The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Removing front hub

As some of you guys know, I'm working on the brakes on my 48 1.5 ton this weekend. I've got a really stupid question. How do you get the front hubs off? I've removed every nut/bolt I can find on the assembly.. and it just doesn't budge. I've never not had a hub come off if I gently tapped it with a hammer.. but this one just doesn't budge at all. Am I missing something? Is there some hidden bolt or something that needs to be removed before the hub comes off? What's the trick to doing this?

BTW.. I somehow managed to break my impact wrench getting the lug nuts off. Now I've invested in a much better impact wrench and had no problems at all.

Thanks for all your help...
Chris

Now I remember you did back the brakes off by turning the adjusters the correct way through the holes in the backing plate,,,,I am sure you did

Then you took the dust cap off the center of the hub,then you took out the cotter-pin.I am sure you took off the nut keeper then the nut and outer bearing.Got your hands all greasy now!
then the hub nearly fell off the spindle when you pulled on it,,,,,If not, keep trying.

Actually.. I've done that. Got good and greasy too. Guess I'll just have to keep trying. Maybe I didn't turn the adjusters enough.. That's got to be it. Surely it'll come off with a little more effort.

Thanks
Chris

Hey Blue - coupla things - does the brake drum rotate freely? I had a brake drum rusted onto the brake shoes and kept the whole deal from coming off until I removed the nut holding the brake shoe anchor/pivot and also (fortunately) the brake shoe retainers were all rusted through and so they didn't hold the shoes on. One big solid hunk o rust.

If the brake drum is already off then my comments are moot. Sometimes the brake drum also has a ridge on it from the shoes biting into it, so you have to back the adjusters way off to clear that ridge and then jiggle it off. There are also a couple of screws that hold the brake drum onto the hub.

Hope that helps.

If you mean taking off the brake drum, then try this, its the easy way on large trucks. Put the wheel back on.Back off the brakes. Remove the center hub cover, spindle nut etc.With the wheel jacked up, firmly grab the tire and shake it using your whole body to loosen things up, catch the outer wheel bearing ,it usually falls out..Release the jack just enough so most of the weight is off the wheel, the wiggle the tire back and forth while you "walk" off the whole assembly. You may have to raise or lower the jack slightly to get it just right.Be careful as the wheel coomes off, don't want to damage the oil seal and for sure you don't need the 200lbs of wheel on top of you.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE JACK STANDS OR SOME GOOD SAFETY BLOCKS UNDER THE TRUCK!!!!!
.We don`t want the truck on you, we want you IN the drivers seat!

Well.. time for an update. I still cannot get the driver's side brake hub off.. but I haven't given up yet. Put everything back together, and will tackle again tomorrow. The passenger side hub practically fell off. So I've gone ahead and taken care of that side.

I'm sure I'll get the driver's side off.. it's just gonna take a little more work. Many thanks for all the replies. I'm not sure what else to do at this point.. except keep banging away at it. Eventually it will realize my hammer is bigger than it is.

Chris

Just so we know, did the outer bearing come out on the drivers side?

Mechainiac,
Yes, the outer bearing did come out on the driver's side. I didn't get a whole lot of time to fiddle with it today, but it seems that the shoes are frozen just a little bit away from the drum. I can move the brake hub about 1/4" out before the shoes are pressed up against the hub. I think once I get past this issue.. everything will come right off. I've turned the adjusters as far as they will go in each direction, with no luck. It's supposed to rain here for the next 4 days.. so I don't know how much time I'll actually get to work on it this week... But I will get this job done sooner or later.. lol

Thanks
Chris

I have sometimes had luck removing the drum by turning it while pulling on it.If you can pull it off far enough to see the edge of the shoes come out from inside the drum,you should be able to wiggle/turn/pull the hub/drum assembly off.
.If you are going to replace the shoes, you might get a little more movement with some lubricant sprayed into the drum.
.I had to chisel a rear brake drum off a parts truck I got.The shoes rusted themselves to the drum surface.The lining came off the shoe but is still stuck to the drum!

Blue
If all else above fails, try 4oz gelignite.
OLD 42

SUCCESS!!
The rain let up after I got home from work tonight, and a buddy showed up out of the blue, so I decided he could get his hands greasy just as easily as I could.. so I put him to work. Together, after some effort (and forcing the "frozen" adjusters to turn a little more with the aid of a hammer/screwdriver.. completely his idea ) The old hub came right off! Replaced some parts and now all I have to do is bleed the brakes, and I should have brakes again

Many, many thanks to everyone who posted ideas. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as I was beginning to envision.

Chris