Bicycle Mechanics - Stuck axle nut, any advice please?

I just bought a new bike, trying to fit the front wheel and I got one nut off the axle, but the second is totally stuck.

Seeing as this is an open ended bolt with 1 nut on it, I have no leverage to remove the other nut. Putt ing other nut back on is no help, since that side is now unstuck, it loosens very easily. Trying to grip the bolt with pliers is unsuccessful too. Theres no where near enough friction, it just slides.

Penetrating oil, Heat.

You can try leaning on the handlebars as you loosen the nut, as the added stress to the axle will help hold the axle in place. Once off, check the axle for being bent. Usually this is a symptom of a bent axle.

heat and oil is fine but where do I get the leverage to actually loosen it? Remember this is 1 nut on an open ended bolt.
Can't really lean on the bars as I need to move this nut to slot the damn things in.

Probably going to have to get new wheel or new axle. Whichever is easier.

Can you see the cone lock nut? If so, grab ahold of that as you loosen the axle nut. The cone locknut should be the next one down the line. It should not effect the wheel function at all.

What exactly has gone wrong? I dont recognise your pic as a standard bike axle.

There are three threaded nuts on each side of the hub (+ a few washers):
http://www.jensonusa.com/product/hu/HU408Z44BLK__32.jpg

The cones hold the ball bearings in place agsint the rotating hub
The locknut holds the cone in place on the axle.
The hub is placed into the fork dropouts and then the wheel nut or track nut is used to tighten the dropout against the face of the locknut.
You can completely remove track-nuts without any problems
If you need to hold the axle from rotating you can put a wrench on the locknut. You can also tighten one tracknut to hold the wheel in the fork and the axle is locked down solid so it wont rotate (you need 2 tracknuts for safety)

Maybe you should take a pick and point some arrows at the bit that wont work.

I usually will put the other nut on very tight to help with leverage since you have it broken free already. It should help with the leverage. Don't use just any oil either. You need a deep penetrating oil such as Aerokroil or LPS - KB-88 http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/GSDRVSM?PACACHE=000000087638049 This stuff is very impressive and works in seconds. Aerokroil is good but takes some time.

that isnt my pic, its an ad.

My axle has 1 nut either side of the hub and also 2 caps (cones) that cover the bearings.

Trekkie: The one I can't remove is jammed right up against the cone. If I could get the cone with a spanner then I could use that to loosen the nut, but because the nut is larger than the cone, and the cone has a very thin head I would need a spanner that is less than half a cm across. Thats all the space there is in between.

Can anyone advise me on the best replacement for this? Should I get a whole new wheel or can you just buy the bold and nuts?

I take it that you are building the new bike and the axle isn't on the frame yet. Could you thread a second nut up against the one that you can get off and then those two nuts form a solid anchor to hold the axle while you loosen the stuck nut?

Do you have a cone wrench? That would enable you to hole the cone nut while wrenching the other off. You can locate these parts most of the time once you know if any are actually bad. Usually, you just replace the balls, clean and re-grease and adjust. Even a stuck nut can be re used if it is not damaged.

tried holding the opposite cone in place using that, but the cone ended up coming off instead, like I said the adjacent cone is jammed against the nut so impossible to get at. Not sure if putting another nut on will help witht he cone in between, I suppose it can't hurt.

Where can I go for parts?

ok putting another nut on from other side is impossible as there is no thread in the middle.

Looks like this nut is going nowhere

If you are trying to remove the lock nut from the cone, you need a cone wrench... It is a wrench that is thin enough to get in there. You hold the cone underneath the lock nut.

One model looks like this...

Where can I go for parts?

Have you thought about a bike shop?

They also will have cone wrenches.

thanks little darwin, I will have to check halfords tomorrow for a cone wrench, hopefully that will solve all my problems.

One of my favorite tools- an axle vise. Great for super precise bearing adjustment.

+1 on the axel vise.

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=619123514785&d=single&c=Tools&sc=Hub-and-Axle&tc=Axle-Vises&item_id=HZ-C354

-stevnim