[Montana250]

I am in the middle of replacing my axle u-joints and the axle outer dust seals but I cannot get the snap ring off to allow me to slide the wheel bearing, off. I have just a normal set of snap ring pliers and those are not hackin' it, they don't seem to open up enough.... Does anybody have any tips or tricks for getting this off? or is there a super hardcore set of snap ring pliers out there I should pick up?... Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Montana250]

bump... still can't get that mo fo off...

 

[wingnut]

yup, go get the good pliers...dunno if autozone carries em though.

 

[ABoyAndHisToys]

I've ripped mine apart several times. AZ has the set of pliers for 10bucks with the different sizes.

 

[Montana250]

Thanks guys, I just got it off... I feel I'm now in a position to give a review of dang near every brand of snap ring pliers out there:

Lisle "snap ring pliers": Broke in about 30 seconds. Has the small replaceable tips for different type rings... I returned it, luckily they have a warranty

Ultra steel snap ring pliers: Bent in about 45 seconds. These are about as cheap as you can go, but my options were limited. They didn't even open the ring enough to get it off the axle shaft.

Channel-lock brand snap ring pliers: I was really excited about these but they didn't work because they are too bulky to fit between the axle shaft and the hub housing... so they wouldn't work either

Irwin: I didn't even take this out of the package, I could tell once i got it home that it was also too bulky to fit between the shaft and the housing... strike 4 it looks like

Lisle "lock ring pliers": these worked as advertised and have been very durable, but weren't able to open the snap ring enough to get it over the axle shaft... strike 5

Snap On "lock ring pliers": JACKPOT!! the tips are small enough to actually fit inside the snap ring holes, they are VERY strong and don't flex at all... got the ring off in about 45 seconds... THANK YOU SNAP ON DUDE!!

I hope this can be helpful to somebody, save your money, go right for the snap on brand (they were about $42) I spent over $100 on all the other brands, so take my advice... bite the bullet, get snap on.

Thanks for the advice guys

 

[arriero4x4]

i have this pliers with interchangable tips. First one broke just when I tried to get the ring. The second tip didnt broke, but I cost me a lot of time and I had to be very carefull not to brake it. I finally was able to change my wheel bearing, but im buying a good new set of pliers. I´ll check for this Snap on pliers.
Thanks
arriero

 

[My07stroke]

I'm in the same boat does anyone have the tool # for the snap ons

 

[ZMANN]

you talking 05 up correct
I don't have the snap on Part #



I found some Knipex brand at grainger after a bunch of $ trial and error

 

[My07stroke]

Ya mines an 07 and I've gone through the about 5 tools already, a mechanic friend of mine is bringing me a pair he thinks will work tonight, if not I'll give those a shot

 

[ynpmoose]

This set worked well for me:

 

[Pikachu]

This pair has never failed to remove the axle shaft snap ring for me:
Craftsman.com

 

[My07stroke]

Just an update this is the pair I ended up getting and they worked awesome. Two seconds to take it off and put the new one on.

https://store.snapon.com/Snap-Ring-...ide-straight-tip-1-16-thick-end--P744936.aspx

 

[jimmyv13]

My channel lock brand of pliers worked, wasn't easy though. I'll probably get the snap on pliers for the next job.

 

[zamanica]

X2 for the Craftsman unit. i had the same issue went though 3-4 pairs and ended up over at sears and the sears pliers are a good long term tool.

I would say they are about 10% too small for the big snap ring on the ball joint though. When you fully open the snap ring on the lower ball joint it barely goes on you have to tap it just a little bit to get it on so i keep a small flat head screwdriver and a little hammer in the same bag and it has never let me down. The tips are decent as well, i bent one mis using them as a pry bar but on the snap rings they work perfect.

 

[Hannebal]

Snap On Snap (lock) ring pliers

I have gone through 3 sets of pliers trying to get this retaining (snap) ring off myself.

Lang 1434 - Good tool but does not fit/reach into hub

Lisle 46000 - Don't even waste your time or money. These are for tiny snap rings.

OTC 4513 - These are awsome!! Huge behemoths BUT they do not fit into the hub assembly! They would of worked if they did.

Just Ordered Snap On SRP3B let's hope they work! This will be almost $200 in pliers!! :crying::crying:

 

[Hannebal]

Just following up with my post. The Snap On pliers (SRP3B) worked and got out the ring just nicely. Took about 10 seconds.

Ball joints replaced and axle cleaned and new seals installed!

Thank you Snap On!!

 

[FordPSD6.0]

Well I'm cussing at the front axle snap ring on my 2007 F250. Been about 10 days on it. I own a nice pair of Craftsman snap ring pliers. But they didn't work. Bought 4 more pair from Sears of which none worked. Bought a nice set from OTC tools. They were too big for the job. Bought a pair from Gearwrench which too didn't work. Tried drilling and chiseling through the snap ring and no luck. I guess I'll hunt down the Snap-On truck and see if he has a pair of SRP3B pliers and shell out another $55. This really sucks.

 

[vitaminjoe]

Have you tried these from Gearwrench?

GearWrench 82032 Double X Internal Snap Ring Pliers

Nice and long, should do the job. There was another discussion on snap-ring pliers here:

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/general-6-0l-discussion/215924-snap-ring-pliers.html#post14211802

 

[FordPSD6.0]

Have you tried these from Gearwrench?

GearWrench 82032 Double X Internal Snap Ring Pliers

Nice and long, should do the job. There was another discussion on snap-ring pliers here:

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/general-6-0l-discussion/215924-snap-ring-pliers.html#post14211802

I did just get a pair of Gearwrench external long pliers in the mail today from Amazon. I thought for sure they would work but didn't. They wouldn't open the ring wide enough and they kept slipping off. I just ordered a pair from Snap-on. This front axle is really starting to wear on me. Thanks for your reply!