Gentlemen,

I am trying to do a ball joint replacement on my 2002 F350 4x4 dually, but my outer hubs will not come off with the usual PB Blaster and rubber mallet technique. So, before I ruin the other hub, I was considering buying this puller: QT1124 HUB-LOCK PULLER in TOOLS, FORD SDTY

Has anyone here successfully used this puller on REALLY stuck hubs? I had to take the first hub out with an air hammer and chisel; I'm hoping to save the other.

Thanks much!

 

Subscribing...

I've never heard of someone using a tool like this, but I remember another FTE member had to demolish his for the same reason.

 

WOW!!! $74?? that is is a lot of money for a "use it once" tool.

i use a large pair of channel lock pliers to get a good grip on the hub and wiggle it out.
once out i will keep the good hub in case someone wants a stocker, and replace the stockers with warn lockers

new warn premium hubs are $270 for a pair :

 

as long as you removed the clip that keeps the hub locked in it should wiggle out with little fuss. Only thing i can see happening is that the oring cracked and water etc has been leaking into the splines and now its all rusty and locked together. Like tjc transport said throw them junk stockers in the garbage and install some Warn premiums

 

Thanks for the suggestions, guys, but I found out that the Warn hubs won't work on my truck because it has dual rear wheels (DRW). Every time I think that I have found a set of Warns that will work, I see something like this in the fine print: "Note: Premium Manual Hub Kit; Set; 30 Spline;, Will Not Fit Dual Wheel Application".

The problem with aftermarket hubs seems to be the hub extender that Ford uses up front with the DRW trucks: the Warn hubs are too large to fit inside that extender. So, I'm kind of stuck with OEM hubs or some off-brand, perhaps, that has a smaller head diameter than the Warn hubs.

The hub that I destroyed during removal was locked solid with corrosion around the entire splined area and on both sides of the o-ring; there wasn't any wiggle room at all. I tried removing it by putting a 3 inch muffler clamp on it to give me something to hammer against, but not even the air hammer would break it loose.

My thought concerning this hub puller (original post) was that IF it works, I can get my other hub out without damaging it. Hence, the $75 puller is more cost effective then destroying and replacing another Ford OEM hub. My hubs only have about 41,000 miles on 'em...

 

First thing that popped into my mind is if you need a puller to remove it then it would have to be because of corrosion in which case would the hub even be salvageable/rebuildable?

 

Good point, James. There was no corrosion inside the hub, and the lock/free function worked perfectly. The corrosion (mostly white and very hard) was all in those outer splines and in the o-ring groove. I cleaned the corrosion out the mating splines in the cast iron hub, but I didn't bother to clean the ruined outer hub. It could be that if I try to clean up the hub, I may find it severly pitted once all the corrosion is removed.

Still, even if my other hub comes out with just as much surface corrosion as the first, don't you think that it will work fine if I clean it, cover it with wheel bearing grease or anti-seize, and stick it in with a new o-ring?

 

Well If you can get it out without destroying it I would assume that simply servicing the hub and with a new o-ring, it would suffice (speaking in terms of the hub itself) However what concerns me the most is you only got 44K miles out of them before corrosion set in making them that difficult to remove. Assuming you can get them out without damaging them I would clean everything thoroughly, and when your done with that clean it again and inspect. Service the hubs (if there reusable) using new o-ring's and lightly grease the hub mating surface and axle stub splines and go with that. Im only making suggestions from Non-Experiance because I've never had a stuck hub but I remove my hubs and service them every other time I change my fuel filter as a rule of thumb which is about every 3mo. And I rotate the Auto/Lock at least once a mo to keep them from getting stuck. A bit overkill I think but it gives me something to do. and I'm using the same original factory hubs with 266K miles on them, and I use 4X4 alot here in ND in the winter. As far as the tool is concerned I wouldnt waste the money if you can help it. If it's not crucial to get them out NOW then I'd spray penetrating lube around the perimeter every day twice a day for a week and with a little patience and persuasion they should still come out without a $75 puller

 

Not to mention that that puller looks like nothing more then a piece of exhaust pipe with a slot cut in it to allow for compression with a clamp on it. I could fab one of those up for less then $10. The most expensive part being the clamp.

 

Yeah, if I had known that these hubs could get that stuck, I would have pulled them out and anti-seized them a long time ago. This is my first 4x4, and the owner's manual doesn't mention the hub as being a part that needs any regular servicing, so I left them alone in ignorance.

I can wait to pull the other side, so I will try spraying the hub every day for a week or so and see if I get blessed for the effort.

I agree that the puller doesn't look like much. If I could find a piece of thin-walled pipe with a 3 inch i.d., I could probably make one myself. I am thinking that a muffler clamp would work to squeeze it down...

 

i don't understand the will not fit in the hub extender thing. the warn hubs are the same size as the stock hub in width, the only difference is they are 1 1/2 inch shorted in depth. if the extender goes over the axle hub, it will fit over the warn locking hub.

 

Here in the Boston area (points south) I've run into this more than once. Usually it takes some time and light persuasion with my favorite dead-blow hammer.
Just working it left > right > left > up > down > and so on.... Also might try a strap wrench for some leverage, but I like the Channel Lock idea better!

Then, once it's finally outta there... clean the surfaces and treat with your favorite lube/anti-seize. Remember, a little goes a long way.

 

Tom,

I didn't understand the problem myself at first, and no one I spoke with understood the situation, either. But here is the deal. The Warn hub and the OEM hub are only the same diameter at the base where the snap ring goes. After that, at least on the 99-04 years (I think), the factory hub tapers down slightly and is about 3 inches across at the outer end; it is also one piece. The Warn hub is in two pieces, with the head held to the body by screws, but the head is about 4.125 inches in diameter. The inside of the hub/wheel extender is slightly less than 4 inches, and the narrowest portion is right about where the head of the Warn hub would sit. If I explained that well (I don't always!), I'm sure you can see the problem. BTW, the extender does fit over the axle hub, but then it tapers down inside; it is not a constant, large diameter bore as one might expect.

Before I destroyed that first hub, I called my NAPA dealer and I was assured that they had a set of Warn hubs in stock that would fit (i.e., a pair of hubs for $200!). After the demolition I went in to pick them up, and I was surprised at how big they were compared to the factory hubs. The counter man did a little checking, and sure enough, he found the ever present note "not for DRW". One of the other guys then joined in and said that he had called Warn about this issue previously. According to him, Warn comfirmed that they do not make a hub for this application. I can tell you, this news is a bit disheartening to the man who has just ruined a $400 factory hub...

 

I might need to give the Channel Lock idea a try. I don't own any really big pliers, but I imagine they could be handy on a lot of things, unlike a $75 special purpose puller. The thing is, after I had broken the hub anyway, I laid into it with a two pound machinist hammer and still couldn't loosen it (although I was definitely making it smaller!). It is hard to believe that pliers would have broken it loose when it was that stuck, but who knows? It seems worth a shot, and a good reason to buy more tools...

 

got ya.

i just naturally assumed it was the same size as the SRW setup where the locker is the same size outer as the hub flange.