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I've ran into this more times than I can count. The bottom spindle bearing stuck on the spindle, with very little room to get to it with say the air hammer. Especially if it has the dust cover over it. The dust covers being very thin, and easy to bend.
I was wondering if someone has come up with a say of locking onto the bearing, in order to use the air hammer to get it off, without bending the dust cover.

I made a tool from a mower blade yesterday, that was supposed to fit between the bearing and the dust cover. But it didn't work out so well. I need to made the blade thinner and bend it a little more. But I'm not sure how that's going to work out, even when I get it to fit all the way up to the spindle, because it might be too thin to actually hold the bearing, while I'm hammering on the spindle.

Harbor Freight has bearing separators, and a kit that has several bearing tools, pretty cheap both in price and quality, but usually do the job. If all else fails I've used an angle grinder and/or Dremel tool to cut as possible and then split it with a chisel. Ugly job but sometimes it has to be done.

Why don't you just use a bearing separator setup like the one from HFT that I use. I don't remember ever bending the shield.

Search their site using "Bearing Separator And Puller Set".

With the air hammer, I never really have a problem getting the bearing off. It's mainly trying to do it without messing up the thin dust cover. The HFT one doesn't look like it'll fit between the dust cover and the bearing.
Maybe I'm caring too much about the dust cover. Spindles without them, the air hammer, usually takes them right off. And there's plenty to hold on to.

PTmowerMech said:

I've ran into this more times than I can count. The bottom spindle bearing stuck on the spindle, with very little room to get to it with say the air hammer. Especially if it has the dust cover over it. The dust covers being very thin, and easy to bend.
I was wondering if someone has come up with a say of locking onto the bearing, in order to use the air hammer to get it off, without bending the dust cover.

I made a tool from a mower blade yesterday, that was supposed to fit between the bearing and the dust cover. But it didn't work out so well. I need to made the blade thinner and bend it a little more. But I'm not sure how that's going to work out, even when I get it to fit all the way up to the spindle, because it might be too thin to actually hold the bearing, while I'm hammering on the spindle.

Click to expand...

i found it easiest to use a side grinder and its off in less then 5 minutes

put spindle shaft and bearing in vise so bearing only gets clamped, crank in the vise and the brittle race breaks in two, then pry out the ball bearings and then all thats left is the inner race. now clamp the spindle shaft in the vise and use side grinder to grind through the inner race horizontally by holding it flat and not trying to get all the way to the end by the cup. if you get about 3/4 of it ground through just barely, then tap a small chisel or junky screwdriver in under the race to get it off the shaft, and it opens up and falls right off the shaft. at worst you have a very slight blemish scratches where you ground into the shaft but this has zero effect of it being solid and secure mounted.

just take your time and dont over grind it, just keep going until you see the color change when you break through, you wont even have to fight it

I didn't know you could break that outer race in the vise like that. I'll give that a try next time I get one that won't budge. Learn something every day on here. Thanks.

When in doubt the answer is always a bigger hammer.

I clamp a small bearing separator on it and press out the spindle shaft with the 20 ton press. If i take a spindle apart i sure ain't putting the old bearings back in. New always.

The spindles without the dust covers close to the bearings, I have no problem with. It's the ones without enough room to get between the dust covers and bearings that I'm talking about. Trying to figure out a way to get those bearings off without doing anything to the dust covers.

You got a pic of what you are talking about?

Hammermechanicman said:

You got a pic of what you are talking about?

Click to expand...

No, I didn't take one. I ended up grinding off a little of the dust cover to fit the tool I made between the bearing and the spindle shoulder (at the bottom).

Pics or it didn't happen?

Hammermechanicman said:

Pics or it didn't happen?

Click to expand...

OK, You caught me. I just made it up. LMAO...