Apparatus and method for de-coupling grabber from take-up reel

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for decoupling a hub filler from a guide arm that drives the hub filler from a single reel tape cartridge to a take-up reel of a tape drive. A method of loading a tape from a single reel tape cartridge into a take-up reel. A guide arm decouples from a hub filler as the hub filler is moved into a take-up reel. This decoupling eliminates problems that occur from small misalignments of the hub filler axle with the axis of the take-up reel. The axle and drive arm are decoupled from the hub filler by the axle being lifted out of the hub filler upon insertion of the hub filler into the take-up reel, allowing for the take-up reel to rotate freely during winding and unwinding of the tape without interference from the axle.