Frozen screw in Wheelchair.

[Clarence Martinn]

It's either Froze in, or rusted in. Need to get the brakes adjusted on a wheelchair, but the screws the hold the bar that the hand brakes are attached to, are either rusted or frozen in. checked the manual, and they are torqued in at 115 FT LB's . I can't move those screws. they are STUCK !! Would a 3/8 inch electric drill have enough power to loosen those screws up ?

[Sam Marrocco]

Try some penetrating oil and let it soak in for 10 minutes or so. Then wipe the head clean with alcohol or mineral spirits so the screwdriver won't slip. I've had very good luck with unmovable screws that have rusted with penetrating oil.

[Richard Coers]

I don't know any screw that can take 155 ft lbs. It's not a bolt? But with that much torque, it could also have Loktite on it. Call the manufacturer, it might take heat to break the Loktite.

[Clarence Martinn]

I don't know any screw that can take 155 ft lbs. It's not a bolt? But with that much torque, it could also have Loktite on it. Call the manufacturer, it might take heat to break the Loktite.

My mistake. It's a bolt.

[Clarence Martinn]

No Loktite on the bolts. They were always difficult to remove. Now, they are stuck

[Joe Adams]

Try PB Blaster and if that doesn't work try heating it up. Sometimes using an impact works better than continuous force from a socket or wrench.

[Doug Dawson]

No Loktite on the bolts. They were always difficult to remove. Now, they are stuck

Try a socket and a breaker bar, or just a long box-end wrench. Note how much force was required to remove them, and then try to apply the same upon reinstall. You should feel some “give” in the tightening, and you should stop at that point.

Careful with this stuff, losing control while going downhill toward the railroad tracks can be scary.

[lowell holmes]

Try applying heat from a heat gun and see if it will break loose.

[Kev Williams]

If you have room for a ratchet and a good 6 point socket, see if you can locate a piece of pipe or similar-even the thicker 1/2 PVC is better than nothing- to use as a breaker bar around the ratchet handle for more leverage. Heat the bolt head with a propane torch opened to just a hint of flame for about a minute. Should come out...

Before putting it back together, stop at your closest auto parts store for some anti-seize compound for the bolt threads, they'll come out much easier next time...

[Mel Fulks]

PB Blaster works well, but should not be used indoors. The stuff will will make you sick. Pretty sure it's on the label.
But there are so many products that have that...with this one it's a really needed warning.

[Jim Koepke]

No Loktite on the bolts. They were always difficult to remove. Now, they are stuck

Hi Clarence, in your first post it is mentioned these are torqued to 115 Ft Lbs Since you appear to have removed these before, how did you re-torque them?

It is difficult to recommend solutions without seeing the problem or even knowing what tools you have available.

Most electric drills will not produce this kind of torque. If they did their makers would likely be liable for many a broken wrist.

At 115 Ft Lbs the bolt is likely at least a 9/16" shaft, which also indicates the wrench size needed might be outside the range of most home toolboxes.

Is the reason for being "always difficult to remove" the tools used compounded by the difficulty of accessing the bolts? (Pictures almost always help others to better assess these kinds of problems.)

Then there is a question regarding, "the bolts that hold the bar that the hand brakes are attached to," is this the hand brake that goes against the tire and prevents a wheel from turning? (quote edited)

My last thought is there a way to adjust the hand brake without removing these bolts?

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

One recommendation for freeing up stuck fasteners is 50/50 ATF and acetone. I just made some up yesterday as I already had ATF, acetone, and a squirt bottle at hand. I'll know in a week or so if the wheel studs I soaked in the mixture will come out easier.

[Clarence Martinn]

I think the threads on the frame where the bolts go through, are too tight.

[Stephen Tashiro]

My mistake. It's a bolt.

115 ft lbs is a tremendous torque for the light duty bolts I've seen on wheelchairs. (For example, lug nuts on some cars are only tightened to 90 ft lbs.) Make sure it's not 115 inch-lbs.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Would a 3/8 inch electric drill have enough power to loosen those screws up ?

Probably not. A cordless impact driver might.

[Clarence Martinn]

115 ft lbs is a tremendous torque for the light duty bolts I've seen on wheelchairs. (For example, lug nuts on some cars are only tightened to 90 ft lbs.) Make sure it's not 115 inch-lbs.

That's it ! 115 inch Lbs Can a drill have that much torque ?

[Jim Koepke]

I think the threads on the frame where the bolts go through, are too tight.

It may be somehow the wrong bolts have been installed.

Was this wheelchair purchased new?

jtk

[Clarence Martinn]

It may be somehow the wrong bolts have been installed.

Was this wheelchair purchased new?

jtk

Brand new about 2 years ago. Even the Dealer had a heck of a time adjusting the bolts on the brakes.

[Jim Koepke]

Brand new about 2 years ago. Even the Dealer had a heck of a time adjusting the bolts on the brakes.

Clarence, do you have any way you can post images?

If you have mentioned as to whether this is an occupant powered wheelchair or an electric wheelchair, it has slipped by me.

jtk

[Stephen Tashiro]

That's it ! 115 inch Lbs Can a drill have that much torque ?

I don't know the torque specs for a typical 3/8 inch drill, but I doubt it can. To unstick a stuck bolt you'll probably need more toque than the spec for tightening it An impact driver is a different and better tool for the job than a drill. There's something about a series of impacts that works better than exerting a constant torque. An impact driver is very handy to have if you do projects involving screws and bolts.

[Jason Roehl]

115 in-lbs is not much torque. It's just shy of 10 ft-lbs, which is not much. If the screws are stuck, it's probably due to dirt or galling. The 50/50 mix of ATF and acetone is an excellent suggestion (an auto magazine did a test a number of years ago, and that mix came out on top over all the common commercial penetrants). Then use an impact driver if one is available--the high frequency of short impacts makes a world of difference in removing stuck fasteners. If you don't break them first...

[Larry Frank]

Using a impact wrench and something like liquid wrench works for me. I have a smaller impact tool that works on smaller bolts. It is not likely to break a bolt. I think the shocks of the impact wrench help the penetrating oil.

[Jerome Stanek]

Most electric drills will not produce this kind of torque. If they did their makers would likely be liable for many a broken wrist.

I had Dewalt drills that you could twist the chuck back and the hit the trigger and it was like a impact hammer. Loosened a lot of bolts with them

[Jim Koepke]

Most electric drills will not produce this kind of torque. If they did their makers would likely be liable for many a broken wrist.

I had Dewalt drills that you could twist the chuck back and the hit the trigger and it was like a impact hammer. Loosened a lot of bolts with them

The short bursts of an impact hammer are quite different than a drill bit running at full speed then all of a sudden catching and spinning the drill motor in a users hand.

jtk

[Clarence Martinn]

Here is a picture showing that brand of wheelchair437743

[Clarence Martinn]

This is strange. I can post pictures, but the forum software will not let me view my own pictures that I just posted...:confused:

[Jim Koepke]

This is strange. I can post pictures, but the forum software will not let me view my own pictures that I just posted...:confused:

This is because you need to be a contributor to see posted images.

This answers a lot of questions in my mind. If the brake is the leverage mechanism on the top blue tube resting against the wheel, then the bolt is likely torqued to 115 inch pounds.

My guess is either the bolt was cross threaded or someone used a bolt with the wrong threads and forced it in during assembly. It could even be the original was supposed to be metric and someone used an SAE bolt.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

Good chance that bolt will snap when torqued enough to remove. You may have to drill it out. Check very carefully if it is metric or not so you get the correct wrench on the heads.
Bil lD

[Tom M King]

If you are anywhere close to me, which I expect the chances are less than slim, I'll be glad to fix it for you.

[Tom Stenzel]

Hi Clarence,
I was going to say that the torque is in inch-pounds but everyone else beat me to it. Trying to get half that many foot-pounds would snap the bolt or crush the tubes.

I can't see your picture either but if you have an Invacare getting the brakes set just right is a pain. My Mother has one and I've had to fiddle with it a couple times.

One thing to check before you rip apart the brakes-if the tires are inflated make sure the pressure is correct. The first sign the tires on my Catalyst K-5 wheelchair are low is the brakes not holding. On my chair the tire pressure is 75 psi. If you have pneumatic tires DO NOT adjust the brakes if the tires are low. It won't end well.

The solid rubber tires almost never need to have the brakes adjusted. Make sure the tires aren't shot, the wheels are mounted OK and the bearings OK before you make adjustments.

I can't add anything about removing frozen bolts that hasn't already been said. My experience is that Parts Blaster works on rusted parts.

-Tom

[Clarence Martinn]

Got it loosened up just enough, that I was able to use a block of wood against the metal shaft and hit it with a hammer 4 times. Got the break set just the way it should be. Don't see why that should be so tight. They should have used stainless steel bolts in the wheelchair ; so they would not rust.

[Bill Dufour]

On My Mom's chair I had to replace the front casters and the wheel bearings. The casters was a very poor design. It was actually fine except they had a vertical pipe with the caster on the bottom. problem was the top of the pipe was plugged with a inserted flush plug instead of a cap over the top. The inserted plug looked cleaner but it did not seal water out. Her home would wash down her chair at least once per week and a little water leaked into that pipe.
that water sat on top of the bearing and rusted the bearing and the caster nut even though it had never been in the rain or heavy washing just rubbed down with a damp cloth. It was a close thing that I could unscrew that nut and pop out the bearing with all the rust.
Bil lD

[Bruce Wrenn]

While they are loose, take them out, and run a tap thru the holes to clean up threads. Put some anti seize on them before reassembly to prevent future problems.

[lowell holmes]

I say again, gentle heat applied to the nut may allow it to come loose. The nut will expand maybe breaking the bond.

[Roger Feeley]

For bolts that are truly stuck, I’ve used an easy out. The neat thing about easy out kits is that they come with left hand drill bits. I’ve only had to resort to an easy out a few times but they’re real life savers. About half the time, just drilling the hole will get the bolt out.

[lowell holmes]

You might gently heat it with a propane torch. Or maybe an electric heat gun. Heat the nut first. Then gently try breaking with a socket wrench.