Ground Support

Drive block puller

The solution to a problem of removing tight fit dovetailed drive blocks from inboard half hubs, came from a 12 ton, hydraulic ram. A claw that hooked over the end of the drive block was attached to the cylinder body. A pad on the piston rod pushing against the hub wall and the cylinder extending from the piston carries the drive block with it.

This hand held item replaces a non-transportable special purpose machine, with three hydraulic cylinders, to which inner hubs were previously sent for stripping when the field tooling had proved inadequate.

Hanley Smith - Solving aircraft maintenance issues.