Freewheel Removal(need help)

[nomad85]

I have an amped bikes kit and I need to remove the rusted freewheel, my LBS says their tool cannot fit over the axle. Is there something I can use to get it off? The wheel is currently at my bike shop so it would be great to get some suggestions to have them try before I take it home this afternoon.
Thanks.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Buy another freewheel removal tool. Take it to a machine shop and have them enlarge the hole to accomodate your axle.
Or you could authorise the bike shop to remove the freewheel using the destructive method and buy a new freewheel.

 

[nomad85]

remove the freewheel using the destructive method and buy a new freewheel.

Would that damage the hub?

 

[snowranger]

Could you possibly remove the motor cover with freewheel, then use the tool to remove the freewheel from the cover?

 

[deecanio]

i guess there is a possibility of damaging the threads?
imo it would be more prudent to buy another freewheel tool, mine is pretty open ended and passes any hub axel.

Cheers,

D

 

[Zoot Katz]

remove the freewheel using the destructive method and buy a new freewheel.

Would that damage the hub?

It shouldn't. The freewheel is partially disassembled and the freewheel body is then secured in a vise.
They'll need a pair of chain whips to remove the cogs.
But you might as well get the proper tool now because you'll probably have to use it again.

 

[nomad85]

Could you possibly remove the motor cover with freewheel, then use the tool to remove the freewheel from the cover?

If i removed the cover, I dont know how I would get any leverage to remove the freewheel, I think it needs to stay in the hub, but I will ask someone at the LBS, thanks

 

[nomad85]

remove the freewheel using the destructive method and buy a new freewheel.

Would that damage the hub?

It shouldn't. The freewheel is partially disassembled and the freewheel body is then secured in a vise.
They'll need a pair of chain whips to remove the cogs.
But you might as well get the proper tool now because you'll probably have to use it again.

So you just use 2 chain whips pulling each in the opposite direction? that might work

 

[Zoot Katz]

So you just use 2 chain whips pulling each in the opposite direction? that might work

That should work for removing the cogs from the freewheel body but not for removing the cluster intact.
You usually need the leverage of the whole wheel to get the freewheel off the hub.

 

[nomad85]

I just want the thing off I dont care if it wont work again its some rusty no name pos. If the 2 chain whip method will let me put a decent free wheel on I am all for it Will the treads be accesible after using the chain whips? or would I still need a freewheel remover tool?

 

[Zoot Katz]

I just want the thing off I dont care if it wont work again its some rusty no name pos. If the 2 chain whip method will let me put a decent free wheel on I am all for it Will the treads be accesible after using the chain whips? or would I still need a freewheel remover tool?

Once you get the cogs off you can grab the freewheel body in the vise instead of using the freewheel remover tool.

 

[ElectricEd]

zoot katz wrote:
Buy another freewheel removal tool. Take it to a machine shop and have them enlarge the hole to accomodate your axle.

Good idea, but be aware that the removal tool is hardened steel. The machine shop will have to de-temper it to enlarge the hole. They may not be able to re-temper it back to the original hardness if they don't know the correct procedure for that particular alloy of steel. You don't want to have it going to cheese in situ.

I have successfully removed the freewheel by removing the side cover and screwing it down with 4 screws through the side cover holes to a piece of 2"x4" wood that I then mounted in a vice. This gives a secure enough mount for the leverage you need. A normal removal tool can then be used as the oversize axle is no longer present.

 

[mud2005]

last week I had to remove a freewheel that I didn't have a removal tool for, and I didn't want to damage the freewheel. I ended up putting a blade screwdriver in the slot on the freewheel and whacking the screwdriver with a hammer until the freewheel came loose. done carefully this method works and causes no damage, done wrong and you will damage freewheel and screwdriver and maybe worse, good luck

 

[TylerDurden]

I have successfully removed the freewheel by removing the side cover and screwing it down with 4 screws through the side cover holes to a piece of 2"x4" wood that I then mounted in a vice. This gives a secure enough mount for the leverage you need. A normal removal tool can then be used as the oversize axle is no longer present.

Excellent! Scrap lumber to the rescue.

I rekon just screwing it down to the workbench works too.

 

[Zoot Katz]

zoot katz wrote:
Buy another freewheel removal tool. Take it to a machine shop and have them enlarge the hole to accomodate your axle.

Good idea, but be aware that the removal tool is hardened steel. The machine shop will have to de-temper it to enlarge the hole. They may not be able to re-temper it back to the original hardness if they don't know the correct procedure for that particular alloy of steel. You don't want to have it going to cheese in situ.

I happened to have a Shimano freewheel removal tool in my pocket when I stopped by ebikes.ca to ask if they had a tool that fit the axle on an X5. Justin was just leaving so invited to his home shop where he milled out the hole on his lathe. He broke a bit of carbide doing it though. He figured he was feeding it too fast is all. Yeah, that steel is hardened all the way through. I'd rather nobody but the factory mess with hardening my tools.

Somebody here could probably set-up a limited production of modified freewheel pullers. Buy them by the gross and sell them at a profit for ~$5 above the retail price of unmodified pullers. . . baring they don't break too many bits getting it worked out.

 

[deardancer3]

The tool you need is a Tandem cluster remover made by Bicycle Research Tools (BRT).

Call around to bigger bike shops and see if they have a Tandem cluster remover tool.

"A complete line of cluster removers for most common clusters. Great for over the counter sales as well as for shop use. All of these remover tools from BRT are drilled to fit over 12 mm tandem axles as welll as the usual 10 mm. "

Here are the links for the thread here at ES:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6943


the catologue with tools:

http://www.bicycleresearchtools.com/wheelt.html

and distributors for the tool:

http://www.bicycleresearchtools.com/distrib.html

I have one, it works fine on the crystalyte oversized axle.

 

[snowranger]

Good to know about the tandem cluster tool.

I replaced my freewheel tonight, but it was a pain in the butt. I removed the motor cover, took off one of the andersons and phase pins from the harness to slip the wire harness through the motor and remove the motor and gears from the housing. Replaced the cover, and spun the freewheel off. Reverse the process. Took about and hour and a half.

 

[Ypedal]

whoa whoa... people... it's not that hard !!! ( well .. the tool is but 20 minutes with a round file is all it takes !!! )))

I got a regular freewheel tool and a chainsaw round file ( used to sharpen chain saw teeth, 4 $ at regular hardware store ) .. and clamped the tool on the bench vice and crack open a cold beer... ream that sucker out until it fits over the axle ! done deal freewheel off ! :wink:

Elbow grease = key !