Alternative to car axles?

I've tried calling all of the junk yards in my area and they say i will have to pull it myself. I would do it but im not mechanically inclined. One junk yard said they had loose ones but wanted fifty dollars. Everybody on this forum says they pay 5 dollars so im not going to pay pay 50 dollars for a scrap piece of metal. is there any thing comparable to a car axle that i can buy at home depot? Do i have any other alternatives? What else can i use, i've seen the heavy duty stakes they have at the feed store, are those ok? They are no where near as thick as an axel.

 

we used rebar.

 

OK, here is what I have done before.

I buy one of those silver twist stakes. You can get them at Wal-Mart or the co-op for about $3. Then I dig about a 12 - 18 in hole in the ground. I twist the stake as far as I can into the bottom of the hole, then attach the chain to the swivel on the stake. Then I hold the chain straight up & fill in the hole. I tamp the dirt in very, very well. I have done this for several of my dogs & none of them were able to put the stake up, even in wet weather. My husband at 220lbs couldn't even pull one up.

Others may not go this route, but it this has worked for me.

Good luck!

 

Just walk through a junkyard, and you will find (especially for "big rigs" and heavy trucks) and you will find all sorts of stuff that will work. Last time I was in a pinch for axles (read, needed one in a few hours) none were available. I'm pretty mechnically inclined and have built cars literally from the ground up-and even I couldn't tell you what the hell this thing is for. Chances are, it was from a newer FWD car which would explain it being taboo to me. FWD "half-shafts" are pretty much useless, so don't bother with them. What I've found, on the one chainspot at my place, looks like about a 5' bolt, with no threads, apprx. 3'' diameter forged steel, with a hex head on it. Pulling axles is very easy, especially if you are pulling them out of a rearend already dropped from the car. If the car is junk, just cut the leaf springs and shock with a torch, it takes less then 5 minutes to get it out. Be careful not to heat the catridge of the shock, as them are known to explode. You'll go through 5 good saw-zaw bits trying to get through a shock, let alone springs so a plasma cutter, or ace torch is needed (most junkyards have them there, free of charge). I have two rearends sitting in my backyard I will never use, and have contemplated pulling the 4 axles out of them. If they werent a newly rebuilt 12 bolt, and the original #'s matching, completely stock, working 8.2 10 bolt for my 67, I would of had them out already. Depending on the rearend, you either must remove the c-clips (easy...most of them break anyway) and the axles slides out, or on most Fords (or cars with a Ford rearend) it's simply unbolting 4-bolts on the housing end after the tire is off, and sliding the axle out.

If you want, just walk the junkyards looking for forged steel objects, with one end much thicker then the rest of the peice. Go to one who survives by scrapping, not a "u-pull it" recycling center, and most will have mountains of "junk" just waiting to be scrapped and you can take them for next to nothing if you know what your looking for.

 

u have 2 good easy options. First is to use the HEAVY DUTY screw in anchor from TSC or any good farm/hardware store. I think its at least 1/4 in thick and the screw part is about 2 ft long.

The other is the rebar idea. An 8ft piece of rebar bent into a U shape and thread a heavy duty swivel thru. Pound the rebar all the way into the ground with just a lil bit of the bottom part of the swivel under the ground.

 

I have a solid metal fence post I use that has been cemented 4 feet into the ground.

 

i heard of someone who ran a chain through a cinder block and buried it 2 or 3 feetdown into the ground. said it worked, i dont have enough experience with anything like that to say otherhwise but it seems like it would work just fine.

 

Did you tell the junk yards what you plan on using the axles for and let them know that they don't have to be good axles? Chances are, if you didn't tell them that, they are probably trying to sell you a good axle that they think you plan on using for a car, which would explain them trying to charge you $50.

 

Around here they send the scrap axles to the shredder. You can do the rebar idea, I'd suggest threading the chain through the rebar and beat it all the way into the ground.
2. At home Depot get a mobile home anchor.
3. Get a piece of schedule 80 pipe(1 or 2" would be fine), slip the harness ring over the pipe, and weld/epoxy/ whatever a "T" on top of it. Set it in quick crete.

You can get a 2 or 3' piece of rebar fairly cheap at home depot or lLowe's.

 

I plan to use this method as i moved and im not aware of any junkyards near me. I dont see why it wouldnt work. I got the idea from R. Fox website. I just plan to use a heavy gauge chain. Have enough so when i bury the cinderblock the chain is connected through the block and i have a small piece of the chain coming out the ground. And attach her regular 1/4" chain to that. Nothing to tangle on.

 

My dad used to fill a regular bucket with cement and and bury it.

 

I run a fabrication shop so I use one inch round bar and cut a piece of round 3/8 thick plate and weld my own.

 

Thats what i Use. Without the bullsnap.

 

Simple way to solve this issue! Take your PHD (Post hole diggers) and dig a hole 3' deep, place your 3/8 to 1/2" chain 3ft deep in the hole (in the center) and pour the hole full with quikrete, concrete, let set for two days and There you go!



Never tried it but I know it will work

 

I have always used a 4 foot fair tent stakes because I get em free where I work at Taylor Rental. We use the stakes to set up tents we rent. They are 4 feet long and 1 1/2" to 2" around and they work great. You can drive em with a sledge hammer and if you need to move the stake you just hit them a couple times and pull em out of the ground. And you can take the stake and drive it any where you need it. Moveable chain spots but also very secure.

 

yeah you should be able to find one for no less than 20 dollars keep checking....

 

what do you guys think of this? I bought these earlier today before i got all your responses. Now i doubt that the weld on the chain is going to hold. So i was thinking of takeing it to a welder to put a thicker chain on it. Its two feet long, and its solid. Also where do u get high grade chain, i was looking for either 43 or 70 grade1/4 inch at home depot and they only carry 30 grade


http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyID=10872




I also bought one of these. Now i know the little swivel ring on it is cheap, but i was thinking of driving the steak through a thick O-ring

 

bumpppppppp

 

The first one is the type that I use. They work great for me but the ground here is solid red clay after about 4 inches of dirt. I have never had them break or anything... Now as far as the second one goes, I couldnt see it lasting very long at all.

 

Big anwser no > I have had them both and hated them they pull out easy and are not ment for bull dogs