Pulling hubs

[PaulS]

I'm trying to pull hubs.� The first one I tried was from the spare set of axles--which have been sitting outside for years, and probably therefore have a fair amount of rust in them.  (These ones have 11" brakes, which I am planning to use on my other axles.)

I bought this big puller (supposed to be rated for 7 tons), and have it on the hub, as shown:


The big (36") blue breaker bar is there to stop the whole thing from spinning.  The ratchet that's actually attached to the puller is 18" long and that's a 3/4" socket (for a scale reference).

I'm at the point where I'm standing on the ratchet to get it to advance.  And it still is turning that way, but I'm getting concerned that I'm going to break something.  Am I doing this right, and should I be concerned about breakage?  Is there anything I can do to loosen up the hub?

BTW, I've left the big nut holding the hub on in place, but loosened off by 1/8" or so, in order to prevent the hub from flying off when it breaks free.  I have double checked that it's not in contact with the hub.

Thanks,

-Paul

[1955CJ-5]

Typically at this point I would remove the� socket and ratchet and give the center threaded shaft of the puller a good whack with a heavy hammer..hit it straight on, driving it against the axle, this ought to loosen things, but if it doesn't...then put the socket/ratchet back on and see if you can turn it a little more....then whack it again....

That is a serious breaker bar! How do you suppose they got that name?

[PaulS]

I bought that breaker bar for doing the lug nuts on my tractor...

Anyway, I'm starting to see visible deformation of the hub plate as I tighten the puller, and that can't be good!

I'm not missing something, am I?  There's nothing besides that big nut holding it in place, right?

I used a dental pick to clean out all the mud and gunk from the keyway, but there's no way to remove the key in advance, is there?

-Paul

[1955CJ-5]

Did you try the hammer? That normally will shock it loose...


A little heat on the hub might help.

Try penetrating oil and let it sit...

[PaulS]

Yeah, tried the hammer.  I'll let it sit with some oil...

[F Bill]

I bought that breaker bar for doing the lug nuts on my tractor...

Anyway, I'm starting to see visible deformation of the hub plate as I tighten the puller, and that can't be good!

I'm not missing something, am I?�

-Paul

You might not want to hear this but I would shy away from that sort of puller on your hub. At the edge of the hub it has more leverage to bend the hub instead of pulling it.

The puller I would be using bolts to the hub using the wheel studs and lug nuts. Preferably it would have 5 legs instead of three, especially on a hub that is being stubborn.  It also would have a large center threaded bolt  with very fine threads, a place for the two headed whacker handle , and be well overbuilt throughout. This sort of puller is a lot better at concentrating the force where you want it without bending things.

If I can find a link to one on ebay I will post it.

[F Bill]

OTC 7394 is one model...

Here it is being used in a Walck's Video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQQvFK4B6pY

[PaulS]

Thanks Bill.  Those things aren't cheap, are they!

I thought I'd try something different.  That 3-jaw puller is big enough to go over the 11" drums, so I put the drum back on, threaded on the lug nuts, and started pulling that way.  At least it spreads the load onto all five bolts--even though the metal on the drum there isn't as thick as the hub.

Something was moving when I started applying force, but it didn't seem to be the hub...  After the kids get to bed, I'm going back out to try again and see if I can figure out what's happening.

-Paul

[1955CJ-5]

I've got one of these three-legged ones. It seems to work fine...at least I've been successful so far pulling hubs..

http://www.kaiserwillys.com/product/1657/willys-jeep-brakes-hub-puller-parts-accessories

Be careful pulling on the outside of the drum. They are cast and the lip is thin. I doubt that you will be able to exert the same force as you did before without breaking something..

One fellow set up the puller with as much force as he could and just let it set that way overnight...he was able to get it apart the next day...

[PaulS]

^&$(&(&%*(%$%$#  (I'm sure that the forum software won't let me say what I really want to...)

Okay, that was a bad idea.  I just wrecked an 11" drum.  I seriously doubt it's repairable, but we'll see.

That puller from K-W is a whole lot cheaper than the list price of the OTC puller.  At least the price at Acklands-Grainger--maybe I'll see if NAPA or PartsSource has one, and at what price.

But now I probably need to replace an 11" drum, if I want to do that upgrade.  I see that K-W lists three different 11" drums (Walcks only has one).  How do I tell which ones I've got?

-Paul

[F Bill]

Thanks Bill.� Those things aren't cheap, are they!

I thought I'd try something different.� That 3-jaw puller is big enough to go over the 11" drums, so I put the drum back on, threaded on the lug nuts, and started pulling that way.� At least it spreads the load onto all five bolts--even though the metal on the drum there isn't as thick as the hub.

Something was moving when I started applying force, but it didn't seem to be the hub...�

-Paul

NEVER ever use a drum to pull a hub. As you have already found out the drum will deform before you have enough force to pull the hub. I have even seen one guy who managed to deform his drum so evenly that when he want to put it back on he didn't notice he had bent the center about 1/4 inch away from where it was originally, then he couldn't figure out how to get the drum back on as it was rubbing the backing plate.

Some guys make  homemade pullers built from THICK metal that bolst up to the lugs, then have a piece of pipe with a threaded cap...a large FINE thread bolt is used in the center of the cap.. All made of at least 3/8 plate or 1/2 inch plate and schedule 40 pipe....and those also work at much less $$$ than the OTC ones. But you need access to a decent welder to make one. I cannot believe how spendy the OTC pullers have gotten...and I need to find one as my old one was stolen.. The KW one at $79 is fine for most guys once the initial pulling is done. It is those hubs that have not come off since 1949  that need a 5 legged puller.

I think we need to make a sticky FAQ tech post about pulling drums, as the most common first timer question we have is how to get the dang drums off.... There is a page about it on the site but.....do folks read it before trying?
One thing we must not forget to mention in any hub pulling discussion... ALWAYS THREAD THE LARGE NUT BACK ON A BIT BEFORE PULLING THE DRUM/HUB OFF...WHEN THEY FINALLY BREAK FREE IF THERE IS NOTHING TO STOP IT FLYING INTO YOUR BODY  THEY WILL DO SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE!!!!!! Do not thread it all the way on , instead leave a space between the hub and the nut for it to move into when it does break free. This also protects the axles threads.

[PaulS]

Bill--where is the FAQ on pulling hubs?  I searched for one and couldn't find it.

I was actually thinking of getting some heavy plate (and I was thinking at least 5/8"), cutting the necessary holes to put the bolts through, and then using the puller I've got (in the picture at the top of the thread) to pull on that.  Thoughts on that.  (And this time I'll wait for a response before trying...)

BTW, I had no problem at all pulling the drums.  Of the six I've removed (from the four axles I've got), they all came off by hand.  On my tractor, the drums are reputed to be hard to get off, too, but mine came off with a couple taps of a hammer (with a block of wood in between, of course).  I guess my good luck with removing drums is being compensated for with the hubs.

-Paul

[Carls_jeep]

Paul, if you use your puller with an acetylene torch to heat the hub it will pop off after a hammer blow on the end of the puller. I don't think your going to get it off without a lot of heat and you will probably have to get it a dull red before it comes loose.�

[ZekeD]

Paul,

What would the 5/8 plate buy you?   Your pic shows that you can get to the hub with your puller, so where's the advantage?

My $.02 .....   Heat or time and penetrating oil.

Good luck, remember this is fun!

Zeke

[PaulS]

Zeke, the advantage is that I wouldn't be bending the hub plate with the puller--which is what is happening now.  The load would be spread out to the five bolts, which are at a smaller radius. 

Like FBill said in his first response in this thread:  "You might not want to hear this but I would shy away from that sort of puller on your hub. At the edge of the hub it has more leverage to bend the hub instead of pulling it. "

I tried the drum thing (which was a big mistake) because I was uncomfortable with the amount of deformation I was seeing in the hub when I was pulling like in the picture.

-Paul