Seized front freewheel?

[Deek]

I want to remove my WI ffw from my echo cranks. (The cranks are shot). So I bought a freewheel extraction tool, a big bolt & nut to keep the tool from flying off, and a big wrench. I put the crank in a vice, so it can't go anywhere, and even with all of my weight on it, it hasn't moved. So I know that it's supposed to be really hard to get a front freewheel off, but is it possible that it is seized on there? I put tons of grease on there when I installed. The cranks are unusable, but I'd really like to be able to use the freewheel again to save $110...Any ideas other than explosives?

[no_seat_no_ED]

impact wrench.... if it has enough torque

[mhoulmont]

big pipe slipped over the wrench handle will do the trick.

4 foot cheater bar ftw

[bklmrkt91]

i have the same problem cept with a cog... it sucked i ended up breaking off two of the teeth using an extension torque thing trying to take it off. soooo annoying i had to order a new one. good luck

[hubertus]

You do need a long strong pipe (over 1m long is perfect) in order to have a good lever effect.
And you have to know in what direction to push to remove it! FYI, freewheels have regular thread. To undo them, turn them CCW. Sounds stupid, but I have seen people trying to remove a freewhell by actually thigthening it! :dunno:

[aki]

http://trialspads.com/shop/index.php?target=pages&page_id=wifwremoval

What I did was insert a 2' steel pipe on the wrench & like hubertus said yank it CCW (if you're looking at the FFW from the top). Instead of using a table vise, I put the whole end of the crank into the fence post. You do have to pretty much put your whole weight on it and yank it few times.

[Deek]

Yup, I am turning it CCW. I tried putting it into the end of a fencepost, but I have not tried using a pipe as a lever. Sounds like a good idea. Now I just need to find a good pipe. Junkyard maybe?

[Matt]

Yup, I am turning it CCW. I tried putting it into the end of a fencepost, but I have not tried using a pipe as a lever. Sounds like a good idea. Now I just need to find a good pipe. Junkyard maybe?
call a fence company and ask if they have a piece of 1-3/8" or 1-5/8" toprail scrap, or perhaps used pipe that you can have if you stop by.

[cwbashaw]

Here's how I do it:

I put my pedal in the vice, and let the bash rest on the edge of the bench. I don't have to worry about the crank slipping out of the vice, or getting scratched up any more than it already is.

Then I use a socket on a long breaker bar with an old handlebar or seatpost on the end of it for leverage. It works every time.


If you don't have access to a vice stick the crank into a reciever hitch on the back of a car to hold it

[chevyblazer7446]

If you don't have access to a vice stick the crank into a reciever hitch on the back of a car to hold it

Great idea. There's pipe laying around in fields and alleyways everywhere.

[Borgschulze]

Definitely cheater bar.

I had a fun time removing a bottom bracket a few months ago.

I used a 14" long pipe on a ratchet, enormous C-Clamp to hold the tool and ratchet on, and a blowtorch to heat up the aluminum frame, then jumped a few times on the cheater bar, all with the frame secured to a big steel work bench.

I for sure thought I stripped the threads right out, but I guess the steel shell bottom bracket just seized to the aluminum frame.

The cracking sound from the two metals releasing each other sounded pretty much like a gun firing.

If the crank is no good just give it all.

[egidio]

I just removed acs freewheel from crank, and i feel good.

Took me 2 hours, with 70cm pipe tool(i opened-destroyed freewheel to have good grip), was trying with heating, punching tangental...I was already prepared for loosing crank