I bought a new Hunter fan but can't remove the old one. There is just no sign of how it should be removed and the Hunter website has nothing that has helped. Calling them didn't help either as I don't think the support person has ever used a screwdriver.

I have what is called a low profile mount. Normally you just remove the screws holding the canopy to the mounting base and it will drop down. But mine will not. I removed the three screws and it just wiggles a bit but won't drop. The other screw holes also do not have the 'drop' cutouts in them either. My unit is likely 25+ years old and the manual they have online isn't reflective of what I have.

Any further twisting or pulling is going to rip the plate out of the ceiling. I've applied some serious torque in all different directions, including pushing up and twisting. The other 2 screws are also removed.

 

I don't get it. It sounds like you are trying to remove it correctly.
Remove all screws around canopy, the canopy should rotate to right and come down.
It has little cams at top that are holding it up.
I don't see a trim ring that's hiding any screws. You may have to disassemble the entire fan.
But even then, the canopy is mounted to motor from above.

 

There is only one screw on the canopy of a Hunter. Release it and it will swing down on the hook you see on the opposite side from the screw.

 

Got it. Eventually my efforts to rotate it and let it drop succeeded. I found a loose washer inside that probably had wedged itself in the way. My increasing thrashing must have moved it.

 

Glad you finally got it, but that doesn't look like the older Hunter fans I remember at all. The older ones I remember were not made of formed sheet metal, but all cast iron and had a split 2-piece canopy that when removed revealed the fan hanging from a large hook, not the ceiling box. I suppose it's possible that this is one of the early Hunter cheapys made to compete with the flood of off-shore fans in the late '70s and early '80s.