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Removing a freehub body from a hub that is not spoked up onto a bike, possible?

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Removing a freehub body from a hub that is not spoked up onto a bike, possible?

Old 11-16-19, 09:32 PM
  #26  
reconnaissance
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I have this exact problem on a hub my son removed the rim from (for some reason not explained). Having explored all options I’m going to lace it back up and twist the freewheel loose the way it went together. I believe any other procedure will result in scrap metal.
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Old 11-17-19, 08:08 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by jambon
Thanks for the ideas above , just to be clear ; the how to of removing this particular freehub is not the problem. The issue is that the hub is not spoked up to a wheel and so it is very difficult to find a way to hold the hub still while applying the force on the wrench(possibly with an extension bar). There is no recess on the opposite side for a hex wrench to work as a counter force.
Get a long piece of steel or board. Get two bolts and nuts that'll fit through the spoke holes in the hub drill two holes for the bolts in the metal or board. Bolt the hub to the metal or board. That should give you the resistance needed to remove the freehub.

Cheers
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Old 11-17-19, 08:46 AM
  #28  
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Get two bolts and nuts that'll fit through the spoke holes in the hub drill two holes for the bolts
Those would be pretty small bolts ! My concern with this technique would be that you're concentrating a lot of force on 2-3 spoke holes.

Other than re-spoking the hub into a wheel, I think the only hope is to clamp the center section of the hub between wood blocks and use an impact wrench to get peak torque into the freehub bolt. The hub body will slip, of course.

Whether that technique would work with a freewheel on a hub is a topic for experimentation.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA
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Old 11-17-19, 09:11 AM
  #29  
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What are the chances you're ever going to want to lace up that hub body? One way to look at it is that you bought it for parts, so take the parts off and scrap the body. I'd use my 14" pipe wrench on the flange and throw the result into the recycle bin, maybe get a few cents for the aluminum.
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Old 11-17-19, 09:46 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun
Not necessary! IF it's clamped decently, it doesn't take that much force. (China built)

This is all pretty moot, since there are few parts that are interchangeable to this VERY LOW COST hub.
I built a couple wheels using this hub because of price.
They all eat the poorly finished DS cone.
The freehub is the exact same model as the freewheel on the bike that has the issue . The part is interchangeable.
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Old 11-17-19, 11:52 AM
  #31  
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Pipe wrench and a rag.
I've done it and it wasn't difficult. I might have kneeled on it.
I had to use the long end of the Allen key in the bolt and a wrench on the short end.
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Old 11-17-19, 02:18 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by reconnaissance
I have this exact problem on a hub my son removed the rim from (for some reason not explained). Having explored all options I’m going to lace it back up and twist the freewheel loose the way it went together. I believe any other procedure will result in scrap metal.
It takes significant torque to get a vintage freewheel off. I'd be worried about how the torque transmitted from the freewheel body through the drive side of the hub affects the center portion of the hub. I'd want some reinforcement of the hub (like some hardwood pieces bolted together. Or is the hub strong enough to handle this?
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Old 11-17-19, 02:53 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by jambon
The freehub is the exact same model as the freewheel on the bike that has the issue . The part is interchangeable.
Then you really aren't worried about the "shell".

The good news is both cones are the same, so you have 2 spares.

On that specific hub, you'll want to service the bearing more frequently than "normal". As I mentioned in an earlier post, that hub tends to eat DS cones.
Examine that cone for pitting. It starts small....
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Old 11-17-19, 07:12 PM
  #34  
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You don’t need those old crusty Campy hubs. Send them to me and I’ll take care of them.
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Old 11-18-19, 05:02 PM
  #35  
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Well I have managed to remove the freehub body without going to the trouble of lacing it up or damaging the hub.

I laced some thick gauge garden wire through the spoke holes to give a pliers something to grip.

I stood on the pliers with my foot and levered the freehub body off with the hex wrench extended with a box cutter and seatpost.

Thanks for the ideas , got there in the end!










Last edited by jambon; 11-18-19 at 05:07 PM.
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Old 11-18-19, 05:41 PM
  #36  
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I had to this to save a a Campagnolo Record hub. This is the method that worked for me:


Definitely secure freewheel tool to the axle with either the skewer or axle nut!
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Old 11-19-19, 01:31 PM
  #37  
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Nicely done, @jambon. As you've shown, you just need spokes -- or something that acts like them -- to secure the hub while you apply torque.
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Old 11-19-19, 04:56 PM
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There is a lot of wisdom involved in determining what to save and what to throw away.

Realistically what you have is a low value hub which you are going to convert into a no value hub by removing the free hub body. If you futz with bikes very much, boogered wheels are a dime a dozen so you can always find another hub to salvage.

If it was my hub, I'd clamp the flanges in my bench vise real tight. If it slipped when I cranked on the free hub bolt, I'd flatten one side with a file or bench grinder and clamp the flat in my vise.
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