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Stanchions stuck in yokes - help!

Submitted by tony_wood on Sun, 02/06/2019
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Heavy Twins

Hi.

i’m trying to overhaul the front forks of my barn find Dominator. I’ve got the sliders off ok but the stanchions and top/bottom yokes are still attached to the frame. The nuts on the bottom yoke  pinch studs are loose and I’ve tried wedging a large screwdriver into the slots in the lower yoke to open up the lower clamps a bit. However, I can’t get the top yoke off. The fork stem nut and washer are off but the top yoke seems stuck to the stanchion tapers. I’ve tried knocking the top yoke up from the underside with a rubber mallet and wooden block but nothing moves. I’ve not been gentle with it believe me! I’ve tried screwing the stanchion top plugs back in the stanchions and hitting them with a hammer and block of wood but everything stays solid. What am I doing wrong? How can I get this sorted?

Thanks very much.

Regards

Tony

Submitted by howard_robinson on Sun, 02/06/2019

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I often have to use an alloy drift and big hammer.  Get the drift wedged into the bottom of the top yoke and give it a good clout.  Once the top yoke is off a large screwdriver into the slot  in the bottom yoke, insert a top nut (preferably an old spare nut) and then give it a good clout with a hide mallet and that should suffice.   Don't be scared to use force - they can be very tight especially if they have had a shunt sometime.  Good luck, howard

Submitted by george_farenden on Sun, 02/06/2019

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Hi Tony,

Have you tried heat as well as a good 'whack'? I realise that a hot air gun or blow lamp may well destroy the paint, but as you have a 'barn find' it may well have seen better days anyway? 

An extra help can be achieved with a 2 legged puller, with legs under the top yoke and tightened down onto a fitted but slack top nut, before the application of the heat.

Good luck,

George 

 

 

 

Submitted by tony_wood on Sun, 02/06/2019

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Thanks Howard. I guess if I can’t shift it with the hammer and drift method, I’ll need to try some localised heat around the stanchion collars in the top yoke.

Regards

Tony

Submitted by dan_field on Mon, 03/06/2019

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Have you tried putting the fork top nuts on loosely and giving them a whack? You’re prob going to need new ones so no harm done by trying! 

Submitted by john_sunderland on Mon, 03/06/2019

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Along with most of the above suggestions I've found a combination of force/pressure and heat often get stuck things free.

A two legged puller well and truly tightened down on the fork top nut then gentle heat applied evenly all around the top yolk adjacent to the fork leg will free the fork leg. Its possible that once the top yolk warms up the fork leg will suddenly let go if not increasing the force on the puller as you heat the yolk should move it, or, as above and giving the puller a good clout or three with a copper/hide mallet just to encourage the offending item to let go works too.

John

Submitted by tony_wood on Mon, 03/06/2019

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Hi,

Thanks to everyone for the advice - the stanchions are now out of the yokes. In the end it was just the top yoke that was holding onto them. I decided to use a combination of all the bits of advice, so used a two-legged puller to exert some upward force then whacked the underside of the top yoke with a 2-pound club hammer. It was a matter of one whack left, one whack right - repeated over and over again. Once the top yoke was off, the stanchions just pulled out of the lower yokes.

I now have a new problem - a top yoke that looks butchered. I’ll cover that one in a separate post as I don’t want to drag this one out more than necessary.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Regards

Tony

 


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