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For really stubborn drums:

Insert a tire tool or some other suitable leverage device thru the backside of the puller and against the drum.

Use 1 arm to pull the drum and axle OUTWARD while strikeing the end of the puller bolt.

Tapers are relaesed by vibrating them loose. So all shock waves sent thru the assembly need to dissipate at the taper only. If the axle shaft is up against the spider shaft then a lot of the shock wave is going into the spider shaft and not the taper. SO that is why the assembly needs to be held OUTWARD with the prybar.

While pressure is on the puller, use a large heavy drift and a hammer and strike the hub snout (on the taper area) perpindicular to the axle shaft.

Using a 2 # or 3 # hammer there is nearly no way of damaging any suspension parts. THEY are tuff!!! They have to be.

In rare occasions i have ran into high key ways. ONly once. The key way was not cut deep enuf and the outer sprocket broached it way onto the shaft and key. These type of mass production flaw problems are nearly impossible to get off without heat or sometimes even with heat.

Thanks to all of you fellas for the good information. Especially the good images of different pullers. The Manual photo of J-4153 is too small so I couldn't properly see it, but it looks remarkably like the one posted. A three bolt job.

I have been striking the tapered area with 3lb and drift as well as tightening puller but it's one of the very tight ones (like some of you have encountered).

I'll persevere and also try a few suggested techniques and if necessary I'll buy or build a better puller, when the shops reopen after New Year celebrations. At present everything closed.

. . .and I'd like to say . . . Happy New Year to you all.

Don't hit the hub itself too hard, as it's possible to crack the hub and therefore making it worthless. Also, if it doesn't crack, it's also possible to "flatten" it, and make it stick harder.

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I agree with the above. I have been removing rear hubs from tapered axles for 40 years using a puller similar to the one in Kevin's post without any trouble. I don't like the marks left by the hammer so I don't pound on the hub. Heat? Yes. Hammer? No. Just keep striking the wish bone on the puller with a large hammer. It will finally pop loose. Do leave the axle nut on backed off to the end of the axel. Without the nut the drum can come off and shoot across the shop.

Make sure you clean the taper inside and out but neve oil or grease it. Also follow the torque specifications in the book. A little too tight is better than a little too loose in my opinion.

BTW You can rent a puller from any good tool rental place as well as from many auto parts stores. I bought a new one off ebay (granted probably from China) for less than $50.00 if I remember right.

IF it's that stubborn then heat it. U'll have to use an actylene torch tho. Handheld propane torches just aren't hot enuf. Apply heat to the snout of the hub where the taper is. Work the heat around the circumfrence of the hub snout as best u can. Don't just heat in one place but try to concentrate some in line with the key.

Once the drum is removed check the key way slot in the hub to see if any metal has rolled up due to the key digging in. If so then the key may need to be dressed down 0.005" or so. Clear out any metal rolled up in the key slot of the hub. Hopefuly that's not the case tho.

Next time the puller is removed from the drum check to see if the key slot in thedrum is lined up with the key way in the end of the shaft. If not, then at one time the the nut was probably not tite enuf and the drum turned on the shaft shearing the key. Some big palooka then places enormous torque on the nut just to get him thru for a while.

THus there is no way of knowing what kind of metal has rolled up in there makeing it extra stubborn if the key ways prove not be lined up.

I stopped all percussion (hitting the hub), visited a mate who gave me a piece of 1/2inch plate, and set about making a better puller (5-bolt- please see pics. Here in The Colonies everything is shut during the New Year so no chance to buy a proper puller).

It's a very basic design but happily it worked well. Turned castellated nut around, fitted puller and gave the 5 bolts just a few turns, and it popped easily without having to tap the snout. Yesterday I had applied a lot of pressure on the home-made 2-bolt puller and got nowhere . . .

Once I had the project car hub popped I used it on the badly rusted 'spare axle' that is amongst my spares. It popped easily too. A few turns on five hi tensile bolts must amount to many tons per square inch force . . .

I think the liberal dowsing with WD40 helped a lot, it had moved right through both the taper on the car axle and also the taper on the spare (rusty) axle over a day or two.

Fortunately the tapers / keys etc are AOK (no damage), so now, onwards!

I'll renew seals, bearings are OK, pinion seal will be the next thing to remove and renew.

Once again - thanks to all of you fellas for your very good advice.

Larry,

Congratulations. Like the DIY puller, simple and effective, probably distributes the pulling forces more evenly around the hub and contributes to the ease of removal. Maybe the loosening effect of your earlier attempts could have helped too?

May I respectfully suggest future use of PB Blaster or Kroil to penetrate rust. WD40 is not a penetrating oil nor does it claim to be. PB Blaster and Kroil are both excellent products that will penetrate and loosen rusty bolts.
WD40 when sprayed upon metal will stop rust from forming and that is its claim. It won't do anything to existing rust.