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Lug ripper

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Joined
Jul 24, 2016
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3,371
Too cool. I've always just ramped up the torque on the impact and hammer it until the lug breaks then beat the lug out with a punch, but that looks pretty effective too. Wonder how much? It's not a snap on so might actually be affordable.... :lol:
 

L.Cheapo

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Oct 23, 2014
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I think its a neat idea. And if it really gets seized/stripped lugs off in 10-15 minutes, its well worth it for a shop.
 

Bcom

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The video kinda skipped over showing the tool actually working completely. I would have gladly watched the entire drill process but they cut out alot of the film so who knows if it really works or not:dunno:
 

gungatim

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I just use the $8 version at AutoZone...it was recommended by a tire store tech when I called to see if they had the special vw locking lug nut tool after torching one off...it's what they use at the tire store and I ended up buying both sizes and they have worked on several other cars from Lincoln's to neon's...$300 seems a bit much when cheaper tools work just as well.
 

nickz

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Mar 5, 2012
Messages
66
image.jpgI was going to post a new thread about this tool but desided to search and found one already alive.
It works.
I got a better deal buying it with the air powered drill,but used my miwakee electric torque monster drill instead. Way better,slow and steady worked well for me.
It worked very well for me.
I had basically destroyed the nut,heat,chiesel etc. The sleeve ,that comes with , I was afraid would not work,there was not much left.
If I am not mistaken but it seems that the cutter will centre itself on the stud, which is harder steel.
Here's a couple
 

Loscaldazar

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Feb 23, 2013
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Aren't dodge vehicle notorious for how bad their lug nuts are to remove when they get old? They have like a hard chrome cap over soft metal, and when the cap pops off, the remnants of the lug are next to impossible to remove without carefully cutting/slicing them off. Having heard of a few people struggle with this for hours (pro techs too, not home gamers), $300 might be a small price to pay if you regularly work on these lug nut types. No personal experience, but I've been told it's a horrible job when they go bad...
 

nickz

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Mar 5, 2012
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Heck I payed less than 200 Canadian it was well worth it.
I used wd instead of water.
I would not use the air drill.
 

L.Cheapo

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Aren't dodge vehicle notorious for how bad their lug nuts are to remove when they get old? They have like a hard chrome cap over soft metal, and when the cap pops off, the remnants of the lug are next to impossible to remove without carefully cutting/slicing them off. Having heard of a few people struggle with this for hours (pro techs too, not home gamers), $300 might be a small price to pay if you regularly work on these lug nut types. No personal experience, but I've been told it's a horrible job when they go bad...

Yes and no.

The aftermarket lug nuts are junk. I didn't get a year out of them after ruining the OE ones trying to remove them after a 300lb gorilla at a tire shop "torqued" them, only on one wheel. The other three wheels still wear all of their original lugs. This is a 20 year old Ram I bought new, living its entire life on/near the beach and in the rust belt. The chrome cap is just a thin pressed piece of sheetmetal.

Under the chrome cap is...a plain lug nut. IIRC, an 18.5mm socket does the trick. Maybe it was 18. It's six sided like any other hex nut, its just ugly. You remove it like any other lug nut at that point. If its seized, then its seized or galled, and any nut can do that.

We have 3 Chrysler products in the fleet, from 98-15, and I don't think I've replaced more than 1 lug nut in the last 5 years. That was right after a visit to the tire shop. Hmm.

I was a bit short on time so I couldnt REALLY look at them, but the lugs on my old man's Ranger looked awfully similar last time I took them off.
 

joe_padavano

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"... highly desgined..."

When the marketing copy is that bad I cover my wallet.

Beat me to it. That was where I stopped reading.

So it's a rotabroach with an outer sleeve to protect the wheel. You can buy this one (made in US) without the sleeve for $37 on Amazon.

61ITU9GLVVL._SL1182_.jpg
 

LXCam

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It's a great idea that's for sure. But for anyone that has either a little machining or heavy steel Fab experience will see they can make this happen for under a hundred pretty easy. I'm sure this guy is charging accordingly but he needs to rethink his suppliers so get his price more in line with reality, IMO


Beat me to it. That was where I stopped reading.

So it's a rotabroach with an outer sleeve to protect the wheel. You can buy this one (made in US) without the sleeve for $37 on Amazon.

61ITU9GLVVL._SL1182_.jpg

Glad I happen to have the right broaches already ;).
 

WhiffySpark

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I almost brought that more than a couple times. Well worth the money IMO. Grinding out a nut with a burr ***** ***.

Of course this is gj everything is over priced unless it’s from HF
 

stonesg

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...and if the stud is going to be destroyed anyway, might as well just hit it with the chemical wrench or cutoff wheel and be done with it.
 

2ndGearRubber

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I almost brought that more than a couple times. Well worth the money IMO. Grinding out a nut with a burr ***** ***.

Of course this is gj everything is over priced unless it’s from HF


I started just drilling them out with my norseman bits. Better than the torch, much less damage, just as fast.



Once someone has rounded it into a cone, use a punch to crush down the chrome cap (if applicable), lots of cutting oil and ALL of the pressure. Hammer on a socket once you're most of the way to the seat of the nut, and twist it off. Basically, you're just drilling through the stud until man power can snap off what's left. 3-5 minutes of drilling per lug tops. I charge RR stud, plus $50 or so, to cover drill bit wear/breakage.
 
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WhiffySpark

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...and if the stud is going to be destroyed anyway, might as well just hit it with the chemical wrench or cutoff wheel and be done with it.

Try that with recessed lug nuts.

Try that on a aluminum wheel

It doesn’t work without destroying something else.
 

WhiffySpark

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I started just drilling them out with my norseman bits. Better than the torch, much less damage, just as fast.



Once someone has rounded it into a cone, use a punch to crush down the chrome cap (if applicable), lots of cutting oil and ALL of the pressure. Hammer on a socket once you're most of the way to the seat of the nut, and twist it off. Basically, you're just drilling through the stud until man power can snap off what's left. 3-5 minutes of drilling per lug tops. I charge RR stud, plus $50 or so, to cover drill bit wear/breakage.

We charged .5 hour at least.

I really hate fing with them. They would try to get me to do it for free if they brought tires or something. Lol nope
 

stonesg

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Try that with recessed lug nuts.

Try that on a aluminum wheel

It doesn’t work without destroying something else.

Good point... My head was still thinking regular old lug nuts....

Still.... the regular cutter for 40some bucks makes more sense than this over hyped/price tool.
 

WhiffySpark

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Oct 22, 2009
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Good point... My head was still thinking regular old lug nuts....

Still.... the regular cutter for 40some bucks makes more sense than this over hyped/price tool.

Not if that Sleeve saves your $300 rim from damage
 

tjmonsen5

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Oct 14, 2009
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The lug ripper has carbide blades, I don't think a rotabroach does. At least I can't see any in that big picture posted above.
 

Skin

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Aren't dodge vehicle notorious for how bad their lug nuts are to remove when they get old? They have like a hard chrome cap over soft metal, and when the cap pops off, the remnants of the lug are next to impossible to remove without carefully cutting/slicing them off. Having heard of a few people struggle with this for hours (pro techs too, not home gamers), $300 might be a small price to pay if you regularly work on these lug nut types. No personal experience, but I've been told it's a horrible job when they go bad...

They make intermediate sizes for this.

https://store.snapon.com/Lug-Nut-Sockets-Lug-Nut-Removal-Socket-Blue-Point--P648104.aspx
 

rustbucket5

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Apr 22, 2015
Messages
252
always someone who claims any price is way too much for a certain tool. i bet you also want usa made tools and for them to last 25 years too right? grow up and learn how a business works, you cant sell something for what it costs to make it and stay in business. 300$ for a quality tool that turns 1 hour job into a 10 minute job with almost no risk of collateral damage is inline with what it is. we had a minivan with a frozen lug that took 2 hours to get off.
 

markw365

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Aug 16, 2011
Messages
207
Looks like about a 230-240 street price. Well worth it to keep from screwing up a customers wheel and make it a quick job. Spinning lugs are a pain, you can drill them but you have to hold them. If they're recessed it becomes easier to damage a wheel. This tool looks quality, and it looks to be able to save time.
 

Shadowdog500

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Yes and no.

The aftermarket lug nuts are junk. I didn't get a year out of them after ruining the OE ones trying to remove them after a 300lb gorilla at a tire shop "torqued" them, only on one wheel. The other three wheels still wear all of their original lugs. This is a 20 year old Ram I bought new, living its entire life on/near the beach and in the rust belt. The chrome cap is just a thin pressed piece of sheetmetal.

Under the chrome cap is...a plain lug nut. IIRC, an 18.5mm socket does the trick. Maybe it was 18. It's six sided like any other hex nut, its just ugly. You remove it like any other lug nut at that point. If its seized, then its seized or galled, and any nut can do that.

We have 3 Chrysler products in the fleet, from 98-15, and I don't think I've replaced more than 1 lug nut in the last 5 years. That was right after a visit to the tire shop. Hmm.

I was a bit short on time so I couldnt REALLY look at them, but the lugs on my old man's Ranger looked awfully similar last time I took them off.


+1, Once the cap is off an 18mm will work just fine. If you look on ebay you can get full sets of used factory lug nuts that look brand new pretty cheap. The custom shops sell the factory lug nuts and rims after they swap them out for custom stuff. I think I paid $25 or $30 for a full set that looked brand new. Chrystler wants like $25 for a new one so I bet they don't sell many.

Chris
 

jimsahm

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Jan 18, 2021
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Wilmington, DE
I spun the stud in one of my wheels and the lug and stud now spin freely...also probably destroyed the hole in the axle hub where the splines are seated. So, I am going to try to use this to both hold the lug and drill out the center. I do think you could rig something up to do the same thing, but this is already as people say ..."overly designed"... to do that... I will let you know my experience once complete... Yes, it is a bit pricey!!

-Jim
 

APEowner

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Oct 2, 2009
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Sunny, New Mexico
That's pretty clever. If I were still working as a tech I'd probably buy one. A rotabroach may be the same cutter but it's the guide and clamp that makes the tool. You're not going to run a rotabroach in a hand drill without damaging something.
 

moreover

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Aug 19, 2017
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Texas Hill Country
Seems to me if you manufacture the rotabroach specifically for this product... Why not make it left hand cutting. There's a good chance the concentrated heat cutting produces might back the lug off without having to drill/mill the whole lug depth.
 

jimsahm

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Jan 18, 2021
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Wilmington, DE
Well, it worked fine. Is a little expensive and the only change I would suggest is that the "sized" collets or "clamps" are fluted to the lug size. They are round and really do not grab that well. On a few higher torque twists with the drill, it spun the collet off of the lug as there is no way for the round clamp to truly get a good grip on the lug... It did work though. This was the "Lug Ripper II" so I am not sure what the difference was with the first version.

I have a video of it working that I will post.

-Jim
 

jimsahm

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Wilmington, DE
Here is the video I shot using the tool for my 1998 Jeep TJ.

It works, but is expensive and in some cases the collet slips off of the lug. It does work though! NO rim damage!!


Anyway, I hope this helps someone out with getting a spun lug stud and nut off their hub!

-Jim
 

joecon

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Oct 4, 2010
Messages
677
I have seen it used, It works well. I would buy one if I was still in the field.
 

Bessy

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Ontario, Canada
Did he misspeak or does it actually use a 20mm wrench? An odd thing to pick out of the video, maybe, but 20mm is not a common size in many kits, no?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 

xjfish

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Feb 22, 2014
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Looks good to me. Last time I had to borrow out my matco gear reduction air saw to saw off the spinning wheel studs from behind the wheel...
 

jimsahm

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Wilmington, DE
I didn't think I said what size in the video...the Collet/vice was 3/4". I checked and I was holding the clamp with a 21mm although 13/16" also fits.... I think the actual dimension on the clamp is 20mm though...as 21mm has play in it... Better solution might be adjustable wrench on it.
 
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