Auto Technician Using a Slide Hammer to Remove a Car Hub

A slide hammer is a

tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...

that attaches to an object needing to be pulled and transmits an

impact force In mechanics, an impact is when two bodies collide. During this collision, both bodies decelerate. The deceleration causes a high force or shock, applied over a short time period. A high force, over a short duration, usually causes more dam ...

to the object without striking the object itself. Slide hammers typically consist of a long metal shaft with an attachment point at one end, a heavy weight that can slide along the

shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

, and a stop for the weight to impact on the end opposite the attachment point. The

inertia Inertia is the natural tendency of objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at rest, unless a force causes the velocity to change. It is one of the fundamental principles in classical physics, and described by Isaac Newto ...

of the weight is thus transferred to the shaft, pulling the attached end in the direction the weight had been moving. Slide hammers can be attached to objects in multiple ways including

screw threads A screw thread is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix, with the former being called a ''straight'' thread and the ...

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

s, and others. Slide hammers are typically used in automotive repair to pull dents, remove bearings or other parts, and when an object needs to be struck from an inaccessible side. Car thieves have used them by attaching a screw to the end; the screw is then twisted into the ignition lock, allowing the whole assembly to be pulled out and the ignition wires to be accessed.

References

Hammers Hand tools {{Tool-stub