How to remove rear hub

I am working on a mid 50's light Bedford truck, with 16" single wheels. I have removed the castellated nut and washer from the end of the rear axle, and attached a puller to two wheel studs, with the 5/8 drive bolt pressing on the end of the axle. I can see a key about 5/16 square. Despite huge pressure on the puller, the hub will not budge, and I have added oxy heat with puller tightened. Any suggestion will be appreciated.

Hi Jeff ?
Try shocking the hub on the axle taper. To do this use a solid steel drift plus a descent sized hammer. Get an off sider (Missus?) to hold a steel dolly block on opposite side to where you apply drift. Also try fitting wheel back on and putting back on the ground. Jack opposite side of axle up. Screw nut back on flush with end of thread on axle. Use a big brass drift and a descent hammer and bash hit the end of axle. If this fails, make a puller that picks up all the wheel studs with a 1" bolt as the jacking bolt. Machine the end of bolt to same diameter as end of axle. Apply force to bolt and smack the head of the bolt. If all fails soak hub for a couple of weeks with penetrene or the like and try all again.
Glenn

Yep, what Glenn said but do up the puller as tight as you dare, give it a good gentle heat and using a sledge hammer, give it a nice dull tap. Don't flog it as you'll only shock the puller bolt and not the taper. If that fails, heat it up and cool it down repeatedly until something happens. You could also just leave the puller on overnight and see what happens...

Regards DD

When using heat to release; heating all round will heat the axle to the same extent so there is no net difference of expansion. So just heat one third of the hub to get the hub to expand off the axle. The other thing is to make some sort of container around the axle if this is possible and put crushed ice into it so as to shrink the axle from the hot hub - was the only way I got a taper fit king pin out on one job.

Hi,
I am having the same trouble with my J1 Bedford.
One side came off easy as it had a oil seal leak.
The other side has had a 10 ton puller on it with heat to the hub till it was red and also a few wacks with a hammer on the hub taper.

The trouble is the hub taper is partly covered by the brake drum and you can not get heat the full length.

The bearing retainer bolts are concealed and you can not get to them to undo the axil as an assembly and place in a press.
Luckily the brake cyl can be removed from the outside.

My plan is to undo the axil nut 1 turn and re cotter pin it and drive the truck around a bit and see if it will let go.

If that doesn't work, I will have to find a spare hub and then take to the axil hub with the gas and cut the hub till it lets go.

Cranky, I don't know if that is a good idea. I'm thinking that it would loosen fairly quickly, but it would also flog itself to bits in a matter of a couple of hundred metres.

Sometimes it takes perseverance with heat. You need to get movement by cycling the heat as just getting everything hot wont do it. The axle being machined from solid, or billet material will expand at a different rate than a cast steel hub. Just the different shape of the hub will cause it to expand at a different rate. Also try to keep the taper joint wet with WD40/BoltOff/Freeze and Release as any lubricant present will eventually wick in. This is why the side with the leaking oil seal came off with no trouble.

You also need to keep the puller on it and tight while you heat it, as when it cools, it will settle in a different spot. It may only be 3/8 of nothing but every heating cycle will induce movement. The problem is there is some elasticity in steel and it will creep along like a caterpillar, as in one part will move while the rest is stationary and if you can't get it to move all at once, or at least in unison, your efforts will be in vain.

Jeff is the vehicle drivable if it is put wheel back on and castellated nut on loosely and take for short drive this is so I'm told is the method used to take FX and FJ holden rear hubs off with by an old mate who worked on them

The driving method shouldn't hurt, by my (limited) experience. One back hub came loose on a friend's AP3 Wayfarer, we wondered what the noise was. It did, maybe 30 to 50 miles like that with no obvious damage. After tightening, it stayed tight.

ASW.

Also try to keep the taper joint wet with WD40/BoltOff/Freeze and Release as any lubricant present will eventually wick in. This is why the side with the leaking oil seal came off with no trouble.

Try using a candle. The wax wicks in surprisingly well.

Great for nuts and bolts. A little heat on the bolt enough to melt the candle and wick it into the thread... and a very gentle constant back and forth pressure to work the nut off.

Did you release the brake shoes by undoing the adjuster to retract the shoes.

If not it may actually be the shoes against the drum holding it.