Will. K.

I have a similar Kerrihard that has been waiting to waiting to be put back into service for about 5 years. Check the pockets the "t" bolts go into on the head on mine they are almost worn through and need repair and are probably one of the harder things to repair/replace. Its been several years but the last time I checked Little Giant still carried replacement springs for them if you ever need one. There are also several videos out there of people using them if you haven't come across them yet.

Another possible option is to run the hammer off a VFD for speed control. There are a few videos on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw-Te5q9fvI

If you haven't already you could ask the current owner how it was unloaded & moved into place when it was installed. I got myself in a bit of a situation when I bought a large horizontal milling machine several years ago. The seller was was going to lift it on my trailer with his loader. He decided at the last minute he couldn't lift it because it was too heavy & my truck decided to break down the weekend before the deadline to move it. I called a local tow truck company and they showed up with a 30 ton truck crane and a flatbed truck, loaded it, transported it 20 miles, unloaded it onto steel rods I had placed in my driveway and used the crane boom to help me push it into my garage for about $300 bucks cash. Some times having someone else do the work isn't so expensive. Only down side to the cheap price was all the risk was on me if it they damaged it in the move.

I've personally seen them listed from $2K-$10K in the 200lb-300lb range depending on condition and location/situation. The #8 I bought (250lb) was close to my location, the seller stored it for a year for me and he had the equipment to load it for me so I didn't have to hire a rigger or rent a fork lift to load it at his location. I paid $6K.

Delrin/Acetal absorbs water more than UHMW. What is the surface finish on your ram? UHMW guides can powder and gum things up.

On my Prentice swivel jaw vices the pin is tapered and is held in by the taper fit. I imagine it is similar with your Yost. The one I've removed the pin on my father carefully pressed out the pin from underneath using his shop press. I was worried it was going to break. Drilling it out would have been a safer option. I had the machinist where I work turn me up a new pin with a bigger head and a hole going thru it perpendicular to the axis of the pin for easier removal. There not as stout as a fixed jaw vice of the same size, I've seen pictures of several with the back jack welded/brazed back on.

I picked up about 1800lbs of 52100 round bar and a 500lb chunk of 11.25" O.D. x 1.5" thick wall tube on Sunday

I think Grant Sarver talked a little about this in one of his posts on induction heaters. I've seen some where the coil tubes go into copper block connectors that are held together by some sort of insulator, these get pressed against similar block on the unit with a screw clamp. I beleive this is the arrangement on some of his induction units you can see in his videos on YouTube. I recently missed out on an auction for an induction unit that had one of these quick connectors on it. I will PM you the link for the completed auction so you can take a look at the pictures. I do not think I can post it here per IFI rules.

I don't see why a helve would be any louder than a "regular" power hammer. The Kerrihard is a guided helve as well :)

It is spelled Kerrihard. There are several videos of them on YouTube. I picked one of the older 30lb ones up at an estate auction several about 4 years ago for $50 or $100 (can't remember!) because everyone else was buying guns at the other end of the property in the 2nd ring. I hadn't really planned on buying it and didn't come prepared to load it. I figured it would sell for more Money than I had. I had to pay 3 guys to help me lift it in the back of my truck. I've been so busy with work & family I haven't got it back together yet. The biggest problem I've read about and is a problem on mine is that the pockets in the ram for the "t-bolts" can wear thin and may need to be welded to build them back up. I have seen one of the newer style round ram ones at an auction last year and The quality & robustness was not as good as the older ones. There were casting holes in the frame near the back of the hammer. It also had some repaired/replaced parts. If I remember right it sold somewhere in the range of $600-$900. There is information on the in the book "Pounding Out the Profits". Price is going to vary depending on the part of the country you are in and the situation of the sale. Keep an eye out for estate auctions is my best advise. I have seen two others turn up in auction listings in Wisconsin/Minnesota area since I bought mine. That is about as frequent as other brands of hammer.

An Octagon 75 was listed listed for sale a few days ago over a Blademsith's Forum.

If the company could have traced out the bolt pattern on a piece of paper & mailed it before they shipped the hammer or given you accurate measurements of the mounting holes you might have been able to get an early start on the foundation.

I have two Prentiss vices with the rear swiveling jaw but they have the stationary base. On the one I started to clean up and restore I carefully pressed the pin out from the inside using my dad's shop press. I was worried it might break but I got lucky and every thing went well. Mine had lead plugs in the oil holes along the side.

One of those oscillating multi tools with a wood blade might work for rouging in the slot

I've seen pics of scaled down tire hammers. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotiron/3541497394 http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=11662