Spent three hours on a stripped freehub body that should have been a ten minute job

Had a bike come in yesterday with a rear wheel that wouldn't spin freely. Figured it was just a sticky freehub, a quick clean and grease. Got the wheel off, pulled the cassette, and the freehub body wouldn't budge. The splines were totally rounded out from someone forcing it. I tried every trick, heat, penetrating oil, my biggest vise grips with a cheater bar. Nothing. Ended up having to carefully drill out the old freehub body without damaging the hub shell, which took forever. The whole thing ate up my whole afternoon. What's your go-to method for a freehub that's welded itself on like that?

5 comments

5 Comments

cooper.jade1mo ago

Saw a video where they used an air hammer on the axle to shock it loose.

spencer_gonzalez11mo ago

Hitting the axle directly can work, cooper.jade, but it's a bit risky for the threads. The shock from an air hammer on the hub face is just a safer way to get the same result. You avoid messing up the axle nut that way.

ryant5015d agoMost Upvoted

Man, I feel that. Been there with a seized axle on my old truck, spent way too long trying to be gentle before I just whacked it. Learned the hard way that the hub face trick is the move, saves you a huge headache.

jakel2515d ago

That video's method is asking for trouble. Hitting the axle directly can easily mess up the threads, and then you're really stuck. A quick buzz with the air hammer on the hub face is way smarter, it breaks the rust seal without wrecking anything.

fiona_kim971mo ago

Actually works better on the hub itself, not the axle. The shock breaks the rust bond in the taper. Seen guys ruin threads hitting the axle end directly.