Working on a 14 foot fail mower. The main rotor is bent by at least a quarter inch,thus throwing it way out of balance. Need to pull the bearings off to remove the rotor for straightening. One side came off fine. The other froze about two inches out. The bearing is good and I would like to save it because of the expense. If the bearing was out I would just cut it off with a torch. There are four 1/2 by 13 threaded push holes that I used to move it as far as it has gone. Tried a ten ton puller and no go. No room for a bearing plate behind the bearing. In the last picture you can see that I am pulling against just a snap ring that holds the bearing in place. Thought about trying to push the bearing back in place and seeing what it is hanging up on. Any suggestions? Putting heat on the bearing would ruin the seals.
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Pulling a bearing off a 2 1/2 inch shaft
- Thread starter Nutfarmer
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- May 3, 2017
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I think I would try pushing it back as you suggested. You might get lucky and identify what's binding it.
I've never done this personally - and it may not be practical in your circumstance - but I've been told of success by freezing the shaft at the bearing and then proceeding as normal. Not a clue about how to do that.
Good luck.
I've never done this personally - and it may not be practical in your circumstance - but I've been told of success by freezing the shaft at the bearing and then proceeding as normal. Not a clue about how to do that.
Good luck.
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Push it back and look for a ridge on the shaft
Check the diameter with a caliper or mic
Check the diameter with a caliper or mic
Last edited:
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- Apr 14, 2014
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I would push the bearing back and do a close inspection of the area you’re trying to pull it across. There may be some small burrs that have mushroomed when pulling the bearing. Then clean the area with some solvent and run some emery paper over it until you get a consistent bright finish on the entire length and diameter.
It doesn’t take much interference to gall the shaft. the slightest piece of sand can create a burr that will cause problems
It doesn’t take much interference to gall the shaft. the slightest piece of sand can create a burr that will cause problems
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- Nov 24, 2014
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I also like the idea of driving the bearing back on (use a length of tube over the shaft to push (pound) on the bearing.
I would clean the heck out of the exposed shaft and work it with a diamond file to identify and remove any high spots.
Don't forget some light oil on the shaft for the next pull.
Your puller setup is pulling with the balls in the load path so the bearing may be compromised already.
I would clean the heck out of the exposed shaft and work it with a diamond file to identify and remove any high spots.
Don't forget some light oil on the shaft for the next pull.
Your puller setup is pulling with the balls in the load path so the bearing may be compromised already.
As a field tech I have learned very early that the first thing you do when at the site is spray down every nut,bolt or part I will be working on with penetrating fluid. My go to is PB blaster it works every time.
I would spray the shaft before driving the bearing back. Then like said clean up the shaft the best you can. Most likely some rust jammed the race. Lube the shaft after cleaning before trying to pull off. Good luck!
I would spray the shaft before driving the bearing back. Then like said clean up the shaft the best you can. Most likely some rust jammed the race. Lube the shaft after cleaning before trying to pull off. Good luck!
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- Feb 9, 2017
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Oh man, been there done that exact thing. That poor flail I worked on was beat to a fare thee well. The thick plates of the upper frame were bulged out and no paint anywhere, all worn off. It also had a bent shaft and who knows how long they ran it that way because those things are screaming death even if everything is right. I also had one bearing that just came right off and I struggled with the other off and on a couple of days. The one place there was a ton of grease was the bearings as somebody had over greased it and blown the seals so not until I got it really clean did I notice that somebody had used a BFH on the end of the shaft. Took quite a bit of filing and emory cloth to get it off. Good luck.
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- Oct 29, 2012
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You mentioned seals but I don't see any seals. If there are seals sometimes they can be removed with a booger hook without damaging them (it's hit or miss in my experience). Also I learned recently that some ball cages are clamshells, with tabs on one side bent over the other. I was able to bend the tabs straight, remove cage, then scoot all the balls to one side at which point the inner race was free to exit the from the outer race. It was a pain in butt to get it put back together but it did go back together.
If the other (better) advice already given by others didn't work, my next idea would be to remove the seals and put a heat gun on it. If that didn't work I would escalate to trying to remove the cage, balls, and outer race, and putting propane torch heat directly to the stuck inner race, and pull that off by itself. But that's only if the bearing is really expensive. If the bearing is worth less that a couple hours of your time then I skip all that and go straight for the cutting torch.
If the other (better) advice already given by others didn't work, my next idea would be to remove the seals and put a heat gun on it. If that didn't work I would escalate to trying to remove the cage, balls, and outer race, and putting propane torch heat directly to the stuck inner race, and pull that off by itself. But that's only if the bearing is really expensive. If the bearing is worth less that a couple hours of your time then I skip all that and go straight for the cutting torch.