Originally Posted by
Jeff Wills
Originally Posted by JohnDThompson
Not if the hub was assembled correctly. Removing only the nut and spacer will give enough clearance for the tool to fit without removing the axle.
Well, this is necessary if the Shimano freewheel is mounted on a Phil Wood hub. Phils have no separate spacer.
As was often the case, Shimano designed their components to work best with other Shimano components. Shimano (and many other) rear hubs of that era used a cone, tabbed washer and thin locknut on the drive side. Then a spacer and final nut to clear the freewheel. The cone and thin locknut would be securely tightened, while the final nut tightened only enough to keep it in place. That way the final nut and spacer could be removed without affecting the axle.
