Anyone else use a ball joint press for this?
- Thread starter Coach James
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F150tech
Well-known member
I never have but it is an interesting idea
Inabox85
Well-known member
Easiest solutions are normally the best ones. good for him on that cleaver trick.
For shame, for shame. Mr. Stud Muffin was using a chromy for his impact duties. 
Well didn't you listen to him, he said you'd ruin the bearing doing it that way.
Well didn't you listen to him, he said you'd ruin the bearing doing it that way.
For shame, for shame. Mr. Stud Muffin was using a chromy for his impact duties.
Well didn't you listen to him, he said you'd ruin the bearing doing it that way.
Lol. Right.
Richard Cranium
Well-known member
Had not ever even thought of using one like that, Thanks for posting.
I guess you could say its clever, or perhaps cute, but honestly it's just easier to put the car on its side and use an arbor press to press it off. That's the BEST way to prevent damaging the bearing. You do NOT want to damage that bearing I tell you h'what.
damnesia
Well-known member
I use mine to do that and to remove leaf spring bushings more than I've used it for ball joints. I find it very useful for a "portable press".
That's the way I've always done it.
vettex2
Banned
Same here
Jarhead0408
Well-known member
Ehh, check out his other videos...
oldrockhead
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I'm glad I've never had to pay an idiot like you to work on anything that I own.
Sticks McGee
Well-known member
It is not going to hurt a thing to drive them out with a hammer. I use my 32oz ballpeen hammer. One or two hits and the stud is out. I start them back in and then drive them in from the back side with the same hammer. If the stud can't fully seat I will put a nut on the stud that will slide over the threads with a washer and then a regular nut with correct threads for the stud and draw some pressure on it and drive it the rest of the way with the hammer. I have also used an air hammer to drive out and back in. When he uses the ball joint press to reinstall he is catching the back of the stud with the lip of the press opening. This causes it to not drive it straight and could booger up the opening in the press. It would be better to put the adaptor on the press so that the pressure is centered and then use something on the front side of the hub to allow the stud threads to pass thru.
bczygan
Well-known member
Good method, except when installing, there is a solid plate that comes with the kit, that he could have used to avoid balancing on the edge of the press.
Bill
Bill
How do you think they do it lol and have been doing it for years? Read the rest of the posts and you can see many of us use a hammer. Thanks for insulting me btw
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Sticks McGee
Well-known member
Exactly...
shockwave
Well-known member
Yeah, pretty much just tap them out with a hammer.
I've never done it another way, or ever seen it done another way - except for the video.
Its not a bad idea and I might try, or have one of the guys try it the next time we need to replace a stud, but then again we already have the press.
The presses are like $250 I believe, though I think you can rent them if you put down a deposit at some of the parts stores.
Lot of time and hassle and expense compared to just whacking it with a hammer though.
They generally pop out pretty easily and aren't going to damage bearings, especially given that the studs are so close to the bearing.
Imagine the hammering a bearing takes when you hit a pothole or a speed bump. Some of those are pretty good jolts and occur way out on the edge of the tire where the leverage multiplies the force taken by the bearing.
Or even just regular driving where the whole weight of the car is on it and then we go around a corner and side load it - at high speed no less, factor in some heat from braking as well, then toss in road imperfections, bumps, waves, holes, washboarding, etc....
No way you are going to equal or exceed that kind of force with a couple of taps with a hammer on a cold stud.
I've never done it another way, or ever seen it done another way - except for the video.
Its not a bad idea and I might try, or have one of the guys try it the next time we need to replace a stud, but then again we already have the press.
The presses are like $250 I believe, though I think you can rent them if you put down a deposit at some of the parts stores.
Lot of time and hassle and expense compared to just whacking it with a hammer though.
They generally pop out pretty easily and aren't going to damage bearings, especially given that the studs are so close to the bearing.
Imagine the hammering a bearing takes when you hit a pothole or a speed bump. Some of those are pretty good jolts and occur way out on the edge of the tire where the leverage multiplies the force taken by the bearing.
Or even just regular driving where the whole weight of the car is on it and then we go around a corner and side load it - at high speed no less, factor in some heat from braking as well, then toss in road imperfections, bumps, waves, holes, washboarding, etc....
No way you are going to equal or exceed that kind of force with a couple of taps with a hammer on a cold stud.
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same here. did a neon a few weeks ago where all 5 studs broke off when a kid was trying to change a flat in a parking lot. my ball peen hammer knocked 'em all out in less time than he took setting up that tool...solution looking for a problem IMO...
Sticks McGee
Well-known member
Just another word about the ball joint press. Its kinda heavy and awkward trying to hold it up, keep all the adaptors in place and get the screw tight enough so that you can let go of it. All of this awkwardness can make it to where you start to drive the stud back in at an angle. These fit tight but not super tight. Once you have the press in place and begin to tighten it you can very easily wedge the stud in and get it stuck if you aren't straight. Add his using the clamp head to basically "catch" the large end of the stud and you can very easily start to drive it crooked and get it stuck possibly galling the bore. Since the press is rigid the stud may not be able to self center itself. With a hammer driving it back in it can self center. Using another larger nut and washer against the hub means that the stud will be pulled back in straight. it does not take a lot of force to remove or install wheel studs in a car generally. The most important thing is that the stud is fully seated into the hub. if it's not then when you tighten the lugs some of the force applied could tighten the wheel on but not fully pull the stud tight to the hub. The car leaves and the torque on the nut along with the forces and vibration and driving the car can move the stud to it's final position and now the nuts are actually loose on the wheel. A tool made for pressing the studs back in is made to press them straight and fully seat them.
rustbucket5
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your not going to hurt the bearing by removing the stud with a hammer, like someone above me posted, driving on a rough highway is going to exert much greater forces on the hub. the only way i could see it hurting the bearing is if you have to sit there for 20mins beating it with a 5lb sledge with all your might
oldrockhead
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I did read all of the prior posts and will read the subsequent posts. Would you use the hammer method on an extremely high dollar car? If you say no, why would you do it on any vehicle? If you say yes, I'll repeat my assertion.
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Don't worry about him. Half his posts are insults and the other half have been deleted. He will be banned in short order. They don't put up with that for long here.
Definitely an interesting idea gotta give him credit although I hate balancing those presses in awkward angles...such a pain in the *** to tighten and balance. I'd rather just whack it with a hammer.
Hilarious that people are arguing you're going to damage the wheel bearing but smacking the stud a couple times. Do you people realizes the forces that are seen when a car going 50mph around a corner smashes a pothole?? Gimme a break..
Hilarious that people are arguing you're going to damage the wheel bearing but smacking the stud a couple times. Do you people realizes the forces that are seen when a car going 50mph around a corner smashes a pothole?? Gimme a break..
md21722
Well-known member
Exactly what I was thinking.
Astro_Pneumatic_Tools
Well-known member
Small air hammer was employed for this purpose on a IMSA Continental Challenge Car recently, no one seemed concerned and this is a $250,000 (?) car.
619DioFan
Well-known member
Always just used a hammer. if sheared close to the flange then use a drift and hammer. for install I use the lisle install bearing to pull them through. oh , and btw.. on some with clearance issues ( like Hondas ) I have ground off part of the stud head to get them in. bet I aint the only one here to do that either.
454ragtop
Well-known member
Interesting idea, although I think pressing them in with the edge of the tool by the hole is not so great. I too just knock them out with a hammer, usually pull them back in with a nut. But now that I've seen this, I'm going to turn a plug on the lathe for the hole in the press when I get a chance and try using it to press the stud back in. Seems it should work slick with a socket over the stud on the front of the flange.
md21722
Well-known member
They make specific tools for installing wheel studs. This is not the only one:
https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/WS802/WHEEL-STUD-INSTALLER-SET/
https://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/WS802/WHEEL-STUD-INSTALLER-SET/
oldrockhead
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If you're talking about me, any deleted comments that show "deleted", were deleted by me. Your statement that half of my comments are insults, is a lie, so that makes you a liar. That's not an insult, that's a fact. If I deleted a post, it's because I thought I was not being clear in what I was saying. I haven't figured out how to make a comment disappear. If I want to remove a post, I erase it and replace it with "Deleted". I'm guessing that if a moderator deletes a post, it's wiped out or there's an indication that it's been deleted. I don't know which.
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Capt Chrysler
Well-known member
LAROKE
Banned
Same here, hammer and lisle tool
Professur
Well-known member
I just used this little guy. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015PN010/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Apply, torque it up a little. Tap the tip lightly with a hammer and *pop*.
Apply, torque it up a little. Tap the tip lightly with a hammer and *pop*.
Den69rs96
Well-known member
I used my ball joint press to replace wheel studs on my brothers nova. When we converted it over to rear disc brakes, I pulled the axles and used the press to remove and install longer wheel studs. Took a few minutes per axle.