put a new hanger on them with tag on them to ID them. Maybe another 10 years they will be ready to pull. The other alternative is grind off the heads and fill with cordless grinder and redrill adjacent to them, but unattractive.

This rebolting issue may have some valid points, but I climb 1,000's of shitty 1-40 year old bolts each year and most are solid (enough).

rick land cruiser owner
/desert climber exclusively

randy88fj62

Trad climber
LA, CA
May 11, 2016 - 01:48pm PT
Thank you for the replies. I am in fact an landcruiser owner (1988 FJ62) as you could tell.

The bolts I am concerned about are on a steep overhanging roof. If one were to pop I would be concerned that the rest would zipper.

The bolts are well rusted along with the Leeper hangers. The bolts are in sandstone and there is a 2-3 foot streak of rust color below each bolt as if the water was pulling the iron oxide out and staining the rock.

While these bolts may be 'good enough' I would like to make sure they are bomber by replacing them. They are over 20 years old and they are due for some love.

I'll try the pry bar method and I'll try banquo's tool without the J threads as normal threads are tapping to fit the bolt heads is cheap.
Chossboss

Trad climber
The GNAR
May 11, 2016 - 03:24pm PT
Randy,
You might also try grinding a 3/8"x6" grove down the center of a splitting wedge. It's really just a big tuning fork. With a 4 pound sledge those wedge bolts walk right out.
randy88fj62

Trad climber
LA, CA
May 12, 2016 - 08:06am PT
The problem is the bolts are rusted. I used these three tuning forks and the one bolt I have tried working on broke right above the surface of the rock.

My tuning forks and the Stainless bolts I replaced them with:
Messages 21 - 28 of total 28 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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