Hydraulic Press or Hub puller/grappler/tamer

[MikeH]

I find myself needing to pull the front hubs on my 2002 Civic, and it seems like there are generally two options. Either I remove the spindle and press off the hub on a hydraulic press, or I can use something like a hub grappler. It seems to me like the press would end up being more versatile, but I've never owned either.
If you were a diy guy, or if you were advising me, a diy guy, which would be the better buy. To be clear, I am not going top shelf here. We're talking Harbor Freight, Northern Tool, or someplace like that.
Oh yeah, I live in Wisconsin, so for about 4 months of the year we pave our roads with salt. Everything here is held together with rust.

As a starting point, I have been looking at this press:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...vbydh2wfDcFXQ5Omgf_ItYz5MwPbGjthoCPrkQAvD_BwE
I'm wide open to "grappler" suggestions.

 

[Copymutt]

I purchased a harbor freight 12 ton press over 20 yrs ago. Saved my **** numerous times. Old sockets come in handy when pressing seals and bearings.
Most recently pressed out old A arm bushings.

 

[CobraRed]

AP 78825 + 78830 for a grappler at half price. No need for an alignment after when yu do it on the car.

 

[signcrafter]

AP 78825 + 78830 for a grappler at half price. No need for an alignment after when yu do it on the car.

This, no questions about it. A press may be a tad bit more useful for other things but for wheel bearings and hubs and stuff these two astro sets are great. Once you use them you will be glad you did and like mentioned you don't have to pull the knuckle so no alignment after.

 

[Skin]

Actually it depends on the design. On older Honda's with the ball joint in the knuckle you need to remove the strut bolts to get enough room to remove the axle anyway so in effect you end up basically removing the whole thing. They aren't cam bolts unless they were replaced though so the only thing that might be tweaked a hair is camber.

A press is nice to have but generally the bearing/hub press kits are easier to set up making them faster. With the HF press you'll also want to throw the cast press plates in the recycle so add that to the expense as well.

 

[matt_i]

Its my opinion that to get the maximum out of the press you need a lathe.

The array of sockets is reasonable and good but eventually you will come up with something that doesn't quite work right and then the press can create more of a mess.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

AP 78825 + 78830 for a grappler at half price. No need for an alignment after when you do it on the car.

This is my preference IF you have access to a solid air supply to run the impact, or a top notch electric impact. I've never tried to do one by hand with my astro kit - pulling the hub seems possible, but the crusty bearing? Hope you have a long cheater pipe.

On the flip side you really want bearing splitters and a large assortment of press adapters using a 20ton press.


I have access to all of this, and typically prefer the astro kit, even if I pull the knuckle out and just do it on the floor. It's typically faster than pumping the press.

 

[Mr_B]

If you only looking at doing 1 or 2 car bearings get a 20T press .
if you go the hub kits it got be quality so it AP or better, HF kits are junk on rusty hubs .
If you got air a decent high power nano impact and long stroke air hammer make life much easier .

 

[ThePostman]

I have the HF press I use it for hubs and bearings at least weekly at my shop WITH Astro 78825. The Astro set provides all the right bearing drivers and most importantly, the 4 big cups of the set allow you to sit the knuckle on top of one of them, making it level and there is no wasting time engineering a setup to make the knuckle sit level to use the press. Buy both. Together, they make the job fast. Top it off with a set of knipex precision retaining ring pliers, and the proto horseshoe clip pliers and nothing is in your way.
I also have Astro 78830, only used on ford transit rear drums, it works well.
Once the knuckle is off the car, a vise, big socket, and mini sledge, knocks the hub out, then off to the press for the bearing. Get the press, you'll have a press, how many people can say that? It's used for more than just wheel bearings.

 

[Showkey]

Actually it depends on the design. On older Honda's with the ball joint in the knuckle you need to remove the strut bolts to get enough room to remove the axle anyway so in effect you end up basically removing the whole thing. They aren't cam bolts unless they were replaced though so the only thing that might be tweaked a hair is camber.

A press is nice to have but generally the bearing/hub press kits are easier to set up making them faster. With the HF press you'll also want to throw the cast press plates in the recycle so add that to the expense as well.

The plates are not cast.....they have not been cast for years.

Its my opinion that to get the maximum out of the press you need a lathe.

The array of sockets is reasonable and good but eventually you will come up with something that doesn't quite work right and then the press can create more of a mess.

The collars and disks from the kits like AP , seal installer kits are critical part of the supplies for the press

 

[Formerjeeper]

AP 78825 + 78830 for a grappler at half price. No need for an alignment after when yu do it on the car.

Agree. I have these and it made the job simple and didn’t require alignment. I did use the big Makita electric impact - I think Astro is the only manufacturer that rates their hub tool for impact use. Just grease the threads well.

 

[ex-x-fire]

Don't forget a pair of heavy duty snap ring pliers.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Don't forget a pair of heavy duty snap ring pliers.

Rattle it with the air hammer, then Knipex snap ring pliers - perfection.

 

[ex-x-fire]

Any places have the bearing removal tool for rent? I use a slide hammer to remove the hub from the bearing, then use the threaded press to pull out the bearing of the knuckle.
Edit, O'Reiilys has it for rent, Adv nor Az don't.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Bearing buster and an air hammer has worked for me

 

[ex-x-fire]

Bearing buster and an air hammer has worked for me

I think he's working on a press in bearing not a bolt on one.

 

[MikeH]

Any places have the bearing removal tool for rent? I use a slide hammer to remove the hub from the bearing, then use the threaded press to pull out the bearing of the knuckle.
Edit, O'Reiilys has it for rent, Adv nor Az don't.

Thanks, I had checked Autozone, but hadn't checked O'Reily's yet, I'll definitely look into that.

 

[MikeH]

AP 78825 + 78830 for a grappler at half price. No need for an alignment after when yu do it on the car.

I need to do the ball joints too (I broke the stud taking the wheel off so I could get a closer look at what was going to be involved in that job), so would need an alignment in any case. This time. That's still a good point for the future. Thanks for the part numbers.