Axle dust cap removal?

[tremor]

What's the best way of removing the popular rubber axle dust caps on riding mowers? I just pulled off one of the rear tires on the Sabre so I can install a tube in it tomorrow, and I ended up absolutely destroying the one I took off. Thankfully I have an extra. Is there a proper way of getting them off so you don't damage them in the process?

 

[Wagtail]

Hmm... Well, the ones on my D110 are rubber-ish and just come off with a bit of wiggling. They pop back on the same way.

I know this as I once found a mysterious cap in a paddock, picked it up and set it aside for future investigation only to discover that it was off the left front of the lawn tractor. I popped it back on and haven't lost one since.

 

[mark1]

sometimes heating them up helps."hot air blower" I have had to set them on a light bulb to get em flexable enough to put back on sometimes.