Removing an old pedal from an Ashtabula crank

[xray]

I'm trying to put some new pedals on an old Schwinn, and the left pedal is REALLY really stuck in the crank.

I destroyed the old pedal taking it apart to create more clearance for a heavier wrench, so I have just the straight shaft and square nut.

I tried putting a "cheater" on it, a pipe fit over the wrench for more leverage. This is really awkward work, though, trying to break it free with the crank still on the bike.

I guess I'm going to have to take the crank out of the bottom bracket and enlist a helper to hold it while I wrench it out with a cheater.

OR - maybe drill the darned thing out and re-tap the crank.

Any suggestions? Anybody got a method for dealing with this awkward task?

 

[xray]

Of course, I just realized, it's the LEFT pedal, which makes it virtually impossible to remove the crank. I'm guessing the best trick to try is heating the end of the crank with a torch.

 

[Wildcat]

Left handed threads, but you probably already know that.

Sometimes they break free with taps on the wrench from a big hammer better than brute force. I let the threads soak in oil or pb blaster type stuff for a few days and it breaks free.

 

[Phil Fink]

Once I had a crank with both pedals installed on the wrong sides. The one on the left side of the crank came off easy enough, but the one on the right would not budge, even after overnight soaking. Then, I noticed a "U" (chinese?) shaped stamping in the shaft, so I decided to look at it's twin; The pedal that I removed from the left was stamped "R" - so the "U" was actually an "L" on the right hand side. Once I knew which way to turn the big wrench, the pedal came off okay.

The bike had once been motorized by another, not sure if motorized bicycles work better with the pedals installed backwards.

 

[horsefarmer]

Heat the crank to make the tapped threads expand a little then apply penetrating oil. sometimes tap the parts with a hammer to set up vibrations. My late brother in law used to say "shock the shaft". He was an ace tractor mechanic and had plenty of experience with rusted stuff.

 

[RustySprockets]

Hmm... These can be troublesome because of the harsh environment they live in. They sure do like to spin when they're still on the bike. I've seen people place a cheater bar over the opposite crank to prevent turning and gain leverage. Penetrant helps...so does heat.

With the pedal itself already destroyed, you could probably maneuver the crank out of the bottom bracket and place it in a bench vise.

 

[Wildcat]

RustySprockets is right, with just a spindle left there, you can remove the cranks from the frame.

 

[us56456712]

Clamp it in a bench mounted quality bike vice. Bolt heavy angle iron under the bench that protrudes and keeps the crank arm from turning, put the heavy duty Park Pedal Wrench on it and suspend your self off the ground by holding onto the pedal wrench and then do vigorous push ups shocking the stuck part with all your weight by a jerking motion. Your feet never hit the floor. Always works, so far. Don't even need penetrating oil. This will just round off the standard Park Pedal Wrench, you need the pro one. You can also try this without the angle iron but you need to be more agile and some of the force is lost in the rotation of the BB. A 4 x 4 board jammed between the crank arm and the seat tube can also work if the board is wide enough to spread the force so the tubing doesn't dent. The trick is the bouncing

 

[xray]

Thank you for all the helpful comments folks. I had forgotten about torching it to expand the metal, but once I saw that suggestion, I knew that was how I was going to get it off. And, Rusty, you're right, after posting I was away a few days but I realized a couple hours later that with just the spindle, the crank would come apart okay.

Anyway, I got to thinking how my Dad was always heating stuff up to break it free. I gave away my torch when I moved nearly two years ago now... so it was time to buy a new one. I heated up the tip of the crank 'til real hot and put a wrench on the pedal with about a three foot pipe for a cheater and it started unscrewing pretty easy. After a couple quarter turns it was free enough to turn without the cheater.

The old spindle is out and the new pedals are on!

 

[xray]

I just want to add, in retrospect... folks: don't ever discount the value of heating up stuff that is stuck! Since I got a new torch, I have been using it frequently to free up stuff that just didn't want to come off. Had to take apart the headset on an old Schwinn frame - the steering tube nuts had rusted on pretty tight. Put the torch on it for a few seconds and it loosened right up. Cautious use of heat and small amounts of penetrating oil... you can't beat it. It had been years since I resorted to a torch, but it will be right there on the workbench from now on.