Stuck Track Nut
 

My right track nut wont budge, I think this may be because I flopped the bike over once and bashed the nut on the pavement. Seems possible that it got nudged a little bit from center and then proceeded to get wedged on the threads. If I try to budge it, I either tighten or loosen the other nut (since the axle is moving and not the right nut). If anyone else has suzue promax sb's, dont do what I did.

Any Ideas on how to free it up without destroying the axle altogether ? The other nut spins fine, so I can take the axle out of the hub, if that could help in anyway.

Leave the wheel on the bike tighten the nut that is free and try to remove the stuck one first.


Tony

Ahh well, I should have been more clear. The axle is moving and tightening or loosening the free nut when I do have it on the bike and try to budge the stuck nut. When I tighten the free one and try to loosen the stuck one, the axle moves and the free side is no longer tight.

edit. brain no worky.

take the axle out and use vice grips or other locking pliers to grip the center portion (non-threaded) of the axle or stick two pieces of scrap wood on each side of it and put it in a vice. If you get the nut off and the threads are munged up you can sometimes clear the threads by running a nut up and down on it several times. Then again, it's prolly easier to just get a new axle:)

ouch !

I had this happen to my Pro Max sealed hub at the end of the winter. All of a sudden the nut just wouldn't move. I took it to the LBS, and they were as suprised as me (probably just thinking I was a weakling). They eventually got it off with the help of heat, a vice, and monsterous wrenches. After it came off, only a couple threads on the axel were done for. A new track nut threaded on fine, and I didn't have to replace the axle. I still have no idea what caused the nut to seize. I guess my advice is, take it to the bike shop.

I've had this happen before as well. I had to cut the axle and get a new one. I've since seen (on Sheldon Browns site or somehwere like that) that this is a common problem. The nut seizes to the axle.

The problem can generally be avoided by greasing your axle before you put the nut on.

this may be a bad idea, someone speak up if it is...

i once ended up working on a wheel on which someone had installed track nuts that didn't match the threading of the axle. after trying a bunch of different methods, i eventually was able to remove them by gripping the cone on the same side with a cone wrench and using that as counterpressure as i loosened the nut. it worked fine in my case, but i guess that this could potentially damage the bearings if the cone gets torqued down too much in the process.

oh **** ! Disheartening replies, hopefully all will be well.

they are really new wheels, never seen rain or a winter

enchantingwiz: Ive got SB hubs, so no cone, and I have a feeling that the bearing cover which threads on there will get stripped if I try to use it as counter to the torque applied to the stuck nut

I dont have vice, so I guess I'll take it to the bikeshop, maybe one of those two handed wrenches they use can get it off

Worst case scenari: Hack saw the axle off. Replace it. Should cost less than $20.