I have been needing a wheel puller for a while now and was wondering if there was any one in particular that's good for pulling wheels on 3 rail o gauge trains?
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check out a company called PE design, they have a very nice wheel puller set. not terribly priced nice product. Lionel ST-311's are getting harder to come by IMO, and the price keeps going up on them....sometimes the Lionel pullers surface on the auction sites, but check out the PE design one.....I love mine!...………………….Pat
Try portlines hobby look for their tools. I have a very good puller from them.
portlines.com
I like the Timko puller. In this photo, the hex head screw installed has the large diameter pin. It also comes with a hex head screw that has a smaller diameter pin (a bit smaller than an o gauge axle). Also comes with a tee handle hex key. Give him a call or email. As I recall, he only takes checks.
http://timkorepairdepot.com/Home.html
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Another vote for the Timko puller, it comes with two pins, one for wheels and one for motor flywheels. A well built tool that will last you a lifetime.
@harmonyards posted:check out a company called PE design, they have a very nice wheel puller set. not terribly priced nice product. Lionel ST-311's are getting harder to come by IMO, and the price keeps going up on them....sometimes the Lionel pullers surface on the auction sites, but check out the PE design one.....I love mine!...………………….Pat
How is yours still holding up? I am considering getting one, because they have different sizes for different jobs, but I know there are cheaper options out there, like the Timko one or from a hardware store. ATM, I'm trying to remove a drive wheel from a late '80's Lionel Hudson.
Frank Timko's wheel puller is a nice piece, I've used it a ton of times. No sweat to pull a 80's Lionel Hudson wheel with it. It's simple and robust. It comes with two pins, fine for flywheels and larger for wheels on axles.
The Timko one looks very promising. I guess I was just concerned about the size of the jaws themselves. The PE version has skinnier jaws they call the "special duty" version, and they warn you that they will likely break over time, but they look wider than the Timko ones, which seems like a plus to me. And this isn't a criticism of any kind, just an observation, and I absolutely believe what you are saying, John. I have yet to use any pullers of some sort, and I kind of just want to make sure it's a one-and-done deal, and that I don't have to buy another one, at least not for a long time.
I have the Timko model also. Very solid.
Although there are probably some circumstances that you'd have trouble with the Timko puller, I suspect that is true of almost any solution. The Timko puller is pretty flexible with the adjustments for width and the reasonably narrow claws to get behind most wheels or gears. Also, Timko is around to replace any parts in the slim chance you managed to break something.
The smaller pin is also removable to be replaced if you bend it, that can happen if you don't get perfectly square on the wheel/gear to be pulled. Don't ask how I know this. 
Hi; I am also looking for a wheel puller for my Menards Santa Fe cabooses. I have noticed both of them shake as they go down the track and there is about 1/8 inch left/right play between the wheels and the track. Someone measured wrong; let's just think of that for a second. Menards, the home improvement and construction center could not get their dimensions right on their train car wheels ... I have tried 6 of the Menards Santa Fe cabooses or cabeese, they all, to varying degrees, do the "Menards Wiggle". All my other rolling stock from K-line, Lionel, MTH, etc. has very little left/right wheel play and none do the "Menards Wiggle". I thought I could pull each set of wheels a bit wider, maybe 1/16 " and reduce the "play" causing the caboose to run with less "wiggle. I'd appreciate any thoughts? Thanks
I want to apologize for my negative comments about the Menards Santa Fe caboose. I am thrilled Menards is offering the 0 gauge train sets - I bought two of them and really enjoy them. I also bought a dealer pack of 4 additional cabooses (cabeese ?)to hopefully find one that tracked properly. Just need to figure out the shaky caboose issue. I realize that the forum is not the place for negativity and I will be more careful of my comments. Still interested in knowing if a puller will resolve the left/right tracking issue.
Just a note, since this is a resurrected thread from over 3 years ago - for those who don't know, Frank Timko passed away and his products are no longer being made.
