I have a Ferris IS1500Z. The bearings went out on my left spindle and I cant get the pulley to come off, its rusted good. It has been sitting with penetrating oil, I have beat, pried, and repeated many times. Anyone have some suggestions I would appreciate the help, thanks
#2
StarTech
First remove the grease zerk (fitting). Then there is two possible ways. One is to the nut back on with a little clearance between it and pulley then using a heavy brass hammer strike the nut driving the spindle shaft out. The other option is to use a harmonic balancer puller with the bolts in the three pulley holes. (may need to tap the holes)
May still be a tough pull or push through due to rust. And you may need to heat the pulley with a ACE/OX torch. Just depend how it is bonded to the shaft.
The spindle housing is bolted to the mower deck, not enough room to remove the bolts. The pulley will have to come up, I will try some heat on it today. Thanks for the bearing size.
#4
StarTech
Not necessarily. You can actually drive the spindle shaft out as the pulley key would stay with pulley. There is nothing preventing the spindle being driven out other than the stuck pulley, the square key, rust, and may be a stuck spacer. Just can't being using that steel sledge hammer you been trying. Got to use a brass hammer as gives before the steel shaft does but the nut still needs to be on the shaft to prevent thread damage. And as I mention you got to remove the zerk.
If it was in my shop
1) remove Blade
2) Find some heavy tube slightly larger then the outside diameter of the spindle and slide it over it
Pack under the tube so so the whole weight of the deck is being supported by the tube
3) Double nut the spindle & remove the grease nipple
4) 2 options ,
a) put an impact socket over the nut and belt the crap out of it ,or as I do use an air hammer / air chisel in place of large hammer putting all my weight on the tool
b) Screw an Allen bolt into the grease nipple hole ( might need to be packed out with washers ) and do as above hitting the allen bolt
5) lots of heat
Kroll, best penetrating oil on the planet, lube it up and give it time to work, then figure out how to knock it out without buggering it up.. Good Luck Sir
I got the deck out. The bolt holding the blade with the bad spindle is stuck, I got my ace/ox torch out and heated it up, it will not budge! I am using an 18volt impact on the highest setting. The other 2 blades came off without any problem. Didn't have to use any heat. This is very frustrating, I can hear the grass growing.
I am heating the area above the blade where the wrench fits, is this the correct place to heat? Thanks for all the help.
I went and borrowed a snap-on torque wrench it is rated for 600 to 700 foot pounds mine was only 385, heated it up and it came off.
Sounds like you have a reasonable shop
Chop the head off the bolt
They self tighten in use
Usually I can undo the bolt with my feeble finger once the head is off
IF your mower has cupped washers under the bolt replace them
#11
StarTech
Bert he already got it out. But have seen blade bolt so tight that even a 1300 ft/lb peak impact can't break them free. Sometimes it is just getting pass the static bond is hard.
Well it wouldn't be right to not tell the tale of my mistakes. I found my harmonic balance puller and attempted to pull the pulley off after heating and letting it set with kroll setting on it for a day and half. I bent the pulley... Ok, got the torch and started heating the pulley, beat the crap out of it with a big hammer and a oak 4x4 on top of the spindle nut. Nothing moved but the nut is seized on the shaft and I might have gotten it to hot and bent it. I am going to cut the pulley off the shaft with my torch so I can remove the bearing housing. Looking back, I guess I should have done that at the get go. At least I could have pressed the pulley off with an arbor press. Now I need new parts, complete spindle with nut and pulley. Any ideas where to buy this and not get robbed? I am thinking about getting a new mower, bought this used and abused and have put a lot of new parts on it. They are so expensive now! As always, thanks for all the help.