Discussion:
HELP! Old drive wheel won't budge. Why?

took all 12 lugnuts off, still tight as ****. How do I remove this wheel? (SEE avatar)
  • Posted 28 Sep 2025 06:43
  • By Bruce_Fulper
  • joined 28 Sep'25 - 1 message
  • ca, United States
BMF
Showing items 1 - 2 of 2 results.
yep, these wheels can be a bear to remove. The previous poster is correct except for the part about lifting the truck off the floor and dropping it, DO NOT do that. You can damage the trunion axle mount or tube from all that weight.
These 'collets' are like a cone split ring washer that wedges around the stud and helps center the hub. If the nuts are overtightened or the collets were reused they can flare out and swell up on the ends and actually squeeze against the stud making it very hard to get the wheel to break loose.
Unfortunately the only way to get the wheel off is to use a sledge and hit the wheel around the edges (on the press ring of the tire), try not to hit the hub itself because you can damage it too. Once you do get the wheel off toss those old collets, inspect the holes in the wheel hub and also the studs for wear, replace any studs that are worn. If any of the holes in the hub look abnormally worn then you will need to replace the hub as well or get a machine shop to repair it.
  • Posted 2 Oct 2025 21:46
  • By swoop223
  • joined 23 Mar'12 - 3,692 messages
  • North Carolina, United States
You've been swooped!
swoop223@gmail.com
Hi, have you removed the collets from behind the wheel/lugg nuts? wound the brakes fully back off, through the peep hole, give the wheel on the outside a good whack with a sledgehammer the wheel should pop off, if not jack the whole truck up and drop it onto the floor after putting a couple of wheel nuts back on just to prevent the wheel running away!
  • Posted 2 Oct 2025 19:37
  • By algernon
  • joined 4 Nov'11 - 16 messages
  • Somerset, United Kingdom

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