I thought I would share this with you guys, in case you have to ever remove or install larger retaining / snap rings.

I was having a problem getting that medium sized snap ring of the hub assembly, its pretty thick too.



After purchasing multiple snap ring pliers, I finally went to Harbor Freight and bought a pair of 11" Long Needle Nose Pliers for $3.99.

Then I took the tip of the pliers to my bench grinder and made the tips small enough to get into the snap ring holes.

Before conversion:






After Conversion:






I just thought I would share an idea.

Thanks - Preston

 

NICE!!

Just curious about what you used to grind it down. Dremel? Bench grinder?

How long did it take you? Or let me rephrase...how many Michelobs?

 

I used my bench grinder, took 2 minutes to do this. You could use a dremel too. I would put the pliers in a vise if using a dremel to make it easier, so that they don't move on you when trying to grind the tips.

Haha Chris!! No Michelobs this time. I was dealing with the running gear, I didn't want to make any mistakes.

 

I just used this set on my 03 F350 and I didn't have any problems with the snap rings.

11 Piece Snap Ring Pliers Set

 

Excellent idea! Much cheaper than the SnapOn/Matco guy will charge you for the heavy duty snap ring pliers.

 

That's good to know.

But I didn't have that kit available to me.

I might invest in that though

 

Thanks for sharing your homemade tool.I have a set of Craftsman pliers that worked well on my 2001. I have asked this before and never got an answer,are the newer truck snap rings more difficult to remove?

 

Newer is a very loose term......

Please specify a certain year to get a base for the term "newer".

 

By newer 2005 and newer. The year coil springs started and different style locking hubs.

 

Great tip. That ring is a bitch!!

 

My previous 2004 6oh I never had to remove that snap ring, but I have heard that the ring is harder than the 2004's and older. Whether that is true or not, is subjective to the owner I guess.

Once ground down the tips of the pliers it worked great, and easy.

 

This is the exact one I use for the application described in this thread:


As a Ford dealer tech who has had more than his share of these apart, I can vouch for these pliers NEVER slipping thus far. Unlike my Snap-On one that has worn the tips down crooked, making it dangerous to use.

 

I don't understand why everyone is having such a hard time with the snap ring removal? It's only behind the hub face a few inches and the hub it self is large enough to get even short snap pliers in there. I have an old set of standard length craftsmen snap ring pliers that are a little worn out and I've removed the Ford snap rings a bunch of times with zero issues, and the tips on mine are bent and filed shorter

 

Mine is a late model 12/05 and that snap ring was a bitch to get out. broke two sets of snap ring pliers and finally did exactly what was the original posting indicates- worked great

 

Had to look at your profile after this post, and yup, as suspected, you have a 2004 model. The 1999-2004 front hub snap rings are indeed as easy as you say.

The coil sprung, wider track 2005 and up Super Duties have front hub snap rings that are much more difficult to engage, as they sit in a different style and diameter of hub, engaging a different style and diameter of stub axle. There isn't nearly the open space surrounding the stub axle to work with within the hub collar. It is completely different set up in that regard than the preceding year.