Hey all,

What kind of tools have guys made to properly install the front axle seals inside the diff housing? 2012 F350

I'm about to take my front axle apart in order to replace the seals. I know my way around the axle and diff but what I'm curious about is what folks have come up with in terms of tools to get the job done right.

These seals are something special. I miss the good old Dana 60 days ...

 

If they are the same as the super 60 on the front of my 2008, I think I may have made the ultimate poor man's tool, and I'm disappointed I didn't take pictures when I used it when doing ball joints back in October.
Hard to explain but here's what I did:
I looked around for a few days for something that would work correcty. Its hard to make something that big because you need to drive the inner and outer portion at the same time. I had a sudden brainstorm and took a length of 3 inch pvc and it fit perfectly on the inner steel ring of the seal. I knew if if I just used this, I would ruin the seal. I then thought about a toilet flange because of the flat surface. I bought a 4 inch pvc toilet flange and slid about a 12 inch length of 3 inch pipe through it. The length makes a handle, and allows the stub end to fit without getting in the way of hitting it with the mallet later. I had to use a sander and trim down the outer radius of the flange to make it the right diameter to fit in the knuckle. I then set the seal on my bench and placed the flange on it and noticed around a 1/8 inch difference in the rings on the edges of the seal. I used washers to set the height under the pvc. Once I checked it, I put the flange face down on my bench, set 4 washers inside of the opening of the flange and applied glue. I slid the 3 inch pipe into the 4 inch flange until the pipe hit the washers, giving me the correct offset. I used a separate piece of 3 inch pipe to drive the seal onto the axle that I clamped in my vise. I then lubed the knuckle with silicone grease and used the flange tool to drive the assembly into the knuckles. I used a rawhide mallet to hit the pipe so to not crack it. There was a crack in my toilet flange after doing both sides....but it worked like a champ and I think it cost 4 dollars and the 3 inch I had laying around.
Hope this helps, and, if you make one, post a pic for anyone who needs to do this in the future.

 

Just saw that you meant the oil seals in the diff tubes. I have seen some variations of all thread, plates and washers. They do require a special spreader tool, but I would think you could get creative with a few long extensions a hammer and an appropriately sized socket.

After all of that, then you will need the tool I explained above for the knuckles.

I apologize for the mix up

 

Not a worry. I actually like your thinking with using pvc/abs pipe because of the thicker pipe wall for driving seals. I'm always thinking steel or whatever else is scattered all over the shop floor haha. The oil seals are pretty fragile given they're a two part seal - they don't ride against the axle shafts - that would be too simple - but spin inside themselves. So they need appropriate pressure spread out so as not to separate the two parts of the seal when fitting them. Not only that but set to the right depth too. Supposedly really easy to eff up. These seals are a 7 hour job at the stealership, and they have the Ford tool for the job ...

Are the older superduties like your 06 the same sort of setup?