Square Taper Crank Puller

Most crank pullers strip on the same kind of crank: the one that's been pulled before, by someone who skipped the dust cap or pulled against worn threads. The puller turns, the threads in the crank arm let go, and the puller backs out without moving the crank a millimetre. That's the call our 1662/4 was built to answer.

The 1662/4's puller threads are tapered rather than straight. As the puller turns into the crank arm, the taper grips into thread material that a straight-cut puller would skate across. It's the salvage tool that grabs where a generic puller has already given up.

When to reach for the 1662/4 over the 1661/4

The 1661/4 Crank Puller is our default bench puller; straight threads, faster engagement, included splined adapter for ISIS and Octalink. Reach for the 1662/4 when the puller threads in the crank arm are already worn or partially stripped. The tapered threads engage thread material that's been chewed by previous pulls; straight-thread pullers either skate over that material or back out without engaging.

The 1662/4 is square-taper-only. Splined cranks (ISIS, Octalink) need the 1661/4 with its splined adapter.

How it's used

Loosen and remove the centre crank bolt (usually 14 mm or 15 mm hex on square-taper cranks, with a dust cap covering the puller threads on some models; pry or unscrew the dust cap before threading in the puller). Thread the 1662/4's body into the crank arm's puller threads, hand-tight first, then snug with a wrench on the puller's flats. Turn the centre rod clockwise. The rod presses the spindle face and pushes the crank arm outward along the spindle axis until the crank releases.

If the threads in the crank arm have given up entirely (the 1662/4 spins without engaging at all), the next step is the Crank Saver Kit (1695MB1-US), which reams the puller threads to a larger oversize and presses in a steel insert. That returns the crank arm to standard puller threads.

Compatibility

• Square-taper cranks (Shimano, FSA, Race Face square-taper, generic JIS and ISO tapers)
• Stripped or partially stripped puller threads where a standard puller is skating
• Not for splined cranks (ISIS, Octalink); use the 1661/4 with its splined adapter for those

Specs

• Material: premium flex plus carbon steel, drop-forged, hardened and tempered
• Surface finish: chrome-plated to ISO 1456:2009
• Puller thread: M22 × 1.0, tapered (the differentiating feature)
• Wrench flats: 17 mm

Built in Zreče

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The 1662/4's tapered puller threads are a workshop decision, not a consumer one; the design exists because workshop benches see the same stuck-crank call enough times that a salvage tool earns its place next to the everyday one.

Pro tip from our mechanics

The 1662/4 is the tool you reach for after the 1661/4 has slipped, not before. Use the standard puller first; if it engages, finish the pull. Only step to the tapered-thread puller when the standard tool can't get a grip. The taper engages so aggressively that it can mark crank-arm threads that were still serviceable for a few more pulls.

For the four-interface crank-removal decision tree, including how to tell whether the crank arm itself is salvageable: How to remove a crankset →.