Thank God for Chain Wrenches

[Ben]

All I can say is thank God for chain wrenches.  I was doing the first 50 hour maintenance on my tractor today, and it calls for swapping the hydraulic filter. It's ginormous, and I could not budge it using one of the standard filter strap wrenches the tractor store sells (look like regular oil filter wrenches, but bigger). I wasn't sure what I was going to do, other than either calling the tractor fixer or else doing the dreaded, "poke it with a screwdriver" trick. Then my electrician happened to stop by, saw my dilemma, said, "Hang on 10 minutes" and ran to his house and came back with the chain wrench. I still about gave myself a hernia, but I got the damn thing off in one piece and without breaking anything else.

Apparently, from the interwebz, it's standard for all the tractor manufacturers to hire gorillas to put the factory filters on without lubing the gasket, then tractor specs call for 3/4-1 full turn with a wrench after gasket contact, then of course they paint over them, and you wouldn't think paint would be a problem, but it is. I had to really yank at the oil filter too, as well as both oil drain plugs which were also all painted.

Anyway, at least no more of this crap till 300 hours, and hopefully after breaking all the factory seals, that one will be easier. I'm buying a chain wrench tomorrow though.

[Boomhauer]

OTC makes 3 sizes of steel band wrench with a 1/2” drive hole. Yes I have used them with a 3 foot breaker bar to remove gorilla tight filters.

[French G.]

Chain wrench is good. I have also driven the ring with a chisel. We usually have a 24" set of channellocks which are handy too.

[Ben]

OTC makes 3 sizes of steel band wrench with a 1/2” drive hole. Yes I have used them with a 3 foot breaker bar to remove gorilla tight filters.

Yeah, if my electrician hadn't come by to save my bacon I was gonna hold off until I pinged you to see how you do it on the big stuff. I was really worried about crushing the housing and having a mess on my hands, since the 50 hour thing is just the filter and I still had however many gallons of hydraulic fluid sitting behind it. I lost probably 2 gallons anyway just fumbling with pulling the old filter and getting the new one screwed on. 

[Ben]

Chain wrench is good. I have also driven the ring with a chisel. We usually have a 24" set of channellocks which are handy too.

I see that there are channellock looking filter wrenches for bigger filters. Are they better than a chain wrench?

[French G.]

I see that there are channellock looking filter wrenches for bigger filters. Are they better than a chain wrench?

Yes, unless you are really screwed. Chain and strap wrenches more easily accept cheater bars.  I had my new kobalt pipe wrench on my sink drain cleanout, 24" wrench, only needed five more feet of cheater bar. I have made field expedient strap wrenches, so a handy concept to remember.

[Firethorn]

Apparently, from the interwebz, it's standard for all the tractor manufacturers to hire gorillas to put the factory filters on without lubing the gasket

Given the difficulty I had removing the factory oil filter from my new tacoma, I think gorillas are standard for oil filters on new cars.

I did pretty much destroy that filter.

[Boomhauer]

I see that there are channellock looking filter wrenches for bigger filters. Are they better than a chain wrench?

Not for grip. Ease of use on a filter that’s not gorilla, sure, but if it’s the least bit tight then they slip.

My other good weapon of choice is an oversized 22” pair of Knipex Cobra pliers (similar to Channelock but way better) they grip pretty well but still not quite as good as a chain or pipe wrench

Another issue with filters is they crush so it’s hard to get a consistent grip on them when the going gets tough

I also have a giant Matco strap wrench that has drive holes for 1/2 and 3/8 inch ratchets. It’s cumbersome and also slips some. I haven’t found a big one made of better, grippier material though

If a filter fits it the OTC band wrenches are the best. If it doesn’t then I try my Cobra pliers (if I can get them on it) or the strap wrench if I can’t. Last resort is my air hammer. We’ve even had to pull filter based off the machine and put them in a vice for access to use big tools on the seized filters.


By the way to tighten spin on filters I use a piece of coarse Emory cloth for grip and tighten by hand.

The newer machines use a lot of canister filters where the replaceable element goes inside a metal or plastic housing. I serviced an articulated dump truck a couple weeks ago where the gorilla that is our lube guy over tightened the housings on the two transmission filters... I had to use my 3/4” impact to break them loose.


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[Perd Hapley]

...you wouldn't think paint would be a problem...

You wouldn't, until it gets in your way.

[K Frame]

Years ago had to resort to taking a length of 1/2" hemp rope and a long iron pipe and making, on the spot, a "wrench" to get the filter off a 20-ton log splitter. It got whacked and was leaking and would not come loose with the normal tools.

Finally got it broken loose and the filter gasket was like a stone. We had to chip it off the housing face with a chisel and then smooth the lumps down with emery paper. The thing had been on there, without change, for over 10 years...

 

[Ben]

Years ago had to resort to taking a length of 1/2" hemp rope and a long iron pipe and making, on the spot, a "wrench" to get the filter off a 20-ton log splitter. It got whacked and was leaking and would not come loose with the normal tools.

Another problem that limits field expedient workarounds is where filters are located. It's almost like they hire engineers to find the most pain in the ass places to put them. While the oil filter on the tractor was in an easy to get to place, it was also surrounded by other stuff that gave me at best 1/4 turn to work with and no way to get any kind of cheater in there.

The troublesome hydraulic filter was even worse, with maybe an 1/8th of a turn before I ran into something, and the chain wrench I used actually had a fairly short handle. I had no more than maybe an inch to spare between the end of the wrench and the shop floor. I could have jacked the tractor up I guess, but why should I have to? I see the same thing in many vehicles as well.  I think the last time I had an easy vehicle to work on was my dad's old '81 Ford with the straight six. You could hold a party in that engine compartment. 

[Ben]

By the way to tighten spin on filters I use a piece of coarse Emory cloth for grip and tighten by hand.

Good tip - thanks!

[K Frame]

Yeah, that's always an issue. Fortunately on this splitter the filter was fairly easy to get to and there was just enough room to allow us to get the rope and pipe position and get enough torque on it to finally break it loose.

[JonnyB]

I was at a Chevy dealership some years ago with my Suburban. One of the techs pointed to an engine on the floor. It had come out of a new full-size van that came in. One of the ‘quick’ oil change shops had trouble removing the filter that the factory installed. A filter wrench simply crushed it. A screwdriver tore the case apart. The core resisted a Channel-Lock and locking pliers, so they used a Sawzall on it. Unfortunately, they failed to notice the groove they cut in the filter base. Presto! New filter on, oil in, wham-bam, here’s your van.

A few miles down the road and the oil-starved 350 seized.

The quick-lube shop paid for the new one.

JB