How do I remove this...?

[Iplayfarmer]

Yes, I bought a "Project".

How do I remove the hub on this front tire from my new (to me) garden tractor? (See attached.) I want to get the spindle separate from the wheel so that I can bend it back to the right shape without lighting the grease in the hub on fire.

Does this hub just pull straight off? Does it twist? Is there some top secret tabby thing that I push with a screw driver?

I was ready last night to use the brute force method, but I thought I'd ask before I create another mess to have to fix.

Also, any advice on bending the thing back would be great. Do I use more heat or a longer cheater? After I heat do I cool slowly or quickly? Anything else?

 

[Deerlope]

Remove that silver cap and there should be a cotter pin and a nut inside. Pull the cotter pin and take the nut off.

 

[Egon]

Best bet for straightening is a machine shop. They will have presses that work much better than a longer lever.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Remove that silver cap and there should be a cotter pin and a nut inside. Pull the cotter pin and take the nut off.

That's my question...Do I just grab hold of the silver cap with vice grips and start pulling, or is it threaded? Is there some other trick to getting it off?

 

[hbarski]

Channel locks work best and work in a up and down fashion. It should just walk off.

 

[wushaw]

The silver thing is a dust cap, it has a lip on it, take a chisel/screwdriver and tap on it between the dust cap and spindel to seperate it from the spindel. Channel locks may dent it depending upon how tight it is.
Under the dust cap is a castelated nut with a cotter key, remove cotter key and unscrew nut and remove outer bearing then pull spindel off and remove inside grease seal with prybar or seal puller tool then remove inner bearing and clean away.
You may want to check the avability of the grease seals before bending them into submission also check your bearings and races for pitting.

 

[RobJ]

judging from the size it may not have a bearing under it and therefor no nut. The cap or something under it may hold the wheel on a bearingless shaft. A lot of riding mowers are like that. Straight greased shaft with a washer/cotter holding it on.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I got it off. There was no castle nut, but a bolt into the threaded spindle. The wheel rides on bearings.

I took the spindle to work, but I didn't take my angle finder. I thought for sure that we would have one at the shop, but I was wrong. A guy from work helped me heat the spindle and bend it the 20 degrees or so that it needed. We decided to let it cool slowly overnight. We just had to eyeball it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow evening how we did.

 

[MrSteve]

Well you got it off, but i thought I would show you this pic below, every tool box should have one and it can be used for so much more then taking dust caps off. Cost? No more then $15.00 for a cheapy at Wal-Mart/Sears.

Dust cap remover. (yes they will close down to take a cap off that small, IF you get the right size to start with)

 

[Soundguy]

Any idea if that part had any hardening? (before you heated it) or did it just look like cold rolled?

Soundguy

I got it off. There was no castle nut, but a bolt into the threaded spindle. The wheel rides on bearings.

I took the spindle to work, but I didn't take my angle finder. I thought for sure that we would have one at the shop, but I was wrong. A guy from work helped me heat the spindle and bend it the 20 degrees or so that it needed. We decided to let it cool slowly overnight. We just had to eyeball it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow evening how we did.