bellweatherman

I am having lots of difficulty removing my crankarms. I have removed the crank bolts. The BB is a Shimano UN-53 square taper, so other than the crank bolts which I have already removed I don't think there is anything else to remove. The crank arms are stuck... They won't slide of the square taper part of the spindle. What do I do?

barba

You need a crank puller.

s1nglespeed

The crank puller screws into the threads you see on the inside of the hole in the crank, and as you screw it down, it pushes against the bottom bracket axle, pushing the crank off the square taper. It's a good thing that the crank appears "stuck" ... that means it was properly tightened the last time it was installed.

bellweatherman

Dammit. I knew it! More tools!!! Is there a way to do this safely with a hammer or something. Seriously, I am on the cheap.

s1nglespeed

Well, online bike shops typically sell the Park tool for around $14. It is the right tool for the job. A local bike shop might charge you just about that much to pop it on the stand and pull it for you. Ask some biking friends if they have the tool. Trying to pull the crank with a hammer is going to put some stresses on it that are simply different from what it was designed to handle, and I don't know how both the crank and the spindle will react. You don't want to take the chance of deforming the soft aluminum of the crank (particularly around the inside of its square-tapered hole). You want to pull the crank straight off the spindle. It will likely cost much more than $14 to replace the crank if you damage it.

barba

Penny wise, pound foolish. Go at it with a hammer and you will likely need a new crank. Is there a bike co-op in your area that does tool loans?

vitus_blue

Buy the crank puller.

I banged mine off the first time with a hammer. The only damage was the bearing races crumpled. But, if it were on really tight, it may well deform the races ?

Bought mine from the lbs and paid $14.75 plus tax.

twobikes

This is a frequently asked question in more than one thread. Some suggest loosening the crank retaining bolt about four turns and riding until the crank comes loose. Others say this can damage the square hole. You would want to ride in a circular course near your home so you do not have far to go when it lets loose.

I recently bought a compact Pyramid Pro crank tool at Amazon.com for about $5, but shipping charges almost double that. It worked well on one bike. The cranks on another bike are stuck much more tightly and will require special attention when I need to remove them.

s1nglespeed

If you do this, you'll want to ride in a circular course around the parking lot at your LBS so you do not have far to go to replace the cranks you are ruining.

specializeride

the crank puller will help and you wont damage the crank arms

TheDean

oh no, I just did a search because I got my new cranks in and this is what I was afraid of! Yet another tool Any idea how much a shop would charge to put the new crank set on, its a fixed if that helps any.

Raiyn

* carpet smokers
Can and WILL Bottom bracket spindles (for the most part) are made of hardened STEEL and (most) cranks are made of cast or forged aluminum. Steel is harder than Aluminum and will hog out a loose crank arm to the point that it's unusable very quickly. One other thing to consider it's called square taper for a reason. The spindle gets thicker as you move towards the middle which is great for - you guessed it - ruining loose crankarmsWorst idea EVAH!
Go to a bike shop and buy a Park puller - get something worth the money.

bellweatherman

Alrightee then! I borrowed some and got the suckers off!

Is it worth it to get the pullers that have the handle already attached? Just wondering if that small of a lever would provide adequate leverage for the really stuck arms.

leob1

Some hints;
Screw the puller ALL THE WAY INTO THE CRANK ARM, if you don't you can pull out the threads, and then you are really stuck.

Try and align the wrench, or tool handle, in a position so that you can squeeze the wrench/handle and crank together. This will help prevent pinched fingers and/or flying tools. Two hands squeezing should give you enough force to pull the crank, and will keep thinkgs from moving while you are using the tool.
You'll se what I mean when you do it.

Good luck

pr0tium

what if the threads on the cranks are already stripped? any way to get the cranks off with out destroying them?

tonyt

A two arm gear puller

highflyr

hi everyone
i'm trying to remove my crank on a 98 rocky mtn hammer. i'm using a crank puller and the damn arm is not budging. i threaded the puller as far as i could and i don't think i cross threaded... but i might have. then i screw the internal driver in til it's tight TIGHT. the crank never loosens. i keep tightening by hitting the puller arm with a hammer for more torque on the driver... then the puller nut comes out with hairline strands of metal... i think i stripped it somewhat.

i went to the other arm, and this time i threaded the external nut with a little more care. i again turned the driver into the spindle and it just doesn't give.

can anyone give me any tips?

MudPie

After removing the crank arm bolts, check for the presence of a washer inside the crankarm. If there is one in there, remove it before trying to extract the crank. If there is a washer in place, the puller will be pushing against the washer and not the bottom bracket spindle and will most likely strip out the female threads in the crank arm - I know this from experience.

Don't hit the tool with a hammer. Use a good, steady force by placing a "cheater pipe" for added leverage.

I often have to use a wrench to make sure the remover is fully threaded into the crankarm.

Do you have the correct puller? For example, Park makes one for ISIS/Octalink and one for square taper. The one for the ISIS crank has a larger diameter bearing plate.

highflyr

i think i have the right puller. it's a square spindle... i just went to my LBS and told them the bike and they pointed me to the right puller. when i look at how the tool works, it makes sense and everything fits... the internal driver fits and reaches the spindle arm but i'm just wondering whey it's not even moving the least bit.

freeranger

Can you look inside the crank arm and see the square spindle? It should be in plain view. If you don't see the square, then there is still something in the arm which is preventing it from coming off. I just pulled the cranks off of my bike yesterday, and the crank puller worked fine. Unless something is still inside the arm, can't see any reason it shouldn't come right off.

DMF 

Yes. But something I've never seen mentioned and I think causes more problems than anyone realizes:

When you screw in the puller, be sure that the "plunger" - the inner screw - doesn't bottom on the axle before the outer screw bottoms in its hole. If it does, it will feel like the puller is all the way in, but it may not have more than a few threads.

When pulling square-taper cranks:

• Visually inspect the crank, checking that there isn't a washer in the hole or parts of the dust cap still in the crank threads.
• Always screw the plunger all the way out before inserting the puller.
• Don't use a wrench to set the puller in the crank unless absolutely necessary. If you can't get it in with your fingers, then something is wrong. You can use the wrench when you think it's finally all the way in just to be sure it isn't hung up on something.
• Count the number of turns the puller makes when inserting it. That will tell you how many threads are engaged. Anything less than about 6 and you're taking a risk.
• If the plunger is tight and the crank doesn't want to come off, tap the end of the plunger with a metal hammer a couple times. The vibrations should cause the crank to loosen. It may pop loose, or loosen just a bit. If it doesn't pop loose, try turning the plunger again to take up any new slack and repeat.

BigBlueToe

Complaining about buying a tool? I'm just the opposite. I love buying tools. If I can successfully do a job myself instead of taking it to a shop, I'm happy, even if I spent $30 for a tool I'll only use once every 10 years. I just love having the tools. Tools have intrinsic value. A good tool is an investment! (Is there something wrong with me?)

DMF 

If there is, then it's epidemic!

highflyr

one can never have enough GOOD tools. one GOOD tool is worth at least half a dozen crappy tools if not more. i give up, i'm going to the LBS to have them remove it.

Volfy

Let's hear a collective Tim Allen grunt. Aroughroughhhhh!

Not only do I have tools that fix tools, I got tools that make tools. My wife officiially gave up on me when I kicked my own car out of the garage to make room for 2 milling machines, 2 metal lathes, and a TIG welder.

If you are a real tool guy, or an aspiring one, you owe it to yourself to stop by NorthernTool to check out their bumper stickers and calendar. A few of my favorites are:

Welding: knitting for men.
Borrowing tools is for the weak.