Show off your hub-puller

[ebinmaine 67,277]

40 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

you could do the slots in a pair of the targets like @ebinmaine is planning and drill ten more holes

 

I did complete that puller but it really should be thicker. 

Mine's 1/4" steel X2. 

3/8" would be a game changer.  

 

 

 

[Racinbob 11,045]

I figured I'd do the heat thing but all I have is a propane porch. I guess any heat will help. I keep filling the hole with Cre-oil and have been tapping it. I suppose it wouldn't be as fun if it was easy. 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

4 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

I figured I'd do the heat thing but all I have is a propane porch. I guess any heat will help. I keep filling the hole with Cre-oil and have been tapping it. I suppose it wouldn't be as fun if it was easy. 

 

 

I have only propane as well. 

 

You CAN'T leave it on there too long. 

 

I've laid the torch so it'll just set flame on the hub for 15 or 20 minutes,  then spin the hub some. 

Remove from heat and fill the set screw hole with penetrating oil.  

 

[Racinbob 11,045]

17 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

I have only propane as well. 

 

You CAN'T leave it on there too long. 

 

I've laid the torch so it'll just set flame on the hub for 15 or 20 minutes,  then spin the hub some. 

Remove from heat and fill the set screw hole with penetrating oil.  

 

 

I'm gonna try that. I'm sure the penetrating oil will love that. 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

1 hour ago, Racinbob said:

 

I'm gonna try that. I'm sure the penetrating oil will love that. 

 

A#1... 

Do this in a well ventilated area. 

 

Soaking the HOT 🔥 hub with penetrating oil does a double service. 

It'll flow easier when hot.

Also, the heat expanded hub may allow some crevices to exist that aren't there when cold. 

It gets down into spaces that other wise may not be reached.  

In addition to that there's a possibility that cooling the hub WITH the oil out of a spray can (colder) will help shrink the hub more/better. 

 

 

[peter lena 8,583]

@Kelsey   strength against strength , at strongest point / kroil  , like that , used to do a lot of frozen / rusted flanges at work , salt water , piping , before we went over to all stainless . worked with shop machinist  to make a very solid unit . also worked with him on a vertical conveyor , that was off tracking , made up slide in shims , against pillar block bearings , that was midnight call in life saver . no mor call ins on those ! pete 

[Racinbob 11,045]

I ordered another 6" plate this afternoon. This time 3/8" thick instead of 1/2". Before I apply any more pressure I'm going to make a plate to go 'sandwich' the hub flange. Then I'll give it all I got. If it breaks then well, so be it. I'll buy another one. 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

30 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

sandwich' the hub flange

 

I'd be curious to see what you come up with.  

[Racinbob 11,045]

The 6" x 3/8" steel arrived so I got back on the hub fiasco. The first thing I did was cut a 3" hole centered. I know guys, I could have gone behind the entire hub since it was far enough away from the trans case but I've seen just as many where there wasn't room for that so I figured this would work on them all. 

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised how clean the hole saw cut.

 

 

Next step was lay out the lug holes, punch and drill out. I went 7/16" so the 3/8" grade 8's slipped through nicely. 

 

 

Had to split it to get it on.

 

 

Puller installed and ready to hit it. It's been soaking in Cre-Oil all this time. I can't help but believe this isn't going to hurt the hub. 

 

 

My electric impact wrench isn't exactly a giant killer at 450 ft lbs but I thought it would do the job. With total disregard to breaking the hub I let her rip. Nope. It won't budge. 

Option 1: Pick up an air impact. I've been thinking about that a while but the electric has always done the job. My air impacts went bye-bye in the auction when we moved to Florida. The ft/lb rating of impacts are for the counterclockwise undo force and the clockwise force is somewhat less. I don't know what the CW rating on mine is. 

 

Option 2: Pick up a 24"-36" breaker bar. I may try the old pipe on the 1/2" drive ratchet but I broke one that way so I'm a bit hesitant. 

 

Option 3: Torch it. Again, a bit hesitant because every fluid I've used on it is highly flammable but it should be OK. 

 

I'm going to leave it sit overnight with the tension I now have on it. I'll wack it a few times Hit the impact more and if it still won't budge it's option 3 followed by option 2. 

[squonk 41,028]

@Racinbob

 

4 things:

 

1. Center bolt.  Yours has the end like a pin. It spends half it's time and energy digging into the axle. You need a flat (blunt) end to deliver the force across the axle.

 

2. Impact hammer. With tension on the puller, rap the snot out of the end of the puller where your socket goes on to set up a vibration.

 

3. What kind of a socket are you using with your impact gun? A chrome socket sucks a lot of power away from an impact gun

 

4. Heat /quench. A propane torch ain't gonna cut it. You need to get it hot!! Be careful you don't get the hub glowing. You want it "just starting to glow " and then quench it with water. May have to do it a couple of times

 

 

 

 

[Racinbob 11,045]

14 hours ago, squonk said:

@Racinbob

 

4 things:

 

1. Center bolt.  Yours has the end like a pin. It spends half it's time and energy digging into the axle. You need a flat (blunt) end to deliver the force across the axle.

 

2. Impact hammer. With tension on the puller, rap the snot out of the end of the puller where your socket goes on to set up a vibration.

 

3. What kind of a socket are you using with your impact gun? A chrome socket sucks a lot of power away from an impact gun

 

4. Heat /quench. A propane torch ain't gonna cut it. You need to get it hot!! Be careful you don't get the hub glowing. You want it "just starting to glow " and then quench it with water. May have to do it a couple of times

 

 

 

 

 

1) I noticed the pointy thingy getting driven into the axle. After I got the backside reinforced and really laying into it with the impact about all I accomplished was burying it deeper. Although I had several 2 and 3 jaw pullers none of them were designed the way I wanted to work for this. I found this one at Menards. I thought about grinding it blunt but never thought it would be this tough. I'll grind it today. 

 

2) Done that numerous times. 

 

3) I'm using actual impact sockets. Rule that one out.

 

4) Propane is all I have. Eric has had some success that way so I'll give it a shot. 

 

One other thing crossed my mind. A partially sheared key actually blocking it. I've never had that happen but I've heard that it can happen. I haven't even looked to see if anything is obvious. 

I've only been working on one of the hubs and haven't tried the other side yet. Another today thing. 

Edited November 3 by Racinbob

[ebinmaine 67,277]

I've had a couple hubs that needed "convincing" with a BIG breaker bar. 

I have a 51" long 3/4" drive bar. 

Adapter down to the 1/2" drive impact sockets. 

 

That long bar WILL move a hub but sometimes  it's by breakage. 

 

I'll be back on puller rebuilding and hub removal today too.  

 

 

[squonk 41,028]

@Racinbob Get yourself a bearing splitter plate. install it in the space between the hub and trans. Run longer bolts through your puller plate and hub to the splitter. This will concentrate the force to the axle where it is stuck. Having your puller plate so far away from the hub itself is just going to twist the hub and maybe break it. Need that plate tight as possible against the hub. All the force you are applying isn't getting to where it needs to be  

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

4 minutes ago, squonk said:

@Racinbob Get yourself a bearing splitter plate. install it in the space between the hub and trans. Run longer bolts through your puller plate and hub to the splitter. This will concentrate the force to the axle where it is stuck. Having your puller plate so far away from the hub itself is just going to twist the hub and maybe break it. Need that plate tight as possible against the hub. All the force you are applying isn't getting to where it needs to be  

 

I'd add that the splitter plate NEEDS to be RUGGED. 

Not a cheapo brand or slightly too small.  

 

 

[Racinbob 11,045]

I don't know about a bearing separator guys. They aren't designed for this and finding one with enough distance to straddle the nearly 6" diameter flange would be????? I can't run the splitter extension bolts from the puller plate through the hub directly to the splitter itself. I suppose I could fabricate one I really see it as highly unlikely that the flange will break with this kind of support. I'm listening. 

 

[Racinbob 11,045]

Went to work on the other side. It took just about all the impact wrench could give it but danged if it didn't come off. Looking at the side that's fighting me ya think that pointy thingy wasn't burying itself in the axle? 

 

 

If for no other reason than to have a complete hub puller setup I'm going to make a plate to go behind the hub tighter to the axle. I'm going to get another 1/2" x 6" plate, drill a 1-3/16" center hole and the lug holes. Making it 2 piece like the backer I made won't work but I can slot it to slide it over the axle. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to span two lug holes with another piece of steel to close off the slot after it's installed and add more strength. 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

9 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

Went to work on the other side. It took just about all the impact wrench could give it but danged if it didn't come off. Looking at the side that's fighting me ya think that pointy thingy wasn't burying itself in the axle? 

 

 

If for no other reason than to have a complete hub puller setup I'm going to make a plate to go behind the hub tighter to the axle. I'm going to get another 1/2" x 6" plate, drill a 1-3/16" center hole and the lug holes. Making it 2 piece like the backer I made won't work but I can slot it to slide it over the axle. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to span two lug holes with another piece of steel to close off the slot after it's installed and add more strength. 

 

 

IF you have a full inch between the hub and transmission the ideal way would be to create two plates like I did. 

 

My 1/4" plates are not thick enough though. 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, Racinbob said:

Next step was lay out the lug holes, punch and drill out. I went 7/16" so the 3/8" grade 8's slipped through nicely. 

 

 

 

What's this red ring and how do I get one??

[Racinbob 11,045]

I just happened to find that on Ebay. I thought it was appropriate that the 5 bolt version was red and the 4-1/2" pattern was highlighted a bit. I used the center punch you see at the top to mark the holes. 

 

5 five bolt SAE wheel lug pattern stud template gauge measure circle guide tool | eBay

[ebinmaine 67,277]

Bought it. 

[Lane Ranger 10,946]

 

 

 

I pretty much cringed at this series of photos!

 

The two or three tractors I had a difficult hub pulling on  miraculously came off with no damage.   

 

I believe most of the time the use of another HUB with long bolts and nuts did the job.

 

Only 1. 1054 four hole HUB  never came off a transmission axle and to this day remains on the axle after it was removed from the case!

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

10 minutes ago, Lane Ranger said:

Only 1. 1054 four hole HUB  never came off a transmission axle and to this day remains on the axle after it was removed from the case!

 

Someone with a press could remove that Lane. 

[Lane Ranger 10,946]

21 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Someone with a press could remove that Lane. 

No they could not !
 

We had a 40 ton press and the machine shop it sat in for five years could not remove on a bigger press.  The larger woodruff key must have been extra tight, hard or twisted pretty good.  We just kept as a trophy as we had plenty of other hubs!

 

 

Edited November 3 by Lane Ranger

[ebinmaine 67,277]

Here's the post repair puller in action. 

I used the larger 1/2" impact driver to its stalled max. 

Then slipped the 3/4" solid bar in between the 7/16" studs. 

The chrome breaker bar is the 51" long beast. 

It was making a tad wee bit of headway but stopped. 

 

 

 

How do I KNOW it stopped?... you might ask?

 

Well.... the flippin bar made for a pretzel...

 

 

 

So I've set more penetrating oil in the set screw hole. 

This will set for a few days. 

Wednesday or Thursday I'll lay the propane torch flame to it. I know it isn't really hot enough but it's what I have.  

 

If it doesn't break free within a couple weeks I may go to plan C.

 

[Racinbob 11,045]

Gadzooks Eric. That doesn't give me a warm fuzzy about mine. 

[ebinmaine 67,277]

It'll go Bob.... It'll go. Just a matter of time.