# Wheel removal



## kennyz (Nov 18, 2018)

I have a 2011 Craftsman 26" 2 stage snowblower. Does anyone have any tricks to removing the wheels? They should slip right off and they don`t look rusty but they won`t budge. I`ve got them soaking with Kroil. I`ve been wacking away on the tires with a dead blow hammer but no movement.:sad2:


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Hammer, wheel/gear puller, then heat. Penetrant - Combo of synthetic oil, alcohol, and automatic trans fluid.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to SBF kennyz

Be careful on the "wacking" as it's likely on that machine the only thing on the other side is a 1/4" pin against the axle shaft bushing in the case that keeps the shaft in place. Same if you try to pry between the wheel and the case.
Worst case you might need to drain it and stand it on it's side so one wheel is against the ground and hammer on the other wheel at the hub to see if you can break it free.
Good thing is if you're not needing to get the wheel off for some repair it's usable this season and you can worry about it in spring :wink2:

Does that model just have a klik pin holding the wheel to the shaft or something else ?? 

Heat might be your friend. Repeatedly heating it up and soaking it as it's cooling down to get the Kroil sucked in there.

.


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## kennyz (Nov 18, 2018)

No klik pin. There is a bolt and washer at the end of the axle that keeps the wheel from coming off. The wheel is kept centered by a spacer between the wheel and the body.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

kennyz said:


> No klik pin. There is a bolt and washer at the end of the axle that keeps the wheel from coming off. The wheel is kept centered by a spacer between the wheel and the body.


Leave the bolts out and run it. I have seen this done with tillers.
And I believe instead of that bolt there should have been a clickpin.


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## kennyz (Nov 18, 2018)

The bolt screws in to the end of the axle shaft. there is no hole in the wheel for a clickpin to go through. The hole in the center of the wheel has two flats which correspond to the flats on the axle. I was thinking about running it without the bolt though.


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## Ian Ariens 924 (Dec 22, 2015)

Try running it with no bolt.If the the wheel does not come off, I would leave it til spring.
It will probably work its way loose.

If you do damage to the axle or wheel then you have more problems.
I have found with augers sometimes it’s better to leave them seized then to do more damage.
If you are not needing to take it off,leave it till you don’t need the snowblower.

But if heating and pulling don’t work and you want it off,
Try taking the other wheel off and removing the axle completely,then you can work on it on a bench.
You can then take it to a shop and they can press the axle out of the wheel if needed.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

In the worst cases where no amount of heating and beating will budge the wheel I will cut the axle in half then use a press. The $30 or so for a new axle is chump change in comparison.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Then your problem is that it's keyed. When you take the bolt off you should see the keyway in the wheel hub and matching to the shaft. Just more places for rust and corrosion. The other MTD option is the shaft has two flats opposite each other. In either case leaving the bolt off and trying to let it use it's own weight and ground friction to break it free isn't going to help. I had this problem with my Troy (MTD) and a Craftsman rider. The Troy let loose easier with a few soakings and some mild heat on the hub. Warm the hub up with propane and then as it's cooling hit it a few times with the penetrating fluid. The rider was a real nightmare and finally came loose after multiple touchings of the wheels hub and finally going all out with oxy/ace and burning off most of the paint and just not caring if I set the tire on fire. I got lucky and the wheel finally let go and I didn't destroy the axle seal on the hydro or damage the tire. The paint was another matter, that was toast so to speak.

If you have the patience, keep trying to soak it or if you want to get crazy use or try to get access to a torch.

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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Could you wedge something solid tightly between the blower's frame, and the inside of the wheel/tire? So that you're pulling the axle away from the blower's frame. Then use a punch or something, and a deadblow hammer, to try and drive the axle through the wheel. (Edit: It would likely only move a small amount, the amount of play in the axle, along its length. This might mainly be used to try and get them moving relative to each other) You might need to thread the bolt in tightly to the end of the axle, before hitting the axle with anything. That would help avoid damaging the threads at the end of the axle. 

A gear puller might work, though it might require drilling some holes in the wheel, for something to attach to. 

I think it's worth trying removing the bolts and running the machine. Also, with the bolts removed, twisting the machine back and forth might help create a little bit of movement between the wheel and the axle. 

Once you get it off, coat the axle & wheel surfaces with anti-seize, or grease, etc, before re-assembling.


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

Kenny, 

I'm not sure of your exact model number, But I believe it's an MTD ReBadged Craftsman by your description. If those wheel are not taken off and lubed within the first year or so, chances are they won't come off. I've tried Heat, Impact Hammer, Chisels, soaking in oil, Swearing, Kicking, Screaming, Swearing again and usually just leave the bolts out, hoping the wheels will fall off. I have some customers machines running without the end bolts for TWO seasons...They are still stuck on. If you NEED to get them off now, (Flat Tire, Drivetrain PM, Bushing Replacement), I agree with Dave Rider..... Sacrifice the Axle. Slide the remnants out, press out the stubs and replace the axle. It's the cheapest and easiest way if you HAVE to get the wheels off now.

GLuck, Jay


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

if you got access to a air chisel you could try that. will probably do it if it is going to come off at all easily. if that don't work than you probably will need a fire wrench to get them off.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I recently got a HF air chisel, figuring it might come in handy for ~$15. But I haven't gotten to use it yet. Would you use it for hammering on the end of the axle, to try and drive it out? Or some other way?


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## vinnycom (Nov 6, 2017)

heat, oil, patience, then bigger hammer, air chisel, more muscles, lack of caring on esthetics, damage or swear words, then more patience.
rinse and repeat.
never give up , never surrender


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i wouldn't hammer right on the end of the axle. i would go to the hardware store and got a longer bolt and hammer on it while applying some light pressure to the rim to pry it away from the body. could also try just using to air hammer the rim right off. either way should probably see some sort of movement. my air hammer is generally my go to on stuck rusty looking parts.


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## kennyz (Nov 18, 2018)

Kiss4aFrog, it is not keyed. It has the flats on both sides of the shaft. I`m thinking that I`ll drill a couple of holes in the wheel to run some bolts through it so that I can use a puller on it.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Good plan on drilling the holes and using a puller. Puller and heat with liberal penetrating fluid can do wonders.

Air hammers are nice but usually you don't have the room to get in there at a good angle and once again you have to be careful how you set it up so you're not hammering against something that's going to break before the wheel comes loose !!

.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Yeah. Pullers are nice, especially if you put a bolt in the end of the axle first, so you're not pushing against the exposed threaded hole. The biggest advantage is you limit the force to just the item you're trying to remove, and what it's stuck on. So there's much less risk of damaging something else in the process. 

Trying to remove the pulley mount from my impeller shaft, I had to use a puller (tightened as much as I dared), penetrating oil, and heat. But I did finally get it moving.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> Air hammers are nice but usually you don't have the room to get in there at a good angle and once again you have to be careful how you set it up so you're not hammering against something that's going to break before the wheel comes loose !!


you don't always have to hit things at a 90* angle for them to break loose. even a 45* angle works so if he was to hit the weld where the rim joins the sleeve it would probably move it it was going to move at all. i do it all the time with removing the adapters off lawn mower engines. even with the engine off a deck you might be lucky to have a 45* angle to hammer on but once things start moving it usually just jumps right off.


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