Auto Technician Using a Slide Hammer to Remove a Car Hub

A slide hammer is a

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

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

impact force In mechanics, an impact is a high force or shock applied over a short time period when two or more bodies collide. Such a force or acceleration usually has a greater effect than a lower force applied over a proportionally longer period. The ...

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 idea that an object will continue its current motion until some force causes its speed or direction to change. The term is properly understood as shorthand for "the principle of inertia" as described by Newton in his first law ...

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, often shortened to 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 ...

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

s, and others. Slide hammers are typically used in

automotive repair An automobile repair shop (also known regionally as a garage or a workshop) is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians. Types Automotive garages and repair shops can be divided into following categor ...

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