I have a Pro II hub and Marzocchi forks (20mm bolt through).
The axle will turn freely and smoothly but not slide out. 50+ whacks with a mallet moved it 3-5mm.
I have access to a press (35 tons) and an engineer who's sure he can get the axle out.
My question is, what might break . I'm not worried about the fork as it will be well supported but, how about the bearings? The hub? The Axel?
I live in Thailand so would rather have spares ready and waiting.
Is the bearing likely to be reusable or will the inner surface come away with the axle?
I don't want to keep trying and break anything before I get spares but equally, I'm a bit nervous riding as an unparchable puncture means a long push home.
Thanks
As long as it's well supported on the outer face and you use the press squarely then you won't damage anything. Just take it steady as 35 tons is a fair amount
I had a stuck maxle last summer - it needed to be cut out, it was then "drifted" out from the hub, but the inner sleeve needed to be replaced.
good luck - and like me don't forget to grease them regularly from now on!
If the threaded portion of the axle is free from the fork leg, the axle must be seized inside the hub body, so the only damage you could do would be to the hub, or axle
If the axle is still threaded into the fork, obviously you could ruin the fork
Have you tried liberal application of plus gas or another penetrating oil, then trying again to release the axle
The axle doesn't screw in to the forks. It has two end caps which screw into it. The threads are on the inside.
I can't believe 20mm bearings are half the cost of a new hub!
I've tried wD40. I can't find plusgas over here. One thing I saw but didn't buy in case it would ruin the bearings was something like superfreeze (maybe made by finishline) which was basically an aerosol freeze . I guess it shrunk stuff and caused cracks in the corrosion. It said it was good for stuck seatposts. Worth a go? Likely to screw the bearings?
Cheers
Had this problem with an old hope bulb where the tolerances were too tight. I used a hacksaw blade and carefully put a cut down the inside of the axle IIRC. New axle was much less than a new hub. Had to replace the sleeve as it was undersized.
I would probably want to put new bearings in if the axle is seized in, but have a look when you get the axle out
So, wait until I get new bearings and get hammering!
I guess that if I have a new axle, I can use that to keep hammering to get the old one further out.