Getting a rubber sleeve pulled off of a metal pipe - help!

[trader-of-some-jacks]

Man, the pickles I get into...

I recently bought my son a Franklin batting tee. You can see a picture of this product at

(long URL; the one I got is the top picture on the page).

It was seemingly easy to assemble. You put a bolt through the hole in home plate and thread a metal pipe onto that. Done. Then you slide a rubber sleeve, "with the narrow end up" according to the instructions, over the pipe. Okay, the sleeve wasn't labeled as to which end was narrow, but the instructions clearly showed it positioned so an end with a flange on it was facing up. So did the color pictures on the box.

It was a bear to get that rubber sleeve on. I probably grunted for ten or more minutes to get the thing to slide the 18 inches or so that I needed.

Then when trying to use the thing, I noticed that the actual tee portion wouldn't stay up. The tee is another rubber piece that is supposed to slide inside the rubber sleeve (again, refer to the link above for a picture, better than my description).

So I'm guessing that, despite what the pictures showed, I put the rubber sleeve on the tee upside down. Makes sense, right? The bottom was a lot tighter than I think it should have been, and the top seems too loose.

Well guess what? I can't get the rubber sleeve off. I've used my own "muscles" such as they are. I've used a strap wrench. I've soaked the sleeve/pipe in hot water, figuring the sleeve will expand faster than the metal pipe inside. No luck.

Any further suggestions?

[m Ransley]

Compressed air, shoot it under it. Or dish soap poured in . You are making it tighter by using your hands or a wrench .

[G. Morgan]

Someone named trader-of-some-jacks Proclaimed on Tue, 04 May 2004 22:21:35 GMT,

Try hot soapy water. That's how you put golf grips on. Maybe it will work to get the sleeve off.

-Graham

[David Martel]

Trader,

Try soapy water as a lubricant

Dave M.

[Greg O]

Get some soapy water in between the rubber sleeve and post. Also If you can get a blow nozzle under the rubber you may be able to blow it up, so to speak, with compressed air. Blow the air into it and push it off at the same time. Greg

[wow]

Let me get this straight. You put a rubber (condom), on your rod. You're all teed off because you cant keep it up. For some reason you cant get the rubber off. (probably too small of a model for your particular rod).

I think your problem can be solved with some vaseline !!!

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[jim]

(long URL; the one I got is the top picture on the page).

you should have used a dish washing liquid soap to put the sleeve on the pipe.. thats what they use to rubber handle bar grips on with...if you use too much it comes right off when riding the bike... so you gotta mix some soap with water and pour it in the top part thats too big...work it around until it drops down to the bottom... good luck.. when you get it off then rinse if off and apply just a little soap solution on the insie of the rubber sleeve and it should go on pretty easy... hope this helps.\

[Marilyn and Bob]

Is there an 800 number (and/or e-mail contact) on the package? If so call them to a) make sure you actually did install it backwards; and b) if it is backwards, see if they will send you a replacement part. Then you can cut off the original one.

[spamfree]

I bet they will send a new part. The part will cost $29.95, there is a minimum order of $100, and the shipping and handling will cost $24.99.