Mini-Ductor Venom Helps Repair and Restore Antique Farm Equipment

Life on the farm just got a whole lot easier!

Recently, one of our customers (and local photographer) bought a Mini-Ductor Venom to aid in the restoration and repair of some old farm equipment he has. Keith, a resident of Illinois, knows all too well how the Midwest weather can affect equipment that sits outdoors. The region between New York through the Midwest is called the rust belt for a reason!

Now, why does rust factor into this story?

Keith, with his Mini-Ductor Venom in tow, has two pieces of rusted farm equipment that are rusted and corroded from years of being outside. He graciously made us two videos documenting his use of the Venom on these pieces of equipment. One is a horse-drawn road grader from the 1800s and the other is a farm trailer about 30 years old.

Antique Horse Drawn Road Grader Restoration with the Mini-Ductor Venom

The first video we dug into is about the antique road grader. A road grader, or motor grader, is “a form of heavy equipment with a long blade used to create a flat surface during grading.” It’s used to level off an area of space. This horse-drawn road grader is an antique from the 1800s. That means it has been sitting outside all this time (over a century!) gathering rust, debris, and wear from the weather.

The one Keith has is an antique from the 1800s. That means it has been sitting outside for over a century gathering rust, debris, and wear from the weather!

Keith starts by showing us the rusted nuts and bolts he’s going to be working with to remove. Once he starts powering the Venom, water that’s collected on the grader from the rain starts to boil and sizzle.

He and his friend, a commercial plumber of 40 years, heat the bolt for about a minute. After which, his friend takes a wrench to it and it turns right away. He says an impact wrench would’ve torn that bold apart but with induction heat, it loosens right away.

The best part is that there is nothing wrong with the threads. So if Keith wants to keep everything original on a piece of equipment this old, he can reuse that bolt. This is a big deal if you’re dealing with antique restoration!

Watch Here:

30 Year Old Farm Trailer Repair & Lug Nut Removal with the Mini-Ductor Venom

The second video Keith made is of removing the lug nuts on a 30-year-old wheel. The wheel was a part of a towable trailer that someone used for hauling stuff around the farm. The man who owned the trailer told Keith, the axels were sitting around outside and one day he decided to use them to make a flatbed trailer. The lug nuts haven’t been touched since before then.

He takes the Venom to the lug nuts, heats it for about 45 seconds and they loosen right away! And the lug nuts are still in good shape! The reason he’s doing this in the first place is that the rubber tires are dry rotted and won’t hold weight anymore.

Watch Here:

Why does Induction Heat Matter in these Situations?

Keith needs induction heat to release these fasteners because the tires contain dry rot and other flammable particles. In the road grader video, he’s surrounded by leaves and other materials that, if dry, could cause a potential fire if he was using a torch. This is a perfect reason for using the Mini-Ductor Venom! There is no collateral damage to the surrounding areas and a greatly reduced risk of fire!

We thank Keith for the videos he’s made and for sharing them with us! Do you have a repair or restoration story? Share it with us! Email [email protected]. 

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To learn more about induction heat, reach out to us via phone at 877-688-9633 or email at [email protected].

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