# american flyer wheel and axle assemblys



## newnshy

What is the best way to remove and replace medal wheels on american flyer s gauge without bending the axle? Thanks!


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## flyernut

I use my drill press as a press, and I also have a fixture that the axle slides into, keeping the axle straight and supporting it on all sides.


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## mopac

Which wheels are you referring to. The larger driver wheels or the smaller pilot wheels?
Many people just use 2 larger screwdrivers under the driver wheels and pry off. That should not bend axle.
My experience with the screwdriver method is the wheel I want to remove and axle comes out of the wheel I did not want to remove. Its a 50/50 deal. You can reinstall a driver with a vice. Use a piece of wood on both sides of the
engine and press on. Quartering the wheel is the hard part. Look at the post near top of this S forum on
quartering.


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## mopac

I have been debating on buying a wheel puller. Around 50.00.
And then they make quartering jigs. 100.00 or more.


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## flyernut

mopac said:


> Which wheels are you referring to. The larger driver wheels or the smaller pilot wheels?
> Many people just use 2 larger screwdrivers under the driver wheels and pry off. That should not bend axle.
> My experience with the screwdriver method is the wheel I want to remove and axle comes out of the wheel I did not want to remove. Its a 50/50 deal. You can reinstall a driver with a vice. Use a piece of wood on both sides of the
> engine and press on. Quartering the wheel is the hard part. Look at the post near top of this S forum on
> quartering.


I think he means the metal wheels associated with a tender or action car. There should be a post discussing this procedure, as well as a few pictures, thanks to you know who,lol!


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## mopac

I bought a great tool for removing/installing wheelsets from rolling stock. Its not really needed for the stamped steel trucks, Fingers work fine for them. But for the diecast trucks a tool is nice. Many many years ago I broke a side rail
using my fingers. This tool was less than 10.00. Sorry, I forget the proper name for the tool but it is for removing/ installing C clips. It spreads the truck without breaking it real easily.

I found the tool. It is called "snap ring pliers". Life time warranty. It comes with interchangeable
heads. It lets you spread the truck with one hand and position the wheelset with other hand. I
got mine at a Harbor Freight store.


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## AmFlyer

You are using snap ring pliers. I use them to regauge all the incorrectly gauged Lionel AF cars. Very handy to have even when no snap rings are around. The snap rig pliers will not remove the metal pickup wheels from an axle. Flyernut has the process above.


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## newnshy

newnshy said:


> What is the best way to remove and replace medal wheels on american flyer s gauge without bending the axle? Thanks!





flyernut said:


> I use my drill press as a press, and I also have a fixture that the axle slides into, keeping the axle straight and supporting it on all sides.


What is the fixture you use? That would be what I need.


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## mopac

You were correct Tom. Snap ring pliers. They are a handy tool.


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## flyernut

newnshy said:


> What is the fixture you use? That would be what I need.


I'll try to post some good pictures this time. I have several steel rods that remove the axles and 1 aluminum piece that I use to press on wheels. Let me find them...Found them.


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## flyernut

Here we go....There are 2 push rods here, one is steel and 1 is aluminum. The steel one is simply a tool my good buddy made for me to "press" different things..The block of aluminum has holes for both link coupler and knuckle coupler axles.They snugly hold the axles to prevent them from bending while pushing on metal pick-up wheels.. To push on a metal wheel on the appropriate axle, simply start the wheel on the end of the axle. Put that partial assembly into the correct hole in the aluminum block, link or knuckle. Push down on your drill press handle until the wheel bottoms out on the block. This is the correct position for the wheel, that is, the end of the axle will be in a correct location to insert into the truck frame. Notice how on the aluminum "push" rod, the end has been hollowed out to exactly fit a metal AF pick-up wheel. This prevents the wheel from slipping off the axle end, and possibly bending the end.. Since my buddy built this tool, I have never had another bent axle.. works perfectly.


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## flyernut

Finished product.


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## newnshy

flyernut said:


> I use my drill press as a press, and I also have a fixture that the axle slides into, keeping the axle straight and supporting it on all sides.





flyernut said:


> Finished product.
> View attachment 549247


Thanks! I don't have those tools you have but I have a good idea know since I seen the pics.


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## AFGP9

Flyernut, those look like handy tools to do a fool proof job. I am now thinking maybe a deep well socket of the proper size might work as well. For those of us without machinist friends, seems to me a block of wood would work along with the socket. Use a piece of wood planed to the correct wheel gaging and a slot cut into it. After putting the first wheel on, slide the axle with the first wheel on, into the wood fixture, and press the other wheel on. Of course you would have to use some sort of shim to level the block since the axle end with the first wheel on would be touching the surface. Then put the socket over the other wheel and press. I am thinking this out as I type. I will test this procedure. To be honest, I have never need to replace any of those wheels so I never imagined I would need any sort of fixture but now maybe I should think about this just to have handy.

Kenny


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## flyernut

AFGP9 said:


> Flyernut, those look like handy tools to do a fool proof job. I am now thinking maybe a deep well socket of the proper size might work as well. For those of us without machinist friends, seems to me a block of wood would work along with the socket. Use a piece of wood planed to the correct wheel gaging and a slot cut into it. After putting the first wheel on, slide the axle with the first wheel on, into the wood fixture, and press the other wheel on. Of course you would have to use some sort of shim to level the block since the axle end with the first wheel on would be touching the surface. Then put the socket over the other wheel and press. I am thinking this out as I type. I will test this procedure. To be honest, I have never need to replace any of those wheels so I never imagined I would need any sort of fixture but now maybe I should think about this just to have handy.
> 
> Kenny


You can actually use anything you'd like to make this fixture. The key is to support the axle on all sides so it doesn't bend..I've bent many axles trying to install the metal wheels before I came up with this.. And now someone will copy it, patent it, and make a ga-zillion dollars off of it,lol


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## AFGP9

Yeah you are probably right. Beat them to it and do that yourself. 

Kenny


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## AF-Doc'

I like your jigs flyernut fool proof for sure. Better that my drilled out wood block. Copyright them and I will send you a royalty check for your idea.

I have added the modified car battery terminal puller for the larger drive wheels, don't forget the dime trick to space the wheels when re-assembling.


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## AFGP9

mopac said:


> You were correct Tom. Snap ring pliers. They are a handy tool.


I wanted to add to the snap ring pliers discussion with what I use to spread KC and link trucks for axle removal. I bought this handy dandy tool a long time ago. After I got it and after examining it, this could be easily be duplicated. I have included a picture of a 929 cattle car simply because it was handy. Examine the way I have placed the spreader end of the snap ring pliers and see that this tool puts pressure on the truck ends and not on the side frames. The other attachment in the pliers picture is for link trucks and works the same way. Just flip that little silver lever up and the two different spreader ends are easily changed.

Kenny


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## AmFlyer

That is far more robust then my snap ring pliers. I am only regauging plastic wheels with mine, not spreading the KC sideframes.


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## AFGP9

I understand why that tool would be over kill for what you are doing but I use that tool to remove the axles to lubricate the axle end holes without having to put pressure on the side frames when trying to pry out the axles. To me even the slightest amount of pressure the end of the axle puts on the side frame when prying them up and out is still too much. You never know when one of those frames will break away from the truck frame. I have had it happen a couple of times before I bought that tool. I realize that is not an everyday occurrence. It doesn't take much pressure to spread those side frames since those axle ends aren't really in that far in the first place. Yes I check the gauging after spreading and reinstalling the axles. I check the wheel gauging when I have the axle out. 

Kenny


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## AF-Doc'

A great tool Kenny, That sure would have helped me with all of Ed's bushings and axles I installed. Is it still available for purchase? If not do you mind if I copy it?


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## AFGP9

I don't remember where I got that from. It isn't hard to duplicate. Just a regular pair of inside snap ring pliers. There are tiny holes drilled into the blocks where the ends of the pliers stick into then either welded or JB weld is applied to the back side as the picture shows. I have since duplicated this tool and did use JB weld. Works just fine because I didn't want to fire up the mig welder for such a small job. To be honest, when I read what you were doing with those bushings, I thought about that project and how handy this tool would have been to you. I say go for it. 

Kenny


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## flyernut

AFGP9 said:


> I don't remember where I got that from. It isn't hard to duplicate. Just a regular pair of inside snap ring pliers. There are tiny holes drilled into the blocks where the ends of the pliers stick into then either welded or JB weld is applied to the back side as the picture shows. I have since duplicated this tool and did use JB weld. Works just fine because I didn't want to fire up the mig welder for such a small job. To be honest, when I read what you were doing with those bushings, I thought about that project and how handy this tool would have been to you. I say go for it.
> 
> Kenny


Those pliers are a Harbor Freight item.. The handle says "Pittsburg"


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## AFGP9

Doc' said:


> A great tool Kenny, That sure would have helped me with all of Ed's bushings and axles I installed. Is it still available for purchase? If not do you mind if I copy it?


Doc that spreading tool is listed on Port Lines site under "tools". I was just there looking for something and ran across it. 25.00 I think. 

Kenny


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## AF-Doc'

Kenny, Thank you and it's good timing as I have an order almost ready to go..


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