I do my own brakes and have for years on my truck and trailers. One of the sticking points I've found is breaking loose rust seized on brake rotors on disc brakes.No amount of beating or heating seems to loosen them (at least in my case) and I've had to resort to using a 5 pound sledge and serious beating to get them off (at the expense of suspension parts until now that is..A good friend of mine who is a professional mechanic by trade pointed me toward his method and it works like a charmI bought a Harbor Freight 12 ton hydraulic puller (70 bucks at HF). It's jaws fit over any disc (fit my F350 discs with room to spare) and you set it up (3 jaws on the disc), align the body with the center of the hub, run it in tight, apply a squirt of penetrant to the hub and 3 strokes of the hydraulic cylinder and the disc pops right off, easy as pie. Great tool and saves a lot of grief. It actually has enough hydraulic force to break a disc off the hub if you want to do that but with me, they popped right off. Sure made a miserable job a cake walk.Little FYI for those of you that do their own maintenance, like me.

Good tip!My truck rims are aluminum and tend to stick on the steel hubs. The first time I tried to remove them with an 8 lb maul and blocks of wood. My truck mechanic buddy reminded me that heating is easier. I now heat the rim and then throw a cup of water on the rim near the hub. The dissimilar metals heat and cool at different temps so the rim literally falls off the lugs, occasionally.

My issue is keeping it square starting it inBecause of android rod (so)

disc brake caliper bolts do seem to lock tight up regardless of torque. Long wrenches, hyd. Jacks big hammers are often needed to break them loose. Never Seeze on the threads is the next mechanics dream come true.

westend wrote:Good tip!My truck rims are aluminum and tend to stick on the steel hubs. The first time I tried to remove them with an 8 lb maul and blocks of wood. My truck mechanic buddy reminded me that heating is easier. I now heat the rim and then throw a cup of water on the rim near the hub. The dissimilar metals heat and cool at different temps so the rim literally falls off the lugs, occasionally.Before I re-assemble rim to hub, I paint the hub with anti-seize compound. I usually don't have a torch, a heavy maul, or any sense of patience when I'm changing a flat tire and this works for me. The anti-seize compound stays in place on my dually for a year or more.

SDcampowneroperator wrote:disc brake caliper bolts do seem to lock tight up regardless of torque. Long wrenches, hyd. Jacks big hammers are often needed to break them loose. Never Seeze on the threads is the next mechanics dream come true.Most caliper bolts have loc-tite on them. You need to heat them a little (just a propane torch will do) to break them loose.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9zFgB8lTNM

Another 'right' tool | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

Edd505
Explorer
Jan 12, 2018
SDcampowneroperator wrote:
disc brake caliper bolts do seem to lock tight up regardless of torque. Long wrenches, hyd. Jacks big hammers are often needed to break them loose.

Never Seeze on the threads is the next mechanics dream come true.

Best answer, brake bolts, lug nuts, etc.
westend
Explorer
Jan 11, 2018
Always nice to have a tool that works!!
I have a punch of pullers. My best effort was combining a piece of threaded rod, large washers, exhaust pieces, and a nut to use as a hub puller and insertion tool for my BMW rear wheels. BMW wanted > $900 for the two tools. My cost was around $10.

BTW, I tried the never-seize on my truck hubs but without luck. Maybe I need to switch brands or apply it differently. As it is, a few seconds with a propane torch and they typically loosen up easily.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Jan 11, 2018
BurbMan wrote:
I use this method of bolts through the caliper bracket to force the rotor off:

YouTube Video

Bolts through the caliper mounting boss works too but they deem the rotor unuseable again. The deface the swept braking surface so they6 cannot be resurfaced (if you want to). The puller don't damage the rotor in any way (unless it breaks in two of course). Other issue with using the caliper mounting boss is you have to buy longer bolts that are useless for anything else after you push the rotor off. You have to buy a fine thread alloy bolt (2) that then become a paperweight.

The puller works on other stuff besides the rotors (and brake drums). It works on harmonic balancers, timing gears and anything that requires pulling that is an interference fit and not just automotive. I used it the other day to pull a Lovejoy coupling half from a 10 horse electric motor that was seized on the shaft.

Works better than a conventional puller because the pressure point don't rotate, it remains stationary.
BurbMan
Explorer II
Jan 09, 2018
I use this method of bolts through the caliper bracket to force the rotor off:

YouTube Video
soren
Explorer
Jan 09, 2018
Lynnmor wrote:
SidecarFlip wrote:

I bought a Harbor Freight 12 ton hydraulic puller (70 bucks at HF). It's jaws fit over any disc (fit my F350 discs with room to spare) and you set it up (3 jaws on the disc), align the body with the center of the hub, run it in tight, apply a squirt of penetrant to the hub and 3 strokes of the hydraulic cylinder and the disc pops right off, easy as pie. Great tool and saves a lot of grief. It actually has enough hydraulic force to break a disc off the hub if you want to do that but with me, they popped right off. Sure made a miserable job a cake walk.

I would think that you should only do it this way if you are installing new rotors. Is that correct?

Not really. You're hooking the chain end hook tips into the void in the edge of the vented rotor. Shouldn't be any damage to the braking surfaces.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jan 09, 2018
SidecarFlip wrote:

I bought a Harbor Freight 12 ton hydraulic puller (70 bucks at HF). It's jaws fit over any disc (fit my F350 discs with room to spare) and you set it up (3 jaws on the disc), align the body with the center of the hub, run it in tight, apply a squirt of penetrant to the hub and 3 strokes of the hydraulic cylinder and the disc pops right off, easy as pie. Great tool and saves a lot of grief. It actually has enough hydraulic force to break a disc off the hub if you want to do that but with me, they popped right off. Sure made a miserable job a cake walk.

I would think that you should only do it this way if you are installing new rotors. Is that correct?
soren
Explorer
Jan 09, 2018
For decades, I used the same shop for inspections, and heavy repairs that I didn't DIY. What I didn't pay much attention to was that the shop policy was to apply a light coat of anti-seize on the hub contact points, every time a wheel was removed. I moved away, and within a year I'm having to sledge wheels off the car and truck. Most shops and DIYers couldn't be bothered to do it, but here in salt country, it's the difference between wheels that rot tight to the hub, or falls toward you, as you buzz the lugnuts off.

I can't find the video, but I did see a redneck rotor puller that used a small bottle jack, and a logging chain to pop rotors right off. You make a small loop of chain hooked to the edges of the rotors at 3 and 9 o'clock, by sticking the tips of the chain hooks into the rotor cooling veins. Then the jack is stuck between the chain and rotor, with the piston toward the axle nut, and it pushes the chain tight. Pops the rotor right off. I won't swear that it's a safe or good idea, but it works.
cmcdar
Explorer
Jan 09, 2018
A Brake guy I use to work with used a 12v battery and a set of jumper cables.

He zapped it and the rust just flew off.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Jan 09, 2018
SidecarFlip wrote:
I do my own brakes and have for years on my truck and trailers. One of the sticking points I've found is breaking loose rust seized on brake rotors on disc brakes.

WOW ! I can't believe you have not this method to remove stick rotors. It will take a little longer but you won't have another tool that you only use once in a blue moon !

Sadly, no such simple method works for stuck brake drums. This is THE TOOL for stuck brake drums. OTC 6980 Brake Drum Puller

Don't feel too bad. 50 years of shade tree wrench twisting and I only learned this about 20 years ago.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Jan 09, 2018
rickhise wrote:
My issue is keeping it square starting it in
Because of android rod (so)

Not following but the 3 jaws of the puller align the center ram with no input from the user. Once the puller is in place and tension applied to the jaws, it becomes immovable until the disc breaks free of the hub. I average 3 pumps of the handle and wham, off comes the disc.

Nice thing about the puller is it don't mar the disc face like hammering on it does so it is possible to get them refaced if you have enough thickness left.... or you don't break the disc in two.

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Another 'right' tool

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