Front hub removal SOLVED

[srob3]

I’m struggling to disassemble front hub 77 Waggy. Snap ring off. Cannot get drive gear to budge. My 3 jaw puller claws are too thick. Bought cheap 2 jaw and ground claws to fit into
hub, still no good. Please advise…

[Yeller]

with the puller on and tight get a punch, the bigger the better, and a BFH (Big Freaking Hammer) again the bigger the better. Place the tip of the punch near the puller point on the end of the axle. Hit the other end of the punch with the BFH like its the guy you caught with your daughter. still nothing? try again.

but in all seriousness corroded like that its going to take some real muscle to get it apart. Have you soaked it with penetrating oil? have you tried heating it? I have had to destroy the hub to get them off before. Fortunately the hubs are not terrible expensive and with the condition of the drive flange, it, the axle shaft, spindle and hub may all be trash anyway. I'm betting it is rust welded to the hub and axle shaft.

If the outside part is stuck you can take a small ball peen hammer and lightly tap around the outside of the hub, hub being the part with the wheel studs, the inner part with the puller on it is the drive flange, tap repeatedly around the outside of the hub along the axis of the drive flange until the drive flange moves in and out slightly, it will eventually. Think of it as death my a million cuts.

or get out the plasma cutter, torch, cut off wheel, whatever you have and start cutting until it all comes off, which you may get to but try the other approaches first. Wish I could say I've never been in your spot. Issues like this are why I despise mud and water, this is what it creates unless religious disassembly and cleaning happens immediately afterwards.

Several years ago I was wheeling with my nephew, he wanted to go though a sippy hole that I was carefully negotiating my way around. I said "sure we can do that. How much money you got in your pocket?" he looked at my all puzzled (he was 14) I went down the list of costs to wash, clean, disassemble the axles, transfer case and change all of the fluids. A few years later he got the same lesson your dealing with now, only he had a front tire part ways with the truck when the rusty bearing failed. He said I thought you were crazy, now not so much....... No more mud bogging for me.

[akguy09]

Heat, soak with penetrating lube, and repeat, a few cycles with usually alloy the penetrating lube to work into the rusted parts.

[SJTD]

Looks like it's moved some since the axle groove isn't too visible? If so tap the hub back in and deburr the axle. Maybe work it in and out to work the penetrating oil in.

Oh, outer snap ring removed too, also?

[will e]

Yes, make sure the outer and hard to see snap ring is also removed.

[srob3]

Thanks to all. Heat, hammer and persistence. Cheers to small victories!

[Yeller]

Woohoo for victories