Congrats Peter!
Bob
The important thing is that you were brave enough to venture where many of us dare not go and were rewarded for your efforts! "A small thing but thine own" as Vin Scully used to say.
I've got to assemble a coupler for my K-Line MP15. The existing coupler's centering "spring" is apparently broken off; the coupler flops back and forth. I couldn't come up with a complete coupler but our friends had the coupler without knuckle, and the knuckle replacement kit, knuckle, demon spring and rivet. I was worried because I didn't know the proper orientation of the spring. Now I'm terrified of trying to put it all together. Mr. Floppy may just remain in service for a while.
It's not a job for the faint hearted Joe, and it will truly test your patience!!!!
I hope I never have to go through the frustration of getting that demon spring in just the right position to get the rivet to drop down into the body of the coupler ever again!!!
GOOD LUCK JOE 😢😢😢
Peter.....Buco Australia.
@Buco posted:OK Guys.......I'm back after cleaning up the mess from Tropical Cyclone Alfred!!!
No damage to our house, but lots and lots of large and small branches, and lots and lots of leaves from the large gum trees on the adjoining golf course in our back yard.
Anyway, returned to the workshop yesterday, and had another crack at installing those demon possessed springs. That has to be the most "soul-destroying" thing I have ever done....without exception!!!!
Finally "mastered" the art (black art), by adding a small amount of "Red-N-Tacky" grease to the knuckle hinge point, to hold the spring in place, inserted the rivet, just enough to secure the spring centered over the hole, and very carefully, and I mean VERY CAREFULLY installed the "hand" part of the knuckle in under the spring, and then back into the knuckle, where I could push the rivet down into the bottom hole (QUICKLY).
Halleluiah, and praise the Lord.......the Devil has been conquered!!!
In the below photo you can see the straight end of the "demon spring", and its bent end in the correct position
Here is one of the knuckles fully re-assembled back on the truck, and working as it was originally (psychotically) designed.
All I can add is........NEVER, NEVER, NEVER AGAIN!!!! I will save up and buy a new, fully assembled coupler if I am ever put in that position again.
Peter.......Buco Australia.
The pw coil couplers are a little more intense. There's a small spring and plunger that slides through the coupler into the coil, then the springs for the knuckle. :-)
@Pingman posted:One of my all-time favorite repair videos is this one in which an older gentleman with pronounced hand tremors easily repairs a knuckle coupler and demonstrates a great trick to the hair pin/rivet/knuckle mystery--he applies a dab of gear lube to the tip of the rivet when he installs the hair pin which holds it in place when inserting the knuckle.
The real action occurs at around the 22:00 minute mark; the prelude to this is a deep cleaning of the assembly.
His video allowed me to make quick work of just such a repair; astonishingly simple.
If the fellow with arthritic fingers and trembling fingers in the video above can do it, you can too.
Reposting it here in case new readers missed it above.
