Axle Removal

[Brentd27]

Finally got one of the troublesome rear axle inner bearings removed. Helps if I use metal cutting discs in my angle grinder instead of masonry cutting discs...

Anyway, I got the bearing out, and subsequently ruined it by hammering on the wrong part.

That being said, after examining this bearing, I am fairly sure that 1) it's not the right bearing, and 2, it can't be flipped in the flange to make it work correctly.

Here's some pics of the bearing in question. Here are the pics of the bearing:

Flange:
flange-rear.jpgflange-front.jpg

Insert:
insert-rear.jpg
insert-front.jpg

Grease ports on insert:
insert-grease-ports.jpg

The "retaining collar" is actually built in to this bearing.

[dirtdobber]

Brentd,

Will the bearing physically fit in the housing in a flipped position? I understand the grease groove will be on the opposite side but otherwise will it fit? If so, there are 2 things to consider. First, I believe the new bearings will come with a grease plug opposite the groove that may allow greasing once the plug is removed. The second thing is that the correct bearings and flanges are not greaseable. The stamped two piece flanges on my machine don't have alimights. If you go this route, pre-grease the bearings with a hyperdermic needle -- you'll be surprised how much grease it will hold. I'm not too worried about the life of the bearing as it is not running in a high speed or high temp situation, and it should stay dry. If you have enough water in the tub to get up on the bearing you've got bigger problems!

[Brentd27]

Well, I have 3 of the 6 axles out. The remaining 3, the sprockets are STUCK. I have also learned just how hard on a body a slide hammer is. Forgot to take my air compressor back to the workshop with me over the weekend, so I couldn't use the air chisel on the sprockets. Maybe next weekend.

[Mike]

I would cut the axles and save the sprockets if you can. It will probably be cheaper that way. Once you get the sprocket and stuck axle out together, you should be able to use a press to get them apart.

[Brentd27]

Just wanted to post an update here. Out of frustration, I cut one of my axles with a stuck sprocket, then pressed the axle out of the sprocket. I was going to cut the other one, but in the meantime I was in Harbor Freight and saw a 5ton hydraulic gear puller for$69.99, and I had a 25% off coupon. Decided it was worth it to give it a try. It slid that sprocket off the axle like it was nothing. The hardest part was getting the puller into position where it was tight enough to stay in place while I grabbed the jack handle. Big rubberband around the arms helped, but a second set of hands would have been easier. Hopefully this will help out anyone else that has stuck sprockets in the future.