Flat Chain !!@#!@@!#!
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37752
Printed Date: 09 Oct 2025 at 3:32am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Flat Chain !!@#!@@!#!
Posted By: TomYaz
Subject: Flat Chain !!@#!@@!#!
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2011 at 7:38pm
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There has GOT to be a better way or trick to attaching special links together!
Working on it tonight and was able just to get a few on before I was exasperated. The special link has a paddle and wailing on the chain causes me to smack them and bend them.... Its like I need three hands. Or maybe the fact that I dont spend day in and out with a hammer makes me ill-suited. But I dont have all winter to get there.
Any ideas?
------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Replies:
Posted By: dave63
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2011 at 7:44pm
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Do you have a flat chain tool? If i can i try to clamp the tool in a vice and put the plain links in it then drive the attachment links into the plain links. ------------- The universal answer to all questions is yes, how much do you want to spend? |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2011 at 7:50pm
Yeah I got the tool...no vice....or a bench to put it on, at least not in my suburban corporate HQ...... ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
dave63 wrote:Posted By: dave63
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2011 at 7:53pm
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I feel your pain. ------------- The universal answer to all questions is yes, how much do you want to spend? |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 6:09am
And Ive felt enough..I think I am going to outsource this to my welding guy who has a vice..If I didnt have to do 6 whole chain assemblies I would suffer thru it... ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: dave63
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 6:19am
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I have a couple young guys that work for me. When i have a job like that i deligate it. ------------- The universal answer to all questions is yes, how much do you want to spend? |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 6:28am
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Best workbench I got is the tailgate on my truck, got a pickup? ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 8:04am
Yep! Im going that route I think... ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 8:05am
Yep but not sure I want to drill holes to mount a vice...my welder has a shop on wheel and a vice...I think he is going to be busy... ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: skipwelte
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 8:17am
| Yea, even with the tool it can be a frustrating and hurtfull job. New chain is way worse than used chain, maybe take a cutoff tool and taper the link slightly so it will start easier. Good luck Tom!!! |
Posted By: Jim Lindemood
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:09am
| Gee Tom -- "outsourcing work" - you are going real corporate -- LOL. Those chains can really try a person. Have not found an easy way, but if you find one -please share with us. |
Posted By: TedBuiskerN.IL.
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:14am
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Never had a problem with split link chain, BFH and that chain tool for that type of chain, everything should pop right together. Try working on them on an old corn picker with no bench or solid place to stike against, then things get tricky. ------------- Most problems can be solved with the proper application of high explosives. |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:15am
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Have your welder guy make you a receiver vise that will go into the hitch on your truck. You can have it made to the perfect working height for you. ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:25am
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I used to assemble detachable chain for a living, before I started running the press that makes it. If you want it to assemble easier, you can drive a small chisel into the opening in the barrel end spreading the gap. It helps to have a curved surface to set the barrel in. Keep in mind if you have side by side chains with flighting in between, you need to maintain even links. We used to measure the 10 foot coils before assembling the attachments and pair them up by length. It took about 2 seconds to insert an attachment in place of a straight link using the die and press set up for it. The tailgate of a truck isn't solid enough to use as a bench for linking chain. A vise mounted on a receiver would be better, but a big anvil would be best. The WD45 drawbar has worked for fixing broken chain on my picker before but I was into any kind of production process at the time either. ------------- http://www.ae-ta.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.ae-ta.com Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:56am
And now you know why I would charge $25K for a rebuilt harvester! ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:56am
Dont ever become my neighbor.... ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 9:58am
I wouldnt want no itty bitty vice...wouldn that be heavy?
But wait, I just invented something--or not....A vice on a stand that you can roll around--(with locking wheels of course) ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:02am
So you ran a press for it? wouldnt that be nice to have....your idea may work but afraid of weaking the new link by spreading it like that? Then you would have to pull it out eventually as you drive the link in....and your back to the problem again. Getting the link started is not as bad for me as getting it all the way thru. ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:04am
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I bet a machinist could figure out a die to allow one to use a ship press.
I did use the shop press with some sucess. Sometimes I got it, other times it would do nothing but slip due to the irregular features of the attachment. ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: Dusty MI
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:04am
I would like to have Ted as a neighbor. Dusty ------------- 917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express" |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:09am
Oh shoot I didnt mean it that way...I am saying I would somehow get him doing my link work like Tom Sawyer and the fence whitewashing job and he may not like that!LOL!
------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:20am
It won't weaken the link. The die in the press would sometimes open the gap making one chain longer than the other. We used to have a curved anvil on the bench while stretch testing the chain. We would close the gap up a little on each link to match lengths for pairs going to an apron. ------------- http://www.ae-ta.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.ae-ta.com Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF |
Posted By: KY
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:41am
| I like when it gets worn out and you can slip it a part by hand! lol |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 10:53am
So what your saying is you open up the barrell with a puch of sorts, pull it out, slip the other link in, and press the barrell back in place? Sounds good if I got it right... but need to figure out how to hold the attachment or plain link in place so I can press the punch in....cant put a vice on the shop press deck... ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: Rawleigh
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 11:27am
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Tom: How about a small arbor press?? http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_35091_35091 - http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_35091_35091 |
Posted By: TomYaz
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 11:57am
I have a 20 ton shop press...the problem with the shop press you need to have the one piece held in place...hard to do as there is no vice. A shop press can take care of the badly aimed hammer blows but thats only one part of the problem.
I talked to a guy who made some grain drags for me. He said to make sure the angle of the link is correct (45 d)...I have been off on that so that might be why it is so hard ------------- If its not an All-Crop, it all crap! |
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 1:47pm
| i have only used ten pound sledge as a backstop with a four pounder to drive the link together, tried to use a vise but it slipped around too much in the jaws. |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 4:50pm
No, not a punch. You take a small chisel and set it right in the gap cross ways of the link. Tap on the chisel a few times, it might work with a big screw driver. What you want to do is make the gap a little wider by spreading the curved part of the barrel back a little. Adding attachments that are 2 sided is a little trickier than adding a single sided attachment. If that is what your working with, you need something with a hole in it, so you can set the barrel and pin on something solid, then drive the regular link in place. Maybe you need a testosterone injection with all them females around. LOL ------------- http://www.ae-ta.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.ae-ta.com Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF |
Posted By: wkpoor
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 6:36pm
| I did my first one this past summer. Just opened it up with a coal chisel and closed it with big pair of vise grips. I do have a 3pt "A" frame with 2" reciever for my tractor that I put a vise in that has a special 2" sqaure tubing mount. |
Posted By: Brian S(NY)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 6:47pm
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I agree with everyone else about the "BFH". But you can also use a BF C-clamp if you are afraid of bashing your fingers. Works sorta like a press once you have everything lined up. ------------- God made man.Sam colt made man equal. |
Posted By: Teddy (punchie)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2011 at 7:18pm
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HI Tom
I used and still use railroad track for a anvil. I good vise grip and a chisel and a punch. Maybe a file and a grinder. I use the hammer and track to get them apart if don't move easy I get a C-clamp to hold them and some larger screw drivers or a little bars to try to spring them to get them apart and or a chisel. I have used the file or grinder to cut off some of the corner to get them to move. Use the vice-grip and hammer to reset the gap. I have done some that just break and others that are just a pain, most are workable. Any old greese, dirty; rakes to manure spreaders to pickers etc. are the just about good for a couple of choice words and a few bloody fingers.
Take Care !!
Teddy ------------- Ac D-19, a Number of WD's, One WD45, Two 444 balers, Ac plows and etc. |