Rusted Wheel Hub

[Farmer Forbes 7]

Hello everyone,

Need to replace the axle oil seals on a 1975 C-100 (Model 1-0391) WH tractor.

Unfortunately the wheel hubs are both rusted fast or the key has created an obstruction and will not allow the hub to move.

 

Anyone have any experience removing these to be able to reach the seal?

[oliver2-44 10,991]

Removing Wheel Horse rear hubs is one of the more challenging task on these tractors. 

1st. Do not use a 3 jaw puller on the outer flanges of the hub You will break them.

Remove the square head bolt that locks the hub to the shaft.  Starting soaking it with a good penetrant like Kroil for several days.

Here's a thread with several hub pullers shown.  The key is to use a puller that goes behind the hub and pulls as close to the shaft as possible.

 

 

[ri702bill 10,127]

A last resort is to remove the Unidrive and split the case. This allows you to disassemble the differential, remove the axle side gears and remove the axles / hubs as assemblies. Then use a 20 ton hydraulic press to get the hubs off..... ask me how I know....

Edited 21 hours ago by ri702bill

[Handy Don 14,744]

6 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

A last resort is to remove the Unidrive and split the case. Thiss allows you to disassemble the differential, remove the axle side gears and remove the axles / hubs as assemblies. Then use a 20 ton hydraulic press to get the hubs off..... ask me how I know....

This is how my hubs got removed--and it taxed the press to its max. 

 

1 hour ago, oliver2-44 said:

Do not use a 3 jaw puller on the outer flanges of the hub You will break them.

You may ask how this could be so--the hubs seem so strong and beefy? 3-jaw pullers are stronger. ‘Nuf said. 

[ri702bill 10,127]

I made this one for pulling C series hubs. Still did not budge the one I had to split the case on.....

 

 

Edited Thursday at 11:21 PM by ri702bill

[pfrederi 19,016]

The joys of hub pulling......

 

[ri702bill 10,127]

And do not even consider using a slider hammer puller! It will defeat the large snap ring the holds the side gear on the axle; the axle & hub WILL exit the Unidrive, leaving you no other option except to split the case as described above to reassemble...

[JoeM 8,957]

I have set a map gas torch on the floor pointed at the hub for ten minutes or so with the puller in place snugging it and giving the head of the puller bolt a love tap. 

Your changing the seal anyway so the heat is not an issue there. 

I use an old hub that I drilled out the threat to allow the 7/16 bolts to pass through.

[lynnmor 8,104]

With that set screw removed, look in the hole to see if the axle might have rotated in the hub, some times it isn't just the rust and pulling against a key that is rotated into a wear spot is next to impossible.  Keep applying the penetrating oil.  I will be going thru Spring Grove next Thursday and I have a puller that should work.  Send me a PM if that is something you might want.  

[OutdoorEnvy 1,786]

I agree with the highly soaking it in the keyway hole as much and long as possible.  Once you decide on a puller you are using if it isn't coming off and you feel you have a lot of force pulling on it.  You can try tapping around the hub by the axle with a hammer or similar, not hard though.  I had a stubborn one break by doing that when I was afraid to keep cranking on the puller.  

 

Good luck...stick with it...once you get one or two it's not as intimidating as the first 

[kpinnc 15,790]

20 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

And do not even consider using a slider hammer puller! It will defeat the large snap ring the holds the side gear on the axle; the axle & hub WILL exit the Unidrive, leaving you no other option except to split the case as described above to reassemble..

 

Not to mention you will likely strip the edge that the retaining ring holds onto, effectively requiring machine shop work to fix or purchase another axle to repair. 

[Bar Nuthin 1,517]

We had to remove the hubs from my neighbor's B-100. We ended up using a junk hub that I had and some long through bolts to make a puller. I had an impact socket just slightly smaller than the1/8" axle on the one end and large enough to not pass through the donor hub on the other end.  Then in rotation, we tightened down the through bolts.

 

After giving up on penetrating oil, we resorted to heating the hubs and melting crayons into it. Let it cool, repeat about 5 times. Each time tightening the through bolts. On about the 5th attempt, we got some movement and off it came.

[peter lena 9,478]

@Farmer Forbes  have any KROIL  PENETRATING OIL ?  personally would  remove the set  screws , and get some kroil  in all related areas  , would also drive it around  to enhance the lubrication creep , those hubs need   lots of help  in removal . never too early to  get  lube in the , set screw area ,  sitting at 12 o clock  . so it can show you  any  soaking gain , pete 

[953 nut 62,327]

2 hours ago, ri702bill said:

do not even consider using a slider hammer puller! It will defeat the large snap ring the holds the side gear on the axle; the axle & hub WILL exit the Unidrive,

 

2 hours ago, kpinnc said:

 

Not to mention you will likely strip the edge that the retaining ring holds onto, effectively requiring machine shop work to fix or purchase another axle to repair. 

Been there     Done that             Don't Do That!

[Ed Kennell 43,158]

All good advice.  Do remove the hub locking bolts and make sure there isn't a second set screw in the hole.

[Lane Ranger 11,639]

10 hours ago, peter lena said:

@Farmer Forbes  have any KROIL  PENETRATING OIL ?  personally would  remove the set  screws , and get some kroil  in all related areas  , would also drive it around  to enhance the lubrication creep , those hubs need   lots of help  in removal . never too early to  get  lube in the , set screw area ,  sitting at 12 o clock  . so it can show you  any  soaking gain , pete 

 

If you use Kroil Penetrating Oil be extremely careful about getting this on your skin, face or eyes.  This stuff is pretty toxic.   I have used before and it does break down rust but it is dangerous to your body if you get it on you-  clean it off fast!  
 

https://www.kroil.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AEROKROIL-NA-GHS-9-4-24.pdf

Edited 23 hours ago by Lane Ranger
Added photo

[Racinbob 12,248]

Here's the puller I made up when Dino was fighting me. I should have done this decades ago. Initially I just ran the bolts through the stuck hub. 

 

 

 

I was putting so much force into it that I got a bit worried about it so I made up a backer plate to disperse the pressure even more. After many days of keeping pressure on it and soaking it finally came off. I've got a third plate to make a backer that will go behind the entire hub which could come in handy but if the hub is too tight to the transmission case it wouldn't work. That would be a better choice on 3 hole hubs and the lighter 5 hole.

 

[peter lena 9,478]

@ri702bill  agree on the bearing separator  type of  puller   especially  on a cast flange , seen many fail  , you have to go to the strongest  connection area  first . done a lot of experiments  on related tractor  repetitive issues . has made me immediately  look for another way  to get it done . another thing I regularly do  is to start  snoopin around , to find related / connected  hang up areas . don't have any  chronic areas , basically  do it on one tractor  , then adapt it to the other 2 . amazing to me that all these years later . they just  consistently  start / run / work  easily  , use same thought  on any issue , did a lot of  , call ins at work , you like coming in at 2 am ? . shift foremen  sign off  , pete 

[ri702bill 10,127]

I was somewhat OK with the overnight panic call - it gave me a chance to laugh at them...

My wife, on the otherhand was furious if I got a work call out of my regular hours... (remember that I had a 100 mile daily round trip for a commute - my normal day took 11 hours to work an 8 hour shift).

[Farmer Forbes 7]

Thanks to everyone who replied with the suggestions and the experiences they have had with this issue.

 

Starting to soak the part with as much penetration oil possible and then begin to apply pressure to (hopefully) remove the hub without cracking the transmission .

 

Stay tuned for more feedback and once I am successful with one wheel, I will proceed to the second one.

 

 

[ineedanother 1,731]

20 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

All good advice.  Do remove the hub locking bolts and make sure there isn't a second set screw in the hole.

Found this the other day on a cast iron drive pulley. Glad I looked!

[adsm08 3,650]

On 11/13/2025 at 2:07 PM, Farmer Forbes said:

Hello everyone,

Need to replace the axle oil seals on a 1975 C-100 (Model 1-0391) WH tractor.

Unfortunately the wheel hubs are both rusted fast or the key has created an obstruction and will not allow the hub to move.

 

Anyone have any experience removing these to be able to reach the seal?

 

On 11/13/2025 at 3:34 PM, ri702bill said:

Then use a 20 ton hydraulic press to get the hubs off

 

On 11/13/2025 at 4:45 PM, lynnmor said:

I will be going thru Spring Grove next Thursday and I have a puller that should work.  Send me a PM if that is something you might want.  

 

If it comes to it and @lynnmor's puller does not work and you have to go the press route PM me a day to two ahead. I have a 20 ton press. 

[Farmer Forbes 7]

Thanks for the offer adsm08.

A buddy and I are going to give it go tomorrow.

I will let you know if we are able to extract the hub.