How to remove top hat studs?

I tried placing a deep socket beneath and hitting the stud with a hammer. Nothing.

All I have to show for it is a scraped driveway and fresh dents in the socket.

 

I always pressed mine out with a vice. I imagine a hydraulic press would work even better.

 

I have a bench vice and used the socket with it there but couldn't turn it.

 

I keep a 2-foot pipe by the vise for leverage. You might need some. Or take it to a shop and have them press the studs out for you Odds are if you bring them loose plates they won't charge you much of anything to do it.

 

put a cheater bar on the handle of the vise, it will come out. if you have a cheap vise you will bend the handle

 

Thanks everyone. On a lark I swapped out the socket for my arbor press's press plate and all the studs came out super easy in the vice. I wonder if when using a socket one part of it was hitting the stud and preventing the stud from popping loose; there's not a lot of room to put the socket around the stud head IMO.

 

Could be. Always have to be creative when you're doing driveway mechanic work.