DT Swiss freehub removal

350 tool to reinstall upgrade
I have an eBay pawl drive ring took. Unmarked after 1 pawl ring removal.

Going by SJS there's two tools, one for pawl, one for ratchet, if you're removing the pawl then you need that one, so get a cheap knock off, if you're reinserting a ratchet, then the ratchet tool is what is required for removal and installation.

I've only done the 350s, i use a cheap knock off ebay tool, it works well, just expect a lot of resistance, you'll see youtube videos of folk with the tool in a vice trying to spin the wheel to break the torque, i found that not very good, best way for me was having the wheel with the tyre on, wedging it and then using a breaker bar, or a normal wrench bar with a pipe over it, they're bloody tight!

I've just done this (Ratchet LN upgrade).
You need the pawl tool to take out the old ring and the ratchet tool to put the new ring in (That's the 350 tool).
I bought my tools from ebay some years ago, and they are not DT swiss branded and as such I didn't pay £50-60 for them but they have been fine.
A long lever is you friend here. I got mine out with a long lever (adjustable spanner, 2 foot scaffolding pipe over that and a extendable cleaning lance (think one that's about 1.5m and extends to about 4 (but not extended in this case))). I wedged the wheel with tyre still on and inflated under a shelf made of scaff board and wedged it with some off cuts of wood to trap the wheel. Came off quite easily in the end but with a short lever it would have been challenging I reckon.
You'll also need to do this on the 350 to change the bearings but I think you already know that much.

I had an official DT tool for the ratchet, it was absolute crap. Well made but just a terrible design. replaced it with an ebay cheapie that has a 1/2 inch socket drive, which the official one should have but doesn't, and it's far better and about 1/6th the cost.

The engagement into the actual part is so solid that it doesn't need a super high quality tool, it just needs to be adequate. If you know anyone who can weld decently then welding a discarded 18T ratchet ring onto a socket is a good move, unfortunately I can only weld badly so it broke 🙂

Ah all cool (other than yes I know they are going to be bloody tight)... but gives me a better feeling about using the cheap eBay tools...

TBH I tried the 54T ebay copy ratchet and its working well so far ... I just tend to be more circumspect about using cheap tools.

That said, I'm now wondering if I pay for a higher engagement LN conversion kit or go 18 and then stick an eBay 54T in?
Hopefully the Giant branded DT370's work with the LN conversion... as that's now the most expensive part of the process.

My LN ratchet upgrade was to a Giant SLR1 wheel so yeah I think the giant 370s should work.

alanf

My LN ratchet upgrade was to a Giant SLR1 wheel so yeah I think the giant 370s should work.

awesome .. my hubs were initially TRX so I'd thought it should fit unless Giant did something weird. (as they tend to do)
The 3 pawl has lasted pretty well TBH .. swapped pawls once and only clean inside once a year

So I prioritised the 350 as the bearings were worn..... and only so much money but removing the ratchet proved too much for my vice (its a swivelling one but locked out still tried to swivel) but LBS took it off for £10 which was a result.

I got it home, replaced bearings and stuffed it back together BUT the bearings were binding somewhere ()lotsd of drag freewheeling) when the rear axle was tightened .. took it back apart and did what I should have done earlier and looked at the exploded diagram and realised I was missing a shim.... luckily when back to LBS and they found it on the bench .. so removed and replaced again this time with shim BUT it's still binding with the axle tightened...

Any ideas? Have I screwed the bearings or any other gotchas?

I use an impact wrench to remove the (ratchet) ring, rather than a big spanner/bar. Works a treat.

I bought a decent ratchet tool/socket, as I don't really like cheap tools.

I've not done the pawl-to-ratchet conversion but may well try that in the future, as I have a few pawl hubs.

The shim can mushroom so it's but the right length, if it's remotely tight going on the axle is ****ed

The shim can mushroom so it’s but the right length, if it’s remotely tight going on the axle is ****

The bearings go on and off the axle without much force at all.. the shim missing wasn't the little alloy one though but the steel ring goes over the bearings

I'll measure the "spacer aluminum 15.4 mm" though cheers

Just to second what everyone else has been saying. DT ratchet was the tightest thing iv ever had to untighten (and iv worked on cars). This is how it went
1, 12in socket bar...no chance
2, socket in vice and turn wheel...nope
2, tie 1m piece of wood to wheel with rope and turn..nope, starts to break bolts securing vice to work bench
3, secure wheel by jamming piece of wood into garden fence, extend socket bar with an NHS crutch...crutch snaps
4, attatch 2nd NHS crutch, take care to apply pressure uniformly along crutch...success

It was a very old hub to be fair. I have a funny pic of this somewhere. Buy the proper tool.

It was a very old hub to be fair. I have a funny pic of this somewhere. Buy the proper tool.

It's off now... 15.4mm aluminium spacer is either 15.4 or 15.39mm as close a tolerance as my calliper will do and slips on easily.
Bearings are all within 0.01mm of original bearings
Shim has a tiny bit of wear at one point and only measures 0.44-0.45mm not the nominal .5mm so I ordered a new one plus a new seal..
Small chip out of the outermost part of the steel HG... (one flute wide) .. can't see it being the issue but it needs a new one so ££ ordered ... I do have a XD driver I can fit if I can find a mate with 11sp SRAM cassette but I'm reluctant to keep taking bearings in and out...

Buy the proper tool.

I usually buy tools, so I can do it again - but also use my LBS.

This is an LBS job and that's where mine went.

Seems to be the mistake I made...
They have the vice bolted to scaffolding poles but they are the also ones lost the shim and I'd guess damaged the freehub body.

My LBS got mine off quickly but mangled the teeth on the ring so I had to buy a new one.

350 is all working, new shim and freehub

Giant branded 370 just had to LBS and their ratchet removal tool doesn't fit (too small) @alanf any idea which tool was used for yours? Was it Giant specific?

@stevextc it's one I got a fair few years ago, think it came from US. It's a DT fit but a copy of the genuine DT tool as far I can remember. Send me a message and I can maybe drop it in the post for you to use if you like?

There are different DT tools ring tools that I am aware of; star ratchet, 3 pawl ratchet, EXP and EXP OS

bigyan

There are different DT tools ring tools that I am aware of; star ratchet, 3 pawl ratchet, EXP and EXP OS

Yeah non of the ratchet will fit (non directional teeth) but neither did the pawl so I’m hoping Giant didn’t invent another new standard or I’m stuffed or just welding a socket if slang’s doesn’t fit

I’ll remove everything and measure and see if the ratchet conversion will even fit first though