Hydraulic or Mechanical Puller for a Seized Hub or Tight Bearing?

A seized hub or tight bearing can stall a repair, and makeshift tools can round bolts and dent surfaces. The fix is a puller that pulls evenly, with enough force, from the right place.

The hydraulic pullers range at PartsForMachines has around 120 pullers, rams, kits and related tools from Sykes Pickavant, Sealey and Draper, with hydraulic models rated from 5 to 100 tonnes.

How Do I Remove a Seized Hub Without Damaging It?

Use a hub puller that bolts to the wheel studs, so it pulls the hub evenly and reduces the risk of damaging the studs. The 12741500 five-leg hub puller, for example, fits 4, 5 and 6-stud hubs with pitch circles up to 203 mm and comes with a 12-tonne ram.

Don’t hammer the hub or bearing; a steady, controlled pull is less likely to damage parts. If the driveshaft is stuck in the hub splines, a driveshaft kit such as the GO065 presses it out. It suits SUVs and vans with M14 wheel bolts on bolt circles up to about 136 mm.

Hydraulic or Mechanical Puller: Which Do I Need?

For seized hubs and tight bearings, choose hydraulic: a ram gives more pulling force, for less effort, than turning a forcing screw. A mechanical screw puller, such as the 78588 four-stud hub puller for cars and light vans, suits smaller jobs.

Some pullers work both ways: Sykes hub pullers take an impact force screw, a hydraulic ram or a slide hammer. On the 150000V2 ram, a 30 mm spanner applies up to about 4 tonnes of preload before the hydraulics take over, giving up to about 8 tonnes. A hydraulic puller suits jobs where a screw puller is not enough but a full workshop press is impractical.

What Tonnage, Spread and Reach Do I Need?

Size the puller on the part, not the tonnage alone. Spread (how wide the jaws open) must be greater than the part’s width, and reach (how far the legs extend) must get behind it. Measure both.

For cars and light vans, look at 8 to 12-tonne kits: the 8-tonne Loadstar Lite 20100800 is built for them, and car hub pullers such as the 12741300 come with a 12-tonne ram. From 20 tonnes up, Loadstar pullers are aimed at trucks, farm machinery and plant. They are also much heavier: 88 kg for a 20-tonne Loadstar Plus kit with pump, against 26 kg for the 8-tonne Lite.

Which Puller Gets Behind a Tight or Blind Bearing?

Use thin jaws or a bearing separator where ordinary legs won’t fit behind the part, and an internal extractor where you can’t get behind it at all. The 18654500 thin-jaw puller kit is made for parts with little clearance behind them, and a separator’s tapered edges slide behind a bearing where legs can’t reach.

In a blind hole, an internal extractor such as the 09580000 split collet kit grips from inside. Its nine tapered collets cover bores of about 6.5 to 60 mm. Each expands behind the bearing as you tighten it, and a slide hammer pulls it out.

What Should I Check Before I Buy?

• the part’s diameter, and how far the legs must reach behind it
• the space behind it: standard legs, thin jaws, a separator or an internal extractor
• for hubs, the stud count, pitch circle and stud size
• the tonnage, and whether the kit is built for cars and vans, trucks or plant
• whether a ram or pump is included: “less pump” and “no ram” kits need your own

Browse the hydraulic pullers range, or contact the PartsForMachines team by WhatsApp, telephone or email with the part, its size, the space behind it and the vehicle or machine. A photo helps.

Product options, delivery options and returns terms are shown on each product page. A 30-day return policy applies to eligible items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I strike the puller while it is under load?

Only with a tool built for it. The 12735000 forcing screw with shock handle is for jobs that need shock action, in place of an 8- or 12-tonne ram. Some kits, such as the 18654500 thin-jaw kit, are not meant for impact tools.

Two legs or three: which is better?

Three legs grip more securely and pull more evenly, so use them where there is room; two legs fit where there is no space for a third. Many kits do both: the 15510500 builds eight twin or triple-leg pullers from one 8-tonne ram.

Can a hub puller also remove a drive flange?

It can, if the flange’s studs match the puller. Check the stud count, pitch circle and stud size. The PS993, for example, takes 4-stud spacings of 84 to 127 mm, 5-stud spacings of 79 to 122 mm and studs up to 15 mm.

What are all the adaptors in a puller kit for?

Each one fits the kit to a different job. Legs of several lengths set the reach, ram extensions add stroke, and a nose piece sits on centred shafts. Some hub kits add thread adaptors, such as M18 to M30 on the HGV hub puller.

How do I look after a puller ram, and what if the seals fail?

Follow the ram’s instructions and keep it lubricated: the 150000V2 is grease-filled, and the 08521800 hub puller asks for its ram to be well lubricated before use. If the seals fail, send our team the ram’s part number.

Can one ram drive several pullers?

Yes, if the threads match. Sykes says the 150000V2 also suits other puller systems, such as three-leg pullers, ball-joint extractors, hub pullers and suspension-bush removers. Add-on packs such as the 19310400 thin-jaw and separator kit come without a ram, for owners who already have one.

Is a puller worth buying for a one-off job?

It depends how often you will use it. For one stubborn hub, a local garage may be the simpler route. If you do hub, bearing or bush work regularly, a ram-based kit is worth owning, because add-on packs extend the same ram.

Which puller handles truck and tractor hubs?

Heavy hubs need heavy kit. The 21027500 HGV hub puller adjusts to pitch circles up to 445 mm, with thread adaptors for DAF, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Scania and Volvo hubs. For tractors and plant, Loadstar Plus pullers come in 20, 30 and 50 tonnes.

What should I look for in a good puller set?

Judge it on the specification, not the piece count: rated force, spread and reach, overload protection and spare parts. The 150000XT ram’s relief valve opens at 8 tonnes so it cannot be overloaded, and Loadstar Lite legs self-lock, gripping harder as the load rises.

How do I use a hydraulic puller safely?

Set it square and centred on the shaft, with the legs gripping firmly. Wear safety glasses and cover the job with a cloth or blanket, because parts can fly off if something breaks under load. Follow the kit’s instructions.