Kohler pulley removal
#1
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Kohler pulley removal
I need to pull the pulley off a Kohler Command 15 verticle shaft. This comes on an Ariens zero-turn mower. Does any one know if the pulley is a tapered shaft or a press fit on a straight shaft? Any ideas about how to pull this without mangling the pulley? A 3 arm puller is just folding up the pulley and not moving the hub on the shaft.
Any help is appreciated.
Any help is appreciated.
#2
Hello cclee!
No, it's not tapered. There should be a 5/8" head bolt in the center that has to come out, then the pulley should just slip off. Sometimes it's not just that easy. That's when suggestions run out, lol. I have ruined pulleys getting them off. You may be able to get two crowbars up at the end of the pulley nearest the engine base and pry it down. An impact hammer can help, but be careful to not ruin it. Put some never-seize on the shaft when reinstalling the pulley to avoid this problem next time.
No, it's not tapered. There should be a 5/8" head bolt in the center that has to come out, then the pulley should just slip off. Sometimes it's not just that easy. That's when suggestions run out, lol. I have ruined pulleys getting them off. You may be able to get two crowbars up at the end of the pulley nearest the engine base and pry it down. An impact hammer can help, but be careful to not ruin it. Put some never-seize on the shaft when reinstalling the pulley to avoid this problem next time.
#3
I have a puller that fits into the pulley grooves. You assemble it in two halves and there's a couple of large threaded rods that are tightened to supply the muscle power. It will extract a pulley right off the shaft under normal circumstances. I had an old Tecumseh that was real rusty. The pulley broke but I did get it off without spending all day on the project and without busting my knuckles and tearing up any other tools. You can buy such things in the Graingers catalog, but be prepaired to pay a couple hundred bucks for it. I have spent days extracting pulleys and tore up myself and my tools trying to get pulleys off old equipment. There's no substitute for the right equipment for that job when the pulley and shaft are rusted together. That tool has been a real time saver and has payed for itself by now. The only other way that I know of is to use a gas axe, but then if you do that you won't be using the pulley again.