Patent Application
20230202008
This disclosure relates to an automotive tool for use in the removal of a hub and bearing assembly from a suspension arm of a vehicle.
The hub assembly and the suspension arms of a vehicle are often made of dissimilar metals that can corrode and seize the hub assembly to the suspension arm making it difficult to separate from each other.
The following presents a general summary of aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.
Aspects of this disclosure may relate to a tool for removing a hub assembly from a suspension arm of a vehicle that comprises: (a) a hub remover plate that includes a front surface, a rear surface opposite the front surface, an arcuate section extending between the front surface and the rear surface, where the hub remover plate further comprises a slot and an opening extending through the hub remover plate; (b) an insert that includes a first portion that is configured to be received within the opening of the hub remover plate, a second portion that has a width greater than a shortest dimension of the opening to prevent the insert from passing through the opening during use of the tool, and a threaded axial bore extending through the insert; and (c) a pusher screw assembly that includes a screw, where the screw is configured to be received in the threaded axial bore of the insert. In some examples, the slot of the hub remover plate may comprise two slots, where the two slots have a common centerline. The slot may have a width and a length, and where the width is approximately 30 percent of the length. The opening of the hub remover plate may be generally rectangular in shape. A centerline of the opening may be aligned with the center of a radius of the arcuate section. The pusher screw assembly may further include a ball bearing pivot and a pusher pin, where the ball bearing pivot is received within an axial bore at a first end of the screw. The screw may also include a hexagonal shaped head at a second end of the screw opposite the first end. The pusher pin may include a first section that is at least partially received within the axial bore at the first end of the screw. A first end of the first section of the pusher pin may include a concave surface, where the concave surface has the same radius of the ball bearing pivot. The pusher pin may include a second section opposite the first end that includes a second end face with a planar surface.
Other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a method of removing a hub assembly from a suspension arm of a vehicle comprising: (a) attaching a hub remover plate to the hub assembly by positioning a first lug of the hub assembly through a first slot in the hub remover plate; (b) attaching a first nut onto the first lug to hold the hub remover plate to the hub assembly; (c) rotating the hub assembly to align an opening of the hub remover plate with a fixed member of the suspension arm; (d) inserting a first portion of an insert into the opening; (e) aligning a threaded axial bore of the insert with position a second portion of the insert with the fixed member of the suspension arm; (f) coupling a screw assembly to the threaded axial bore of the insert by placing a threaded shaft section of the screw assembly into the axial threaded bore such that the screw assembly is in contact the fixed member of the suspension arm; and (g) attaching a drive tool to the screw assembly to rotate the screw assembly. The screw assembly may comprise a screw, a ball bearing pivot, and a pusher pin, where the ball bearing pivot is received within an axial bore at a first end of the screw. The screw may further include a hexagonal shaped head at a second end of the screw opposite the first end, and wherein the pusher pin includes a first section that is at least partially received within the axial bore at the first end of the screw. A first end of the first section of the pusher pin may include a concave surface, where the concave surface has the same radius of the ball bearing pivot. The pusher pin may include a second section opposite the first end that includes a second end face with a planar surface. The method may further comprise positioning a second lug of the hub assembly through a second slot in the hub remover plate; and attaching a second nut onto a second lug.
Still other aspects of this disclosure may relate to a tool for removing a hub assembly from a suspension arm of a vehicle comprising: (a) a hub remover plate that includes a front surface, a rear surface opposite the front surface, an arcuate section extending between the front surface and the rear surface, where the hub remover plate further comprises a first elongated slot, a second elongated slot, and an opening that extend through the hub remover plate; where the first elongated slot and the second elongated slot are aligned on the same centerline; (b) an insert comprising a first portion that is configured to be received within the opening of the hub remover plate, a second portion that has a width greater than a shortest dimension of the opening to prevent the insert from passing through the opening during use of the tool, and a threaded axial bore extending through the insert; and (c) a pusher screw assembly that includes a screw, where the screw is configured to be received in the threaded axial bore of the insert. The opening of the hub remover plate may be generally rectangular in shape. A centerline of the opening may be aligned with the center of a radius of the arcuate section. The pusher screw assembly further may include a ball bearing pivot and a pusher pin, wherein the ball bearing pivot is received within an axial bore at a first end of the screw.
To allow for a fuller understanding of the present disclosure, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying images and drawings in which:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail example embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. In the following description of various example structures according to the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration various example devices, systems, and environments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts, example devices, systems, and environments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Also, while the terms “front,” “rear,” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or the orientation during typical use. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three-dimensional orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of this invention. Also, the reader is advised that the attached drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
In general, this disclosure relates to a tool used for removal of hub and bearing assemblies from a vehicle suspension arm. The hub assembly and the suspension arms are often made of dissimilar metals that can corrode and seize the hub assembly to the suspension arm making it difficult to separate.
Referring to
As shown in
As best shown in
As shown in
Pusher pin 11c includes a first section 44 which is preferably a cylindrical shaft having a first diameter and a second cylindrical section 45 having a second diameter. The first section 44 having a first diameter that is sized and configured to fit and be at least partially received within the axial bore 43 of at a first end of screw 11a. The second diameter is preferably greater than the first diameter. The first section 44 may include a first end face 46 which is preferably concave and sized and configured to match the radius of ball bearing pivot 11b. The first section 44 includes a reduced diameter portion towards the first end face 46 which facilitates breaking of the seal imparted by the o-ring seal 60 to allow air to escape from the cavity. The second section 45 includes a second end face 47 which is preferably a planar surface.
With respect to the use of the hub remover tool 1, the hub remover plate 10 is attached or affixed to the hub assembly 16 by positioning at least one lug 14 through elongated slot 19. Preferably, washers 13, shown in
The hub remover tool 10 described herein enables a user to remove a hub assembly 16 from a suspension arm 17 of a vehicle. It is also understood that the systems, methods, and machines described herein may be constructed with similar structural and functional elements having different configurations, including different ornamental appearances. Still other benefits may be recognized by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.
This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/317,604 titled “Hub Remover Tool” filed on Mar. 8, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63317604 | Mar 2022 | US |
