How to get a race out of a blind seat? PICTURES NOW!!

[flaboy?]

Picture this, bush hog gear box, horizontal shaft with a ring gear on it inside the box. The shaft exits box and the drive pulley connects to it. Ring gear and bearing on opposite side are toast as is the bearing on the exit side. No access to drive shaft with ring on it out. The bearing and race on the exit side have to come out to allow the shaft to slide over far enough to pull the ring gear/shaft up and out the top.

I have removed the C-clip and been able to drive the race part of the way out by using a drift. It seems to have stopped now and I can't get any more pressure on it to drive it further.

Any ideas on how to remove the race for the bearing? I have considered welding the race to the bearing but the bearing is in such bad shape I don't think it would shrink the race and I might get some weld on the shaft which wouldn't be good.

Remember there is not way to connect a puller and the shaft is smooth so I am unable to use anything to pull it.

I will eventually worry it out of there but what would you do?

 

[3MR]

Can you use a C clamp as a press to push it the rest way out.

 

[flaboy?]

Can you use a C clamp as a press to push it the rest way out.

Good idea but I don't think there is enough room but I will sure give it a look see. I have a Port-A-Power outfit with a little thing that looks like the jaws of life. It would almost fit behind the ring gear and the case but not quite.

 

[Nowland Farms]

In a case like this, A picture is worth a 1000 words.

 

[Wewild]

Try this.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/cgi-b ... 017128;p=0

 

[cfpinz]

I have a hard time picturing things, would love to see a picture. Have used dry ice on occasion to shrink shafts in order to put bearings on.

cfpinz

 

[flaboy?]

Yeah, you are all right about the picture. Why didn't I think of that? :shock:

Anyway, the c-clamp would not fit so I beat the race out 1/100th at a time last night. I was able to get a bent pry bar in on the back side of the race and beat it one side and then the opposite a bit at a time. So now I have the bearing out but the other end of the shaft has the ring gear and what's left of a bearing on it. I am having to beat the shaft out of the gear and bearing a bit at a time too. I think I have enough room now to get the port-o-power in and press the shaft on out. They must have some special tools for working on these or the assemble them only and never take them apart.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Flaboy, can you weld? Hold on, this is not a trick question or smart a__ response.

If you can weld (arc weld) and if you can weld on the inside of the race you are trying to remove, do it. When you have welded a bead in several places around the inside of the race and it cools, the race will fall out - period. No beating, no pressing, no special tools.

Again, not trying to be a smart a__ just be careful to not weld on anything that will be reused (obviously).

Let me know how it works for you. I've done this many, many times on old race car and boat trailer hubs and it has worked every time.

 

[MikeC]

If you can get your torch up in there, cut it out.

 

[dun]

If you can get your torch up in there, cut it out.

One of my persoanl favorite tools, a "fire wrench"

 

[flaboy?]

Well, some folks think I can weld and use a torch but I'm not convinced. :lol:

Since all the gears, bearings, and seals is going to run around $400 and the case is about $500 I didn't trust myself enough to weld or torch around the case too much. It is case iron though so it should be ok if it don't crack.

Earl, yes I know the weld trick and thanks for the input. I know it works but I was chicken. :shock:

 

[Bama]

I ain't exactly following you as to where the bearing is. I'm assuming a blind hole as the bearing is set in a pocket. If that is the case a trick I have used in the past is to pack it full of grease. Machine a piece of metal or wood to just fit inside the race. now tap this with a hammer and the hydralic action on the grease will drive the race out far enough to get a puller on it.

 

[flaboy?]

OK, now with pictures. The race I was having the last problem with I was able to drive out last night. I got most of the gearbox apart only to find the upright pinion shaft bearing had desinigrated to the point they fell out leaving the races in place.

Here are some pictures to help. The first is an outside view of the whole gearbox mostly disassembled.

This is a picture looking down into the gearbox. Teh arrows show the races I need to get out now. The two in the center are down about 4 and 6 inches down from the top. They have to come out the top. There is no access from below them.

This last one is looking down just to give a better perspective.

 

[shorty]

You should be able to split those races with a torch , use a small tip and heat a line across the race until it's red , then blow a little away at a time until you're through , if you don't quite get thru that should be okay , do same thing halfway across the race , you then should be able to break the halves apart with a chisel .

 

[gfd_703]

A slide hammer with either a pilot bearing adapter or just a hook on it will do the job if you do not want to use the fire wrench. I have fixed several of these. One idea to prevent this in the future is to fill the gear box with cornhead greese instead of gear oil. This is what New Idea and Heston use, where BushHog uses gear oil. They are all three basically the same mower, well the NI and Heston are exactly the same and BH uses some of the same parts. Do not use just any greese, be sure to use corn head greese. It is also what is used in the blade gear boxes.

 

[flaboy?]

OK, problem solved. After I got it all tore apart last night I priced all the parts and it added up to around $700. I found a place that will ship me a NEW assembled gearbox for $900 so that is now my plan. I will have more invested in it than I had hoped but considering the cost a new one it will work out ok.

 

[Phil in Tupelo]

flaboy,

Does that company only sell Bushhog gear boxes or other brands as well? Do you have a contact number or e-mail address for them?

Phil

 

[flaboy?]

Phil, you have PM.

 

[Bama]

Split it with a die grinder.

 

[dieselbeef]

Split it with a die grinder.

thats what i was gonna say. either a cutoff wheel or a deburring tool