My 1997 Ford F-350 has had a leaking steering gear box for a while. When I could hear the pump whine… just add a little more fluid. Lol. I finally got around to purchasing a new one from Red Head. Red Head is a company based right here in Washington state and I have heard nothing but great things about their steering gear boxes. This isn’t about how to change the steering box but rather a tool used to tighten the big 46mm nut that holds the steering pitman arm to the gear box.
First I had to find this giant 46mm socket. Yes, I have a lot of tools but a socket this size… nope, ain’t got one of them. I did end up finding one at a local tractor and automotive shop. The company I work for uses them to do maintenance on a lot of the company vehicles. The regular price of this socket was $43!! They gave me a nice company discount and I picked it up for $25. :wink:wink
This isn’t about a massive socket either. That 46mm nut has to be tightened down to 350 lb-ft of torque!! The the highest rated torque wrench I have goes to 180 lb-ft. I guess I’m half way there… Then while I was in search of a torque wrench that could do the job, I noticed the highest rated one I could find locallya only went to 300 lb-ft… WELL CRAP!!!
Then I ran across this…
It’s a digital torque adapter that turns any ratchet or breaker bar into a torque wrench. It ranges from 150-750 lb-ft!! For $70, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a torque wrench to do the job.
With the 46mm socket, the torque adapter, a 3/4 to 1/2 inch adapter, and a 2 foot breaker bar, I’m gonna give it all I got!!
Time to get this steering gear box in the vice and see if I can make this happen!!
The vice clamps down on the pitman arm allowing the nut to pull the steering gear box into the pitman arm. The gear splines that the pitman arm go on are tapered. So the harder the pitman arm is pushed down the tighter it gets.
Leverage… that’s the only way I’m gonna get this thing to 350 lb-ft of torque. The game plan is to use a pulling motion below the vice and put my shoulder against the bench. Hopefully this works!!
What I found to be a really cool feature of this torque adapter, is it will display the max torque applied on the screen for a period of time. Little by little I kept tightening the nut.
180 lb-ft…
240 lb-ft…
280 lb-ft…
315 lb-ft…
Finally!!
360 lb-ft!!
Another cool feature is that the adapter will make short beeping noises as you are approaching the set torque amount. Then once it is reached a long louder beep will sound. There are a few other features this adapter has but I haven’t messed with them yet. I dropped it a couple times on the concrete floor when the weight of the heavy socket pulled the whole setup off the breaker bar. I thought for sure I broke it the first time but this unit seems pretty dang durable. Even after a few trips to the concrete it still works and the screen didn’t even crack.
I think this is a great addition to my tool box. Maybe later I will get the 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive adapters as well. These adapters can be picked up at Harbor Freight. I know durable and Harbor Freight don’t typically go together but this adapter surprised me. Lol
No I gotta get this new steering gear box back in the truck and get my truck back on the road again…
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