# Blind Hole Bearing Puller Tool



## Kroll

Guys do these work?I would like to use it to remove some needle roller bearings for the Colchester?


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## seasicksteve

Never tried a puller like that. I have used hydraulic method ( grease and tight fitting shaft) to remove bearings with good results


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## kvt

I also have use the hydraulic method, but have also used one of the ones that have little gripers that grip the inside of the bushing and the slide hammer to pull it out.  Never used it on a bearing and wander how it would work as you have to put a lot of pressure on the bearings to get it to grip,  thus putting pressure outward toward the hole locking it in place more.   Also if the ends of the bearing are not strong enough it could cause the end to give and all you remove is the needles and then have to get the case out.


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## Kroll

Educate me on hydraulic method.Guessing pack it full of grease then


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## Kroll

Thanks guys well never tried or heard of the hydraulic method but it sure sounds like it will work.Take a look at the pics,the small at the bottom is thread so I could plug it.


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## Ed ke6bnl

I watched a guy use the hydraulic method with no success and for real, mashed up and soaked bread worked far better.


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## kd4gij

I have you both the tool and hydraulic method with good results with both. While the hydraulic method is free I never pass up a good reason to buy a new tool.


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## 4GSR

The needle bearing looks fine to me.  Just being nosey, why do you want to pull the needle bearing?


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## Billh50

I haven't tried the hydraulic method but have only used teh HF puller with some minor stock removal to fit jaw under the bearing well.


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## Kroll

Thanks guys and please do be nosey,well I figure since I had the lathe taken apart I would just go ahead and replace them since they are 1965 bearings.The new ones were about 6.00 or so which were not to expensive compared to Clausing so I though I would just replace them.Your right they do look good but I have no knowledge of the lathe from the previous owner other than being told it was a working lathe.I'm sure that the 1965 bearings are better made than todays bearings but they still are 1965 bearings.Should I or shouldn't I replace them?The bearings that I want to replace,I don't want to work my tail off just to get them out,want to be civil about it and not barbaric about it( little humor)


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## Terrywerm

If the bearings and their mating shafts look good, I would not bother replacing them. If they've been in there for fifty years and have not failed, they will probably continue to perform just fine for the next fifty.


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## joshua43214

When I was a mechanic, I pulled countless blind bearings. Pilot bearings in particular have a bad habit of getting really stuck.
I have use pullers with legs, blind bearing pullers (I have a very expensive and very well made German kit), and the "hydraulic" method.
By far the easiest and most reliable is the hydraulic method. Blind hole pullers are the least effective on bearings like you pictured. The cage tends to collapse and it just pulls the needles out, and you are left with a mess. Pullers work best on bushings or outer races. I have had them pull the inner race right off the outer.

Legged pullers are next to useless unless the bearing will more or less slide out with very little effort.
Even with factory made blind pullers, the results are intermittent. Some times it works well, other times the puller just makes a huge mess out of the bearing. Once a blind hole puller has done it's damage, about the only way to remove the bearing it to carefully split it.

It is best to always start with the hydraulic method.
carefully pack the hole with general purpose grease, try to get as few air bubbles in it as possible. just keep putting it in there, and packing it down with a drift punch or dowel. Fill it all the way up. Line up a drift that fills the hole as close as possible, and hit it with a really hard sharp blow with a large hard steel hammer (a ball peen is best). It is a good idea to hold the drift with a punch holder, it really sucks when you miss the drift and hit your hand. Wear goggle, or better yet a full face shield. Sometimes the grease will spray, and it is usually very hot.
I have had stuck bearings come out with so much force the grease smokes, and the part is too hot to touch.

Your bearing looks to be in good shape, it should come right out of there. There are other alternatives I would pursue before buying a tool that will see almost no use. There is no reason you could not clamp it in the mill, run a boring head down far enough to clean off the end, remove the needles, then bore the cage out so it is only a couple thou thick. You can then peel what is left out easily with a pick and needle nose pliers.


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## Smithdoor

The bearing pullers just will not work in some places
Some times I have to  make dowel to fit the bushing or bearing and fill the hole with oil and hit the the dowel  
Note: use a rag around the dowel or the oil will fly


Dave


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## joshua43214

Kroll said:


> ...
> I'm sure that the 1965 bearings are better made than todays bearings but they still are 1965 bearings.
> ...



Quite the opposite actually. A good Timken or NSK will be of higher quality that the bearings from 1965.
Not everything was better back in the good old days. In fact most things were worse. All we see today is the good stuff that lasted through the years...


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## Kroll

Guys thanks for all your thoughts on this and I will be passing on the tool.I guess they are kinda like fishing lures,look good like they will work but the only catch is the person that brought it.I think that I will just stick with the bearings that in there.I will need to replace one but its already out in pieces just like what has been describe.The bearings that I purchase is INA made here in the states,but don't know if they are any good.Thanks for all the replys


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## Ulma Doctor

INA bearings are very good industrial quality bearings.
i have hundreds of them running in machines all over the west coast, right now as we speak.

i might reiterate others' sentiments by saying, don't fix something that ain't broke.
if there is excessive heat, noise, vibration, poor operation, or failure - that's the time to get gung ho

conversely, the best way to learn something is to completely screw things up and then find a way to get yourself out of the hole you dug 

i guess it would depend on your intentions, in the depth of repairs.
personally i'll let a machine operate until it tells me otherwise,
then once it has failed, i like to build it from the ground up- replacing anything and everything that is deficient.
i build machines for continuous duty, your needs may differ greatly


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## Kroll

Thanks Ulma for replying,I guess only reason I have is because I have the lathe completely taken apart down to the last screw.Its all painted which can be seen  here http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/colchester-1965-roundhead-lathe-restoration-project.38208/
I just wanted piece of mind knowing that they have been replace.


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## cascao

Hydraulic method with paper towel


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## rusty reamer

cascao said:


> Hydraulic method with paper towel


I have a similar puller from HF. works well on bearing races that are pressed in with flange, like a pilot bearing or races of a motorcycle swing arm.


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## kvt

I have not used oil for the hydraulic method,  But have used lite weight grease.   it helps as it will still provide the hydraulic action but will not push out around the shaft as easy.   Have used it to take out many stuck pilot needle bearings along with bushings.   IT is messy any way you go about it.   That one looks like you would have to mount it on something in order to do the Hydraulic as it would just push out the back.   I agree if it ain't broke don't mess with it,   But inspect it very well, and if you find any defect on any needle or the shaft redo it.


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## T Bredehoft

I dont believe the needle bearings can be removed hydraulically.  That requires a solid bushing type bearing, no way for the grease to get out, other than pushing the bearing out. the cage of the needle bearings would leak like the proverbial sieve. Before considering removing the bearing I'd look at the shaft that runs in it. If it looks distressed, they it will need ground in addition to replacing the bearing.


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## joshua43214

T Bredehoft said:


> I dont believe the needle bearings can be removed hydraulically.  That requires a solid bushing type bearing, no way for the grease to get out, other than pushing the bearing out. the cage of the needle bearings would leak like the proverbial sieve. Before considering removing the bearing I'd look at the shaft that runs in it. If it looks distressed, they it will need ground in addition to replacing the bearing.


It works just fine with needle bearings if you use wheel beating grease. They are common enough as pilot bearings on some cars. I have never used any thing but grease, I can't speak for other methods like bread or wet paper towels.


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## T Bredehoft

joshua43214 said:


> It works just fine with needle bearings


I stand corrected. First time today.


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## Uglydog

Thank you all for this thread.
I'm rebuilding a Millrite for a friend.
I've got new gears in the knee, now working powerfeeds. The bearings on Z axis 3ph motor are audibly chunk-chunk when turned by hand. 
I've not pulled bearings before. Thanks for the thread.

Daryl
MN


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## zmotorsports

I have the style of blind bearing puller like you showed in your original post.  I have used it for a couple of decades now mainly on motorcycles, but other items too.  It works well IF, the interference fit is not too tight, the cage and rollers hold together in place and especially if there is a small flange on the inside.  The hydraulic method works well also but again, if the interference fit is too tight this doesn't always work.

Mike.


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## Dranreb

I found linseed oil window glazing putty works best on needle bearings, used it many times with bronze bushes as well, if they're really tight it feels and sounds like hitting solid metal with the drift, but never fails to move them.

Bernard


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## Ed ke6bnl

glazing putty sound like the best alternativetive so far, just for maybes how about silly puddy ??


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## Dranreb

Have in mind the forces involved here, unless the part is very big be sure to support the bearing housing on a solid metal base to prevent knocking out the end of the blind hole, Cast iron parts can easily be broken by using this method.

Bernard


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## Kroll

Well dang,I had my mind all made up but now re-thinking it.The glazing compound sure sounds good besides the fantastic ideal of this method.Like Mike said its should be just an interference fit,I may just go  ahead and just give it a try,what tha heck.Using this method if it don't work all I have to do is just clean up the mess.Like Daryl said this is a good learning post


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## Uglydog

Sounds like the more non-compressible the liquid the more power it has.

Daryl
MN


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## 24dickinson24

Kroll said:


> Guys do these work?I would like to use it to remove some needle roller bearings for the Colchester?


I have pulled dozens of needle bearings by tig welding a nut (or bolt) to the outer race and then pulling out with a standard slide hammer. I have tried the "hydraulic" method a few times with no luck. I also worried about the very real possibility if injecting grease in to my hands if it came out somewhere unexpected.


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## echesak

I used the hydraulic method on a blind roller bearing on the top end of my Bridgeport.  This is after wrestling with it for more than a day.  A needle bearing or bushing will press out easier than the roller bearing that I had.   For the hole in the bottom, just insert a small circle of brass to cover the hole. As the pressure increases, the seal will be made tighter.  Hold it in place with a little grease.

Since my bearing was large (1.5" or so), it took a couple packings of grease.  But I had it out in about 3 minutes.  It's one of those techniques that once you use it, you'll never forget it.  I had issue with grease passing through the broken roller bearing seals, but the high pressure, quick onset of the grease was too much for it and the bearing popped right out.  I also covered the bearing with a couple layers of plastic wrap, to keep the grease contained when I hit the piston with my rubber mallet.


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## Starlight Tools

I have the OTC set similar to the set posted.  I was trying to pull a bearing on an over-rotor motor and there was a blind mounted bearing that was in a pocket that was five inches deep, and the bearing was sitting almost flush to the back of the bearing seat.  This turned out to be the only method that worked to remove the bearing.  Walter


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## ARKnack

I've never used the hydraulic method. I will have to try it some day. I do have a set of these pullers and have used them a few times. If you can adequately fit the assembly, it works just fine. I never needed to use the slide hammer yet. Mine have pulled some pretty nasty bearings. If you decide to by it, shop around, their cost varies widely.


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## Dave Smith

Kroll said:


> Guys do these work?I would like to use it to remove some needle roller bearings for the Colchester?


We bought a set from HF in our maint shop and they worked well for me--I don't think the set went small enough to work on hand tool or very large blind bearings but worked good on the sizes they covered---Dave


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## radial1951

echesak said:


> I used the hydraulic method on a blind roller bearing on the top end of my Bridgeport.  This is after wrestling with it for more than a day.  A needle bearing or bushing will press out easier than the roller bearing that I had.   For the hole in the bottom, just insert a small circle of brass to cover the hole. As the pressure increases, the seal will be made tighter.  Hold it in place with a little grease.
> Since my bearing was large (1.5" or so), it took a couple packings of grease.  But I had it out in about 3 minutes.  It's one of those techniques that once you use it, you'll never forget it.  I had issue with grease passing through the broken roller bearing seals, but the high pressure, quick onset of the grease was too much for it and the bearing popped right out.  I also covered the bearing with a couple layers of plastic wrap, to keep the grease contained when I hit the piston with my rubber mallet.


*
Great to see a 1st hand description by someone who has done it! Good idea to use a small disc to block off the bottom hole.

The hydraulic method works just fine, motor mechanics have been using it to remove pilot bearings in the rear of crankshafts for a over a century now. Some are bronze bushes and some are needle roller bearings. My 1980's 351 Ford had a needle bearing and I used a piece of bright mild steel as a "piston".

Would you believe, just yesterday I showed my 15 year old grandson how to remove a bearing from a blind hole. He is giving an OS 81 4stroke a new set of bearings but one end of the camshaft is supported by a shielded race in a small (and deep) blind bore in the crankcase. That had him scratching his head! Anyway, Grandpa to the rescue, proved yet again 50yrs of engineering experience comes in handy! It was a good lesson...

As for whether to replace your bearing or not... tough decision. Partly depends on how difficult it is to get at it for a possible future repair, could you pull that housing out for a look to see how it's going? The surface of the shaft appears slightly worn, but not to the extent of metal flaking off, but still could do more damage to a new bearing than leaving it to happily go on for another few decades, especially if it will have an easy life. Difficult to assess without seeing the rest of the gearbox and knowing the machine's history.

Regards, RossG
radial1951
___________


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## Old Dog

Hi. I have pulled tapers and needles by making up a cone type thick washer with a maximum OD that is bigger than the bore of the race but less than the housing bore behind the race. Put 2 flats on the side so you can pass it through the race and a tapped hole in the middle. Feed it through , turn it. Put the screw in and pull it out. You need a little space behind the race to do this but it works excellently. Regards Bill


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## Ed ke6bnl

Old Dog said:


> Hi. I have pulled tapers and needles by making up a cone type thick washer with a maximum OD that is bigger than the bore of the race but less than the housing bore behind the race. Put 2 flats on the side so you can pass it through the race and a tapped hole in the middle. Feed it through , turn it. Put the screw in and pull it out. You need a little space behind the race to do this but it works excellently. Regards Bill


  kinda like axle bearing pullers are


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## T Bredehoft

Should the hydraulic method blow out the casting behind the bearing/bushing, don't despair.  Go around behind it and drive the bearing/bushing out with a drift. When replacing it, cover the hole with a circle of .010 shimstock before inserting the bearing/bushing.


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## ariscats

For Daryl.From what i remember of my University days (a long time ago in a Galaxy far far away) no liquid is "sensibly"
compressible.Then i may be wrong.
Aris


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## Ulma Doctor

The principle of hydraulic function relies on the fact that a liquid cannot be compressed


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## Matt Irvine

This won't work in this situation, but when removing the cup for cup and cone bearing from a blind hole, try running a ring of weld around the cup, when it cools it will contract and just drop straight out.


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## Fabrickator

I've used those pullers many times and recently made one to pull a bushing from my belt sander roller.  It really wasn't too difficult and I didn't need the whole set (very expensive).  Disclaimer: I already had a slide hammer.


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## RJSakowski

ariscats said:


> For Daryl.From what i remember of my University days (a long time ago in a Galaxy far far away) no liquid is "sensibly"
> compressible.Then i may be wrong.
> Aris


The property needed, in addition to incompressibility, is high viscosity.  A highly viscous liquid like grease or wax, combined with a sudden impact does the trick. The "piston" should fit the bearing as tight as possible to provide the greatest restriction to flow.  The high viscosity also reduces flow rate, requiring more pressure to push the liquid out.  The resultant pressure pushes the bearing out.  There have been tools for unplugging blocked grease fittings sold for decades which used this principle.  They are said to develop several thousand psi. of pressure.


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## Fabrickator

Matt Irvine said:


> This won't work in this situation, but when removing the cup for cup and cone bearing from a blind hole, try running a ring of weld around the cup, when it cools it will contract and just drop straight out.



This is a method that I've used for bearing races, but mostly for removing valve seats in aluminum cylinder heads.


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## KBeitz

For any bearing in a cap just tape the cap on the end of a tack hammer and smack an anvil. Everything will come to a stop but the bearing. the sudden stop will make the bearing slide right out of the cap.


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## Smithdoor

I use bearing puller, hydraulic method and torch (just heat one side to red and let cool and will side out)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk


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