MTFCA Forum

My rear wheel puller is on backorder till November, is there a creative way to nondestructively remove my rear wheel? My left parking brake gets bound up randomly somehow. I tried spraying brake cleaner in the vent slots and around the drum gap to clean it out, until the cleaner came out clean. Lubed the rod shaft. Wheel spun like butter but then became partially stuck again. If I remove the clevis and push/pull the brake rod it frees up most of the way but it will lock up for no reason. Ive read about driving with the nut run out and cottered.

I loosened my rear wheel nut slightly, cotter pinned it and drove around the block. I dont own a hub puller yet either.
My wheel wouldn't come off either, and this worked for me. Be sure to tighten the nut up with a long bar when you put it together, so you can cuss it out the next time you have to take it apart!
I guess one of the Old Farmer's tricks was to tap on the rear axle and pull the wheel off but I have been recommended not to do that because that can fracture the Babbitt thrust washers in the rear end.

I just might try driving it in my driveway to see if it pops. The nut was on loose. I hope that didnt bugger the shaft.

Back off the axle nut 1 turn & re-pin or wire.
Drive around. Left & right turns are your friend. Recheck the gap between the nut & hub frequently for signs of movement.
This method is preferred over using a knocker if you don't have the ford Z puller. IMO.
Sometimes the Z tool wont work with a normal tightening. Leaving it on & driving has always worked for me.

Ive read about driving with the nut run out and cottered.

Have you tried it? That will often do it.

In cases of mysterious rear wheel malfunction, especially for folks who are relatively new to this game, one of the first things I think of is this:

https://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG79.html

If that turns out to be your problem, don't worry. The fix is more than an afternoon's work, but the MTFCA Axle book will guide you. It ain't rocket surgery.

I barely loosened mine. Only two or three castleations. Not much, and it came loose.

Due to the erratic nature of the binding, it could be more than just the shoes binding.

Not having a TT wheel puller, AND not being able to drive/roll the chassis, someone advised a "hammer procedure" which worked like a charm.

Someone please verify this or correct it. It's been a lot of years since I used this procedure.

1. loosen the nut on the wheel you wish to remove about 1-2 turns. No need to pin it.
2. loosen the opposite wheel nut 1-2 turns. No need to pin it.
3. Jack up the opposite wheel to just clear the ground.
4. With a piece of hardwood (to protect the threads) against the opposite wheel hub, Smack the hardwood, hard, a couple of times. Check the wheel on the ground to see if it's loose.
5. Repeat as necessary to loosen the desired wheel.

Mine was loose after the FIRST try. Color me amazed!

Good Luck

I saw that one in my search but I dont want to break anything. I dont mind fixing things that are broken as long as I didnt do the breaking.
The left wheel will spin backwards but locks up trying to spin forward.

My first T I got had a driveshaft which had been welded about 6 inches from the pinion gear. One day I started out from a stop and it broke where it had been welded. So I had to borrow a trailer to get it home. Anyway, the thread for the pinion gear is the same size as the axle thread, so I can jack up the opposet side and leave on the ground the wheel I want to pull. Then I back off the nut far enough to screw the driveshaft end all the way in to meet the end of the axle. Then I whack the cut off shaft with a large hammer and that usually loosens it. They actually make a puller which is made for just that purpose and is done the same way.
Norm

RecklessKelly wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 08, 2024 3:37 pm

I saw that one in my search but I dont want to break anything. I dont mind fixing things that are broken as long as I didnt do the breaking.
The left wheel will spin backwards but locks up trying to spin forward.

Yes, priority ONE is to not damage the axle threads. That gets you a full rear end tear down.
Something is broken & jamming that left wheel. You need to be patient & beg, borrow or steal a correct wheel puller.
You obviously cant drive it to break it loose.

I got the wheel off. I tried turning the wheel but it would only go backwards. I sprayed a little brake fluid in the hub vents and it spun back and forth real easy and came right off the axle. Looks like alot of crud on the shoe could be dragging it down but I need to measure the shoe and compare to the drum to see how close it fits. Might have to sand some high spots off of the shoe after I clean it.

The drum looks good. There is a newer looking seal on the shaft. Alot of crud on the shoes.

The drum could use cleaning at the edge.