I had to remove a freewheel, but a larger nut on the axle kept my removal tool from reaching the freewheel, and I could not loosen the nut. With the points of a thin nose plier as a spanner wrench I turned the retaining ring out (left hand thread). I gently pulled the gear cluster off of the freewheel body while holding the wheel over a large pan to catch the bearing balls. Then I put a pipe wrench on the freewheel body and it came right off with very little pressure and no damage from the pipe wrench. I plan to reassemble the freewheel and use it again if I need to.