Aux tank neck needs straightened

I got this aux tank and the neck has a slight bend in it. Other than that it's perfect. How can I best straighten it without damaging it?

It's just been dropped or hit a little, the neck isn't bent. Just stick in a pipe , as large as will fit , and maybe 2 feet long, and bend it back to square with the tank.

be careful about using the pipe. the lip that the cap uses to tighten down would be damaged by using a pipe as suggested, although you might be able to roll it back out. However, if you make the opening oblong, you have a much tougher task.

Have you even tried to mount it yet? Is it terribly angled when mounted? You could make the mouting holes larger in the mounting bracket (the one that the tank mounts to, not the plate on the tank). That would give you a bit of wiggle, and you could mount the tank so that the neck is square to the hood. No one will see that the tank is at an angle, as it will be mostly under the hood. the othe option is to leave it as is. these tanks are fairly heavy sheet steel, and won't be the easiest to straighten out.

I would leave it as is, as it doesn't appear to be that dramatic, but then the picture may not show as bad as real life.

Mike, it appears that when the "neck bent"it actaully pushed one side of the neck down also bending or dishing the top of the tank. I might try sticking a "L" not "J" shaped hook down the neck pulling the top of the tank near the neck back up straightening the neck.

I would make an "L" shaped device out of 3/4 inch wide by 3/8 thick steel stock about 18 inches long. Bend a 90 degree on one end of the stock--either cold or using a little heat--& then use a hacksaw to cut off small increments until the "tool" will fit into the filler neck. When the proper dimensions have been arrived at, clamp the tool in a vise with the tank far enough from the vise jaws to get a small hydraulic jack between the tank & vise jaws with a 3/4 inch board to cushion the tank top. Try jacking the tank away from the vise with the tool on the side of the tank that has the dent.
Alternate method would be to use a slide-hammer puller--don't know if there would be enough offset on the end of the slide-hammer.

As others have said, I'd be more inclined to leave it alone and see what it looks like on assembly. Possibly mount the tank a teeny bit on an angle so the cap is level to the hood.
Right now you got bigger fish to fry.

Gordo

Fill with water.
Use plastic film under the lid.
Use shop air pressure to pressurize the water.
Do not use just air, it can be a bomb. The water reduces the amount of pressurized air, and makes the process safe. JimN

be careful whatever you do,,the whole neck on mine fell inside the tank, now I have to figure out how to get it out.

The neck is only soldered on, so you can't reef on it too much. One idea did come to mind. You could use a piece of pipe, probably 2" or 2 1/4", something that would fit over the OUTSIDE of the neck, and large enough to go over the solder lip at the bottom, but snug enough to fit almost snug. DO NOT, use too much force, and go a little at a time. Too much force, and you will break the solder joint.

The really correct way to fix this would be to take the neck off, repair the bend in the tank, then solder the neck back on.

alot of work for something that may not bring that much return on time invested. However, you never count the hours in a labor of love......

I would leave it alone. Not all that bad a ding and trying to fix it could make it a much bigger problem. Small dings are to be expected in a tractor that has worked all its life and shows that life happens. Paint it as is, use it and enjoy!!!!! Armand

Fill with water.
Use plastic film under the lid.
Use shop air pressure to pressurize the water.
Do not use just air, it can be a bomb. The water reduces the amount of pressurized air, and makes the process safe. JimN

Click to expand...

So is the pressurization supposed to take care of the bend, or do I use the L bar in conjunction with the pressurization? If so, how do I accomplish that?

I'm not quite sure how to pressurize it in the first place. Do I pressurize it via the valve on the bottom?

I will be very specific ad see what happens.
Find a piece of pipe that is just big enough to let the cap fit inside it.
Fill the tank with H2O to the very top of the neck.
Put a piece of plastic film on the tank opening and place the cap on and tighten.
Place the pipe in a vice or other holder so the tank can be inverted into the pipe (tank up, cap and bent tube down)and is not going to tip or move the pipe (strong sturdy fixture for the pipe).
Tape up the neck of the tank with duct tape (torn into a 1/2" width) at the top just under the cap, and at the tank, making it just fit into the pipe.
Turn the tank upside down into the pipe.
Open the tank valve, and put no more than 15 PSI in it with an air hose into the valve (fittings and a screw in schrader valve from a tire repair store would help. As the pressure is applied, pull on the tank to straighten the neck. This will apply bothe mechanical and hydraulic pressure (a couple of hundred pounds of force at 15 psi on the inside)-----Do not exceed 20PSI-----. There may be profound leaking in this process, ignore it. it will only take a max of 2 seconds to straighten out. good luck, Jim

Thanks Jim. I've saved your instructions and I'll start collecting the needed items. I'll let you know how it goes.

You are welcome. If two do the job, and pressure is kept low, it will be excellent. Jim