Removing Freewheel - Wrench Doesn't Fit Well on Freewheel Remover. Best method?
01-01-09, 07:20 PM
#1
50/50 Road/eBike Commuter
Thread Starter
Removing Freewheel - Wrench Doesn't Fit Well on Freewheel Remover. Best method?
I'm trying to overhaul my rear hub, but I need to remove the freewheel to get to all of the parts. The trouble is that once I put the freewheel remover in place, only the top of the tool is available to get a wrench on. I don't have the correct size fixed wrench so I am using an adjustable, which is fatter. Only about half of the thickness of the wrench fits over the freewheel remover. I've tried to remove the freewheel three times now and each time I've failed - I can't get enough torque even after lubricating the threads that couple the freewheel and the hub. The (cheaper) freewheel remover is starting to get rounded in some corners so I'm quitting for now.
I thought that it might be best to use a 1/2" drive 6-point socket of the correct size, which would fit over the freewheel remover nicely, with a big 1/2" ratchet. In fact I think this is how I might have gotten it off last time, though I was at work then and don't have the same tools here at home (yet).
Would it be better to use a ratchet like this or to get a fixed wrench and use that instead? It seems that the ratchet would provide more torque.
And what is the best way to hold the wheel in place while removing the freewheel? That's the other half of the problem here. These two problems are working against me here.
Many thanks and happy new year!
I thought that it might be best to use a 1/2" drive 6-point socket of the correct size, which would fit over the freewheel remover nicely, with a big 1/2" ratchet. In fact I think this is how I might have gotten it off last time, though I was at work then and don't have the same tools here at home (yet).
Would it be better to use a ratchet like this or to get a fixed wrench and use that instead? It seems that the ratchet would provide more torque.
And what is the best way to hold the wheel in place while removing the freewheel? That's the other half of the problem here. These two problems are working against me here.
Many thanks and happy new year!
01-01-09, 07:26 PM
#2
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If you have a vise, you can clamp the tool in there and then try to spin the wheel with your arms. I don't think using a socket is a good idea because you really should put the quick release skewer back in the hub to hold the tool in place and you might not be able to get a socket on there properly with the skewer in the way. Put a regular wrench on there, stand the wheel up (with tire on) and position the wrench parallel to the ground and then just hit the wrench down with a hammer or step down on the wrench really quickly with your heel. That should break the freewheel free.
01-01-09, 07:31 PM
#3
Senior Member
I've had great success by using the skewer (or axle nut) to hold the remover in place, 12" adjustable wrench tightened on the remover, hold the wheel perpendicular to a wall & use my chest to kep it snug and give the wrench a good whack with a rubber mallet. Only needed a couple of whacks to remove freewheels that have ben in place for decades. The alternative is to clamp the freewheel remover in a bench vise and use the wheel fro leverage.
01-01-09, 08:30 PM
#4
50/50 Road/eBike Commuter
Thread Starter
Thanks for the replies. Somehow I forgot about clamping the remover in a vise and then turning the wheel - that is how I got it off last time. Unfortunately I just broke my home vise doing this! It was a small, cheap, 3" light-duty one that was clamped to the corner of my workbench. I'm going to ask for a larger one for my birthday, which is coming up. There are times I wanted a heavier-duty one anyway, though I've been concerned about using one with my MDF workbench which isn't particuarly heavy-duty.
01-01-09, 08:42 PM
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FWIW, a Park Tool freewheel remover uses a 1" wrench.
01-01-09, 09:02 PM
#6
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If it's slipping off the tool, you may be using the adjustable wrench backwards. They are made to be used a certain way. When loosening the freewheel, you are rotating it counter-clockwise. If you're looking down at the tool with the handle of the wrench at 3 o'clock, the fixed side should be at 6 o'clock and the adjustable side should be at 12 o'clock. It's much less likely to slip off that way.
