Got my hubs off!

[cafoose 3,355]

The first hub I pulled came right off. The axle key way is worn to twice the width I was soaking the other hub for a week in Kroil and Liquid Wrench. It still wouldn't budge using the @daveoman1966 method. I used my caliper to make sure the five bolts were the same distance between both hubs to help avoid distortion, ensure even pulling, and minimize breakage. I used a 1-14 threaded rod with two nuts locked together on the end. It still wouldn't budge. I pulled the rear and disassembled it and removed the snap ring and pinion gear from the other end. Then I took it to the 20 ton press and heard a loud pop and it moved I continued to put pressure on it several times and heard a few more loud pops and then success It came off I did have to file down the end of the axle a little because of pulling so hard the splines right behind the snap ring were raised a little too much for the axle to slide out Not sure if I did it or someone else tried to remove it in the past. Now I need to try to rebuild my first hydro using the download from @daveoman1966 and also replace or repair the other axle. The original problem was it was driving fine then all at once it wouldn't move forward or backwards.

 

 

 

[ineedanother 1,369]

Nice work and writeup  Always good to see a good outcome but so many of us don't have 20 ton presses that I wonder if we couldn't pin a thread on how to avoid such a thing (maybe there is one )

 

Regular maintenance. Anti-seize, Red-n-tacky, whatever works. I'm not sure I know the answer but I probably need to look at the hub removal threads to see how I'll keep from causing problems down the road...

[cafoose 3,355]

2 minutes ago, ineedanother said:

I probably need to look at the hub removal threads to see how I'll keep from causing problems down the road...

 

[ineedanother 1,369]

@cafoose , lots of threads about difficult removals but not much about what we can do to prevent those going forward...Probably pretty simple but I don't know if there's a preferred or proven concoction. 

[ri702bill 8,316]

Bought my 20 ton HFT press about 15 years ago. Had to replace a bad front wheel bearing on my Saturn. The press was $140 - the labor cost quoted by a local shop to replace the bearing was $260... Did the job myself, the press has more than paid for itself over the years. There are numerous YT videos out there for upgrades to this model.

 

[Achto 27,570]

6 hours ago, ineedanother said:

not much about what we can do to prevent those going forward

 

I always put some never seize on the axle before installing the hub. On the few that I've had to revisit I still needed to use a puller to remove them, but no horror stories involved.

[Pullstart 62,843]

24 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

I always put some never seize on the axle before installing the hub. On the few that I've had to revisit I still needed to use a puller to remove them, but no horror stories involved.

If you ever run low, you can scratch behind Ryan’s boy’s ear… I’m sure there’s still some lingering from my plow you so graciously lubed for me!  

[ri702bill 8,316]

That stuff is similar to roofing cement - a little goes a long way and it always seems to go everywhere. But it does help. Same with steering wheel hubs.....

[953 nut 55,208]

8 hours ago, cafoose said:

pulled the rear and disassembled it and removed the snap ring and pinion gear from the other end. Then I took it to the 20 ton press and heard a loud pop and it moved I continued to put pressure on it several times and heard a few more loud pops and then success It came off

Heat helps but even that won't do the job some times. I had to do the same as you with splitting the transaxle and pulling the axle/hub assembly but my 20 ton HF press wouldn't get the job done even after it was red hot  while under pressure. Ended up taking it to the local machine shop's 100 ton press. The loud pop we heard there was the hub cracking along the keyway. They had to "V" notch the hub and weld it but all is well.

[WHX?? 48,815]

The only way to do hubs if the tranny has to get split @cafoose.

That press sits in the corner of the shop 363 days. But when it's needed ... priceless. 

Yes anti seize and won't brown weld BUT this means the hub can come loose easier. Checking set screw tightness should be done often as checking motor oil. 

[ri702bill 8,316]

40 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

But when it's needed ... priceless.

Roger that!!

[ri702bill 8,316]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

Checking set screw tightness should be done often as checking motor oil. 

Good advise there folks.....

[pacer 3,169]

I also had to resort to a 20 ton on a 'D' axle, there was my buddy an I both on the jack handle with a cheater pipe before it turned loose - POW!!! Geez them things can be tough

[Andy N. 2,152]

I recently replaced the axle seals on my 1960 Suburban and used threaded rod with a spare hub at the other end and a 6 ton jack in between. I'm not sure if these had ever been changed before and the hubs were definitely rusted on. I used the heat/quench method and was tapping around the radius of the hub with a hammer while heating. It took some patience and work, but both eventually came free. And you bet they went back on with anti seize on the axle. 

 

 

 

 

 

[oliver2-44 9,743]

On 3/7/2023 at 10:18 PM, ineedanother said:

Nice work and writeup  Always good to see a good outcome but so many of us don't have 20 ton presses that I wonder if we couldn't pin a thread on how to avoid such a thing (maybe there is one )

 

Regular maintenance. Anti-seize, Red-n-tacky, whatever works. I'm not sure I know the answer but I probably need to look at the hub removal threads to see how I'll keep from causing problems down the road...

The opposite challenge with hubs is you want them tight, real tight.  That and there not something one pulls for routine maintenance.  I reinstall with a slight film of anti-seize if/when I ever pull one.  but some people recommend to not even use any anti-seize with the argument that you want them to rust tight.  

Besides, pulling Wheelhorse hubs is one of the WH rights of passage!

 

PS. While WH hubs can be a challenge to pull, the JD green machines have splined hubs and then there's the larger Power King/Economy hubs that make WH hubs seem easy.

On the JD 110 they just recommends you use a tapered wedge to shear the snap ring inside the differential and take them to a press.   Then of course you rebuilt the whole transmission.

Power King/Economy recommends you disassemble the gearbox and remove the gear and shaft from the inside, just to replace a seal.

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by oliver2-44

[953 nut 55,208]

On 3/8/2023 at 7:07 AM, WHX?? said:

Checking set screw tightness should be done often as checking motor oil.

          So with most people this can be interpreted as never check the tightness of hub set screws.     

If the set screws are tightened to 35 foot pounds and the lock nuts to 30 foot pounds they shouldn't be a problem. Too many times ate set screws are just tightened with a ratchet an not nearly tight enough for the job at hand.

[Handy Don 12,216]

8 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

35 foot pounds

When I first started using torque wrenches on power equipment I was surprised at how often my previous “that’ll hold it” tightness was short of the correct mark!

[WHX?? 48,815]

1 hour ago, 953 nut said:

 

If the set screws are tightened to 35 foot pounds and the lock nuts to 30 foot pounds they shouldn't be a problem. 

You would think so Richard but we have found with the aggressive field plowing we do they do work loose... even with double screws. 

Really good points Ollie.  @oliver2-44