Help me choose Master Puller / Slide Hammer Set

[oldschoolcraft]

Please help me choose a master puller set. I don't have an immediate need and only limited experience with pullers. The reason I want to figure out what to buy now is because I love Proto stuff, and inflation is making tools I bought 3 years ago are 30% to 50% more expensive. I only occasionally get Zoro 20% off coupons, dont want to find myself needing one urgently and paying full price or paying double in 5 years due to inflation. Also some are backordered.

I'd like to buy a complete puller set, either whole or pieced apart for better or more versatile components. Proto offers several sets, with lots of stuff I don't know what they do but hope to eventually learn. I'd like a "complete" set for cars, pickup trucks, and anything they might be used around a residential house like pulling swimming pool pump motor bearings.

Some come with slide hammers, which I've never owned. Hopefully this set's slide hammer can be my primary and only slide hammer for things like basic car body repair. I would like to buy 15+ year old beater cars to fix up. I'd like the capability to do rough body repair, such getting out huge dents that impair the car door. Can I add body repair tools that interface onto the slide hammer that comes in a puller kit, or do I need a whole different slide hammer?

I have no experience doing drive train work on cars, but would like to practice and learn on the beater cars. The puller set should be able to handle anything related to cars and pickup trucks. Each kit comes with a different slide hammer weight, but only one weight per kit. Can I buy additional different weights for different applications? Or do I need multiple slide hammers? I'd like the fewest most versatile high quality US-made tools possible.

Here's some pictures of what's in the Proto Catalog. What advice I like is "buy X kit, it will meet 90% of your pulling needs", or "buy X kit, and also add in Y accessories" or if you dont have a kit recommendation, then any individual component recommendations are helpful like "make sure whatever kit you buy includes X piece". I could also use help in whether I need a 6 or 10 ton. Thanks in advance.

 

[GRN96WS6]

How often are you going to use it? Personally if it's a tool I find myself maybe using 2-5 times a year I go to Harbor Freight and buy what I need...worst case I have to replace in 5 years (I'm not a mechanic well maybe a shade tree but not as income) and feel it suits me fine.

I spend money on tools that are needed and that I'd use more often than not.

 

[Wamsutta]

Download This

 

[Wamsutta]

Download This

 

[four.cycle]

Posi-Lock is worth looking at. Not sure what you're specific needs are.

MY uninformed and biased opinion on the slide hammer (as one who sold many but never actually had to use one) would be "buy the best one you can afford."

just my two cents

 

[Ricky Joe]

I have two drawers dedicated to pullers, with others scattered about. It really depends on what you work on. The Proto puller set is nice, and expensive. I can duplicate some of it, but I really only buy what I need. I would highly recommend the CG series of Blue Point pullers. A CG-270 can do almost everything your Proto set can do, and maybe more. From timing gears to ball joints, it is versatile and effective. The slide hammer can come in handy pulling axles, injectors, some transmission bearings. Clutch pilot bearings can use a smaller slide. Also, for body work, you might get a slide made especially for that, as the big bulky slides aren’t as easy to control. Bushing pullers, power steering and AC pulley pullers, blind bushing pullers; there are a lot of special ones. Battery terminal pullers, windshield wiper arm pullers, wheel pullers, universal joint pullers, pinion bearing pullers, cam bushing pullers, cylinder liner pullers, harmonic balancer pullers, steering wheel pullers; you can see that it is difficult to know what you might need. There are even pullers for pulling flathead heads, which can get stuck and be difficult, especially when there are studs instead of bolts. And some of these are specific to a particular year or a small range of years. Take the advice given above, buy what you need when you need it, and you will be money ahead and not have a lot invested in tools you may never use. You may even find that you can make an effective puller for much less than you would spend buying one.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Posi-Lock is worth looking at. Not sure what you're specific needs are.

MY uninformed and biased opinion on the slide hammer (as one who sold many but never actually had to use one) would be "buy the best one you can afford."

Thanks I'll add them to my research list!

I dont know what my needs are either. I dont know what I dont know. I just know quality tools are rising in price higher than the official inflation numbers and I want to buy all of the tools now that I will eventually need later.

I think pullers are used on cars for bearings and axle work. I've seen Pittman Arm pullers before, they look like 2-prong, not three. Not sure if these kits let you change it up to work as a Pittman puller too.

I've only ever used a triple prong puller to replace bearings on pump motors.

I think slide hammers are used to pull out dents in car bodies.

I didn't realize slide hammers were part of puller kits until I saw them on Protos catalog. I guess you can either turn the puller with a wrench/socket to gradually pull the thing off, or connect it to a slide hammer and impact it off.

What I'd like to do is buy the nicest "reasonably" priced set now, and then as I expand what I work on, I have the nice tools already ready to go. Everyone's definition of reasonableness is different. I dont want to spend $10k on a puller set. But I'll gladly spend $1k, maybe $2k, heck maybe even $3k if it's something that's amazing and gives me lots of future capability.

I just dont know what capability I need because I lack experience with them. Imagine someone who owns a home (which I will eventually) in a city, and owns cars and pickup trucks. Whatever these might be used for by that kind of person. Not industrial machinery, not farm equipment. If there's any residential plumbing that might use one? Like swimming pool motor bearings. Gunsmithing uses?

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Take the advice given above, buy what you need when you need it, and you will be money ahead and not have a lot invested in tools you may never use.

That's a lot of interesting uses, thank you!
I wonder though, if it's possible to get a base core set that is part of other speciality uses? Maybe the core pieces are the same regardless of what you're doing with it, and then there's specialty arms for different applications? Then I can get the core setup now, and as needed order speciality accessories for it?

Or is every speciality use case going to use completely unique and dedicated parts just for it?

How about improvising stuff? I'm just a home gamer, I dont need speed as much as I need capability. Maybe there's some generic puller setups that might not be optimized for all of the speciality cases you mentioned but could be made to work, albeit with some frustration or some improvisation?

Not that that would be my primary plan of action if I know I'm doing some power steering work then I would order that in advance. But suppose I wasn't expecting to do power steering work, can I make due to a generic set of puller components, to avoid delays of acquiring the speciality puller components?

Having tools I may never use is an insurance policy against having to stop work. It's also possible to pre-buy tools at discounts because I can wait for a Zoro 20% off sale or a Black Friday sale or a good deal on eBay. But if I need the tool for a project now, I'm paying full price. Of course, there's a balance because there's so many different possible tools that exist, I'd need multiple warehouses to have everything so I try to find the right mix of owning stuff I may never need (that I bought on sale) and not wasting money and storage space.

Sorry for the weird context, I know it's very different than how a professional would approach this.

 

[Ricky Joe]

That's a lot of interesting uses, thank you!
I wonder though, if it's possible to get a base core set that is part of other speciality uses? Maybe the core pieces are the same regardless of what you're doing with it, and then there's specialty arms for different applications? Then I can get the core setup now, and as needed order speciality accessories for it?

Or is every speciality use case going to use completely unique and dedicated parts just for it?

How about improvising stuff? I'm just a home gamer, I dont need speed as much as I need capability. Maybe there's some generic puller setups that might not be optimized for all of the speciality cases you mentioned but could be made to work, albeit with some frustration or some improvisation?

Not that that would be my primary plan of action if I know I'm doing some power steering work then I would order that in advance. But suppose I wasn't expecting to do power steering work, can I make due to a generic set of puller components, to avoid delays of acquiring the speciality puller components?

Having tools I may never use is an insurance policy against having to stop work. It's also possible to pre-buy tools at discounts because I can wait for a Zoro 20% off sale or a Black Friday sale or a good deal on eBay. But if I need the tool for a project now, I'm paying full price. Of course, there's a balance because there's so many different possible tools that exist, I'd need multiple warehouses to have everything so I try to find the right mix of owning stuff I may never need (that I bought on sale) and not wasting money and storage space.

Sorry for the weird context, I know it's very different than how a professional would approach this.

I understand you, and I have often acted similarly. My business was antique vehicles for the last thirty years of my career, and there are lots of special tools that were made at the time that are obsolete now, so if I ran across something that I had a chance of using, I bought it, and sometimes never used it. Also, having an affinity for old tools, often bought it even though a modern tool could do the job. That is true of pullers, too. I would rather use a Manzel - Buffalo on the job even though the Chinese tool might be cheaper and do the same job. So, within your parameters, what I would do is think of the possible jobs you might do and look for quality used American vintage tools on eBay or at auctions or estate or garage sales. I would recommend a CG-270, CG-250, a harmonic balancer puller, pilot bearing puller, and a bearing block. I’ve got slide hammers, but there isn’t much I like using them for as they are somewhat brutal and I prefer gentle approach. I don’t use air for disassembly or assembly. The pullers I mentioned will do 90% of what you are likely to encounter. Then get specialty pullers as your career develops. I probably could fix you up with a skeleton set if you like.

 

[chevy.stroker]

If you want to spend the money then my post won't help, but here goes:

I own this set. It provides you front hub, rear axle, rear axle bearing, pilot bushing/bearing, and one size of 2 and 3 jaw pullers.

GEARWRENCH Slide Hammer Oil Seal and Axle Puller Set with Case (10-Piece) 41700D - The Home Depot

Since our beginning, GEARWRENCH automotive specialty tools have been driven by innovation. From our first specialty tool, the Model-T valve spring lifter, to our latest ratcheting puller, we've built our reputation with tools that make tough jobs easy. Most of our products have been upgraded...

www.homedepot.com

This will do harmonic balancer/front pulley, and steering wheel.

Harmonic Balancer Puller Set

Astro Pneumatic AST7846 Harmonic Balancer Puller Set at Great Prices | National Tool Warehouse

www.nationaltoolwarehouse.com

Buy this and steal the legs and adapters to use on the Gearwrench 2 and 3 leg adapters.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/auto-shop-tools/pullers/three-jaw-puller-set-3-piece-63953.html

I'd get a good power steering pulley puller/installer. Probably off ebay.

Pitman arm and tierod I'd get from Lisles if they are still USA made.

I can't help on body work.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Thanks for the replies so far. I didn't realize there was so many different specialized pullers. I thought there might be one main puller body with different attachments.

I wonder if a tiered approach makes sense. Similar to how if you run Japanese Cars maybe you get Gearwrench wrenches, but then get 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm in Snap On since those will be 99% of your uses. And you have the cheaper GW wrenches in case you run into an aftermarket part or something. You get 99% of the value of a full Snap On set at half the price by only buying the few wrenches you use but still have the capability to work outside of that fixed range of fastener sizes.

If that does make sense, I wonder if there's some main core expensive base universal puller and then I add in more value branded ones like GW and Lisle for a handful of less used specialty pullers?

 

[chevy.stroker]

A few more:

Astro front bearing puller

Amazon.com

Asteo ball joint press (can also use on u-joints)

Astro Pneumatic Goliath Ball Joint Service Tool and Master Adapter Set (78197)

Get the Astro Pneumatic Goliath Ball Joint Service Tool and Master Adapter Set. Perfect for 2WD & 4WD vehicles. Buy now at JB Tools!

www.jbtools.com

 

[Wamsutta]

The factory service manual for your car will tell you which puller to get.

 

[Mr_B]

Just pre purchase some mid range sets to cover most likely common scenarios when got best deals and leave the rest to adaption on the day or specific task purchase when needed.
You could sink serious coin into proto sets and still fall short on being able handle a future task .

 

[Steve_P]

I have an OTC slide hammer set, which I'd dare say is kind of the standard- it's probably identical to the Gearwrench above. It's a good starting point. Whatever larger size slide hammer you buy, make sure it has the standard 5/8-18 thread and not a 16 mm.

I have some Proto pullers, and they're definitely high quality. Same with Posi Lock. You might also look at OTC; pretty much all of their pullers and slide hammers are Taiwan, but they're excellent quality. Quality pullers, slide hammers, accessories are all very expensive. My first puller set was HF that I bought in the mid 1980s, and I still have them. These were all Taiwan made at that time, and quite good for the $; I used them all the time working on small engines.

If you don't really have a need, you might consider a basic three-piece three-jaw import set of reversible pullers to start with, along with the basic OTC, GW, etc slide hammer set.

 

[four.cycle]

^ There are boatloads of used, U.S. made pullers on ebay. MOST are overpriced. Shipping can be a killer. There ARE deals if you're patient.

 

[speed bump]

If all you are going to do is cars get a front end service kit, 99% of the pullers you will ever use are in that kit. Occasionally a 3-4 inch 3 jaw is handy and one day you may want a slide hammer for pulling axles, bushings, and hubs.

Body work is a different kettle of fish, where you may use a slide hammer but typically with different attachments than those proto kits have.

As much as I love pullers other than my front end service kit I almost never use them on cars. Even at work where we have a cabinet full of pullers we still probably build new pullers for about every 4th job that needs one.

 

[B_Bimmer]

I have a lot of pullers. Whenever I find one I don't have for a good price it comes home with me. I have never regretted any of them, and I would never want to need a puller and not have it. A wide selection saves a lot of time. Proto, snap on, and older otc are where it's at. I've gotten several from harbor fright for one off things and always been appalled by the quality. They are far too soft. Then there was the time I got the set linked below and they had forgotten to tap the hole in the bearing separator. That was a waste of time.

https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/auto-shop-tools/pullers/gear-puller-set-15-piece-62958.html

 

[four.cycle]

^ Old OTC stuff is as good as you can get.