Mower deck pulley removal.

[fruitcakesa]

On my T1400 deck, the double v belt pulley has eaten its bearings and needs to come off.
I have done the following:
Removed the snap ring
Applied liberal doses of kroil
Heated with propane[all I have]
Affixed 3 jaw puller to outer pulley rim and screwed down into shaft center
Pounded on the puller while turning the screw.
Nothing
Added more kroil.
Waiting ???
Whats the trick.
More of the same and more time?
Bigger heat?

 

[helomech]

More of the same, lots of patience and sweat. Do you have a air hammer?

 

[fruitcakesa]

More of the same, lots of patience and sweat. Do you have a air hammer?

Unfortunately, no.
If I did where would it be used?

 

[helomech]

Unfortunately, no.
If I did where would it be used?

I usually put it on the shaft and hammer on it while prying up. The jarring usually makes it break loose.

 

[FredBaker]

I have had good results using 2 curved pieces of a leaf spring from a car rear axle under the pulley for prying leverage while using an air chisel with a pin bit on the center of the spindle shaft. The air hammer vibrations should pop it loose. Also as mentioned, let the Kroil do it's thing for a few days. Using a 2 or 3 jaw puller usually destroys the pulley by bending the outer edges.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I have had good results using 2 curved pieces of a leaf spring from a car rear axle under the pulley for prying leverage while using an air chisel with a pin bit on the center of the spindle shaft. The air hammer vibrations should pop it loose. Also as mentioned, let the Kroil do it's thing for a few days. Using a 2 or 3 jaw puller usually destroys the pulley by bending the outer edges.

I am kroiling daily and giving the puller shaft a whack now and again.
I did notice the pulleys bending but I have ordered a whole new "pulley kit" from Kubota [whew it is dear] so I am not too concerned.

 

[skreynol]

I also needed to change those bearings. I have a bearing separator that I positioned underneath the double pulley as close to the shaft as it would go. I applied upwards pressure to two opposite edges of the bearing separator with hardwood wedges driven between the separator and the mower deck. The pressure, WD40, heat on the pulley and banging (cushioned) on the shaft brought it off. Putting the new bearings back in needed heat. In the cold state, there was less than .001" clearance between the bearing and its mounting surfaces, inside and outside. I heated the pulley body with a MAP torch enough to easily seat the bearings in the pulley body. Then I reheated the pulley with the bearings in it to probably about 200 degrees F. This slid smoothly onto the shaft without a lot of force, but I had to act quickly. Let the shaft heat up or the pulley cool down and it locks up solid.

 

[Dave_eng]

If you need some justification for buying a cheap air hammer watch this youtube video on mower deck pulley removal.

youtube

Dave

 

[lugbolt]

Assuming it's similar setup as a T1460 (I think they are) those are fresh on my pea brain since I've done about a half dozen this year

use a steering wheel puller

set it on the top of the pulley and use the tapered end of the jack screw to center it on the shaft. Mark and drill 3 holes in the pulley the best you can, all it's gotta be is somewhere close. Use 3 nuts and 3 bolts to attach the pulley to the puller and then yank it off. Don't be surprised if the pulley gets damaged. A T1400 is OLD which means that pulley has been on there a few minutes, which means it's likely that it's gonna put up a fight. But you can win the fight by using your head.

one one I hate more is JD's old 38" and 46" decks...double ball bearing that is pressed tight into the tensioner arm and then the pulley is pressed tight over the bearing....requires a big press to get them apart, and generally cheaper to replace every part than to spend up to 2 hours labor pressing it apart

 

[armylifer]

The impact wrench works like magic. You can get a reasonably priced one at Harbor Freight. If you don't have a compressor, you can get one at the same place. I buy all my air tools there and they are durable enough for home use.

 

[GeoHorn]

I lost a bearing on my finish mower and when I removed it I noticed a number on the bearings incorporated grease seal... so I googled it...and found a pack of ten on Amazon for less than one third the price of ONE bearing from the bearing shop. Installed it and problem SOLVED..