Time to relax the axle holes?

[zigzag]

Guess shipping the cars in the middle of the summer dries them out a bit...

Getting the other 3 wheels off was hard but this one is not going anywhere. No big loss since this car was being retired - but man the wheels really didn't want to come out.....

One question - you guys run enough wheel gap to get the 'red pliers' onto the end of the axle head - or do you run so little gap you don't have enough clearance to get the pliers on the axle head?

 

[down4derby]

K grooves on the rear axles will help with axle removal.

 

[Skippy Kicky]

K grooves on the rear axles will help with axle removal.

+1

I groove all my axles now for that reason. I like a tight gap between the hub and body, so the tuning groove allows you to put light pressure on the wheel and turn the axle back and forth to break it loose. It has helped keep my wheels running longer too.

 

[ngyoung]

I've screwed up a few wheel hubs pulling wheels. Do the groove to get them loose. I use dental floss to lasso around the axle head to pull. Adding a very small air vent hole on the bottom of the car can also help with suction.

 

[HurriCrane Racing]

Man that hurts to look at! I will typically run very little gaps so there will be no way to get the red pliers on to the axel.
I will put tuning grooves in all axels. Like Skippy, I will use a screwdriver to twist the axel while putting light pressure on the wheel to remove.
Pulling on a wheel is sure to damage the outer hub and kill your speed.

 

[GravityX]

Like the other guys, I've been cutting slots in all the axle heads for this simple reason, ease of removal. Twisting the axle while exerting light pressure on the wheel allows easier removal of the assembly. I'm personally not a big fan of the pliers. A well cut K-House groove helps considerably to prevent the screwdriver from "camming" out of the slot.

Not my own, but I've seen some cars delivered to the races in similar conditions, due to poor choice of packaging.

 

[bracketracer]

I use a 1/8" endmill to plunge in the body centered on the tip of the axle when I build a car. I use a thin flat blade screwdriver in the hole to push the axle out far enough to get the axle pliers on. Most of my cars like tight wheel gaps.

 

[561 racing]

Those little red pliers are good tool for many things but not to be used to pull your good axles out of your car!!!

 

[PushcartDerby]

I've screwed up a few wheel hubs pulling wheels. Do the groove to get them loose. I use dental floss to lasso around the axle head to pull. Adding a very small air vent hole on the bottom of the car can also help with suction.

I wish this thread would have been posted a few weeks ago before I popped the hub right out of my wheel. I had the k house groove to loosen the axle, but it still wouldn't come out. I really like the dental floss idea. I will have to try that next time.