Tool and method for removing a wheel hub assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9808920-B2
Application number	US-201514621809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2015
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A wheel hub removal tool is provided that allows a single technician to readily remove the hub using the vehicle steering. The tool is a generally U-shaped bracket that is seated on the ball-joint to support a pair of arms on opposite sides of the U-joint assembly. The arms carry corresponding blocks that are sized to seat between the drive axle housing and a component of the U-joint that is coupled to the wheel hub. The tool maintains a block on either side of the U-joint assembly so that pressure may be applied alternatively between the blocks to gradually dislodge the wheel hub from the axle. The tool is adjustable to accommodate different axle hub and bearing assembly configurations for different vehicles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hub removal tool for removing a wheel hub of a vehicle having a knuckle hub and U-joint assembly between the wheel hub and a drive axle housing, and a ball joint connection between the knuckle hub and the drive axle housing, the tool comprising:
an elongated support plate defining a bore therethrough sized to seat the support plate on the ball joint connection;
a pair of elongated arms fastened directly at one end thereof to opposite ends of said elongated plate and sized so that the opposite ends of said arms are positioned in alignment with the space between opposing surfaces of the drive axle housing and the U-joint assembly; and
a pair of L-shaped blocks, one each fastened directly at the opposite end of a corresponding one of said pair of arms and arranged to be disposed within the space between opposing surfaces, each block defining opposite contact surfaces for directly contacting corresponding ones of said opposing surfaces of the drive axle housing and the U-joint assembly when the vehicle steering is operated to rotate the wheel hub about the ball joint connection.

2. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein each block defines two pairs of opposite contact surfaces, each block being adjustably fastened to a corresponding one of said arms so that a selected one of said two pairs of opposite contact surfaces are arranged to contact corresponding ones of said opposing surfaces of the drive axle housing and the U-joint assembly when the vehicle steering is operated to rotate the wheel hub about the ball joint connection.

3. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 2 , wherein said arms are fastened to said support plate by manually rotatable threaded fasteners extending through openings in said arms and into threaded bores defined in said support plate.

4. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 3 , wherein said openings in said arms are slots elongated along the length of said arms.

5. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein each of said pair of arms is adjustably fastened to said elongated plate.

6. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 5 , wherein each of said pair of arms is adjustable in a direction perpendicular to the plane of said support plate.

7. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein said blocks are fastened to said arms by manually rotatable threaded fasteners extending through openings in said arms and into threaded bores defined in said blocks.

8. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 7 , wherein said openings in said arms are slots elongated along the length of said arms.

9. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein the fastening of said arms to said support plate defines an axis and said bore is offset transverse to said axis in the plane of said support plate.

10. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein each of said blocks is adjustably fastened to the corresponding one of said arms.

11. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein said elongated support plate has a length so that said arms define a gap therebetween when fastened to said support plate, said gap sized to straddle the U-joint assembly when the support plate is seated on the ball joint connection.

12. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein said opposite contact surfaces have different contact areas.

13. The wheel hub removal tool of claim 1 , wherein said bore defines an angled or spherical surface facing the ball joint when the support plate is seated thereon to permit different angular relationships between said support plate and the ball joint.

Assignees

• Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Llc
• Bosch Gmbh Robert
• Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Rich Kevin
• Kochie Robert
• Jensen Robert
• Hanson Dennis

Classifications

• Y10T29/53983

  Work-supported apparatus · CPC title

• Y10T29/49822

  by applying force · CPC title

• F16D3/405

  Apparatus for assembling or dismantling · CPC title

• B25B27/0035 Primary

  for motor-vehicles (wrenches for mounting or dismounting wheels B60B29/003) · CPC title