Changing Shocks?

I'm with train777. use a torch. Easiest quickest way to get those stubborn bolts off. I think mine were rusted in the bottom. Top bolt came off with impact. Lowers needed torch on drive axles. Steering came off ok with impact. I use old license plate to shield behind bolt to prevent melting something I don't need melted. Sometimes a wet rag will do the trick. Put anti-seize on the new bolt when installing. Next time its easy.

 

+1Have had to torch off many a Freightliner shock bolt. Definitely use anti-seize on the new hardware.

 

I would let the garage do the work.
Shocks sound like a cake walk and simple to do.
Like the previous guy said you will need some serious heat to get them separated.
Don't forget when using heat, you are replacing a gas shock. Bad things could happen if you get to close to the gas chamber.. I tried using a puller on mine. It broke. I gladly let the shop do it.
Shocks on big trucks are not easy when you don't have the tools to do it!

 

Wow, 5 hours for 1 shock?
Did you not spray all the bolts several hours before with PBbalster or wd40?
If you are having that much of a problem, take it to a car mechanic (charges less than a truck mechanic )
Do NOT use an impact gun to tighten to reinstall. Ratchet and wrench is all you need.
Use anti seeze on bolts, change them every year during the same month.
Shocks for trucks don't last 200k miles. Anyone tells you they do are full of it.

 

Typically Shops first cut the shock off with a torch then cut bolt in half.

 

acetylene combined with oxygen creates a flow that heats fast yes but also cuts. I was trained on one back in high school and probably could get it going well enough. Just remember too much orange flame is no good, you need that acetylene oxygen mix to flow, you will see and hear it when it hits the right mix.

Propane just makes something hot fast, it is not by itself enough to cut strong materials.

The only other thing I can think of higher functioning than that is Plasma.

 

Sometimes it's better to take the truck to someone.

BUT, If you are going to use Heat, you must use oxygen and acetylene with preferably a rosebud torch.

You need to heat the nut only (not the stud) most likely until it's red-hot, but do not make it so hot that you melt it. At that point your air gun or a good breaker bar will be able to break it loose. The heat expands the nut so that it can back off of the stud.

Harbor Freight has a cheap little welding outfit for $99, or at least they used to. I bought it just to have a backup in case my big torches had a problem which now they do need to be rebuilt.

I think the rosebud torch that came with it was defective but the cutting torch I've been using for quite a while and it works surprisingly well. I have even cut truck frames and heavy steel with no problem.

On a side note, some guys that are really good with a torch can take a nut and cut just about half of it off and leave all the threads intact. Then take a chisel and knock the other half of the nut down.