Craftsman lawnmower rear wheel problems


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Old 07-14-20, 04:53 PM
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Craftsman lawnmower rear wheel problems

I cant get the rear wheel to come off my mower. I've pulled on it, hammered it, yelled at it and still its stuck on. I've removed the pin and washer and so according to Sears it should come right off. What am I doing wrong?
 
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Old 07-14-20, 07:22 PM
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Is this a tractor, or a walk behind self propelled mower? Send a picture!
 
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Old 07-14-20, 10:06 PM
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It's a tractor. Lt2000 or something like that.
 
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Old 07-15-20, 04:54 AM
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More than likely rust has formed between the axle and tire rim. You can try heating the rim/axle area but run the risk of melting the tire at the rim bead so I don't recommend this.If there are openings in the rim 180 degrees apart on the rim centerline and close to the rim hub, or you can drill the rim to create these holes(3/8 inch) , you can create a puller to remove the rim. Get a piece of 1/4 inch angle iron whose length is greater than the distance between the 2 centerline holes. Drill 2 holes (3/8 inch) in the angle iron located the distance between the 2 centerline holes apart and centered on the length of angle iron. Drill a 1/2 inch hole in the angle iron between the two 3/8 inch holes. Mount the angle iron to the rim with two 3/8 inch bolts (length as short as possible) with heavy washers behind the rim. Attach a 1/2 inch (length as needed) bolt to the angle iron using a 1/2 inch nut on the rim side of the angle iron. Turn the nut until the bolt is against the axle. Anchoring the nut with a wrench, turn the bolt clockwise. Hopefully, the rim slides off the axle.
 
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Old 07-15-20, 04:58 AM
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Hi, PB Blast it and let it sit.
Geo
 
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Old 07-15-20, 05:48 PM
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I built the puller for my Toro as seen in a previous post, (same problem) Rusted together too long and no natural pull points, ie. lug bolts or holes etc. Will have to remove the axle and rims completely and mount in a press. No way to get the PB Blaster all the way into the large tube that surrounds the axle from what I can see. That leaves the Acetylene goddess to work her magic next winter.
 
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Old 07-15-20, 11:32 PM
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I take a piece of steel 1" pipe about 3 feet long, put it behind the wheel where the axle goes through with the rear jacked up, and hit it with a 2lb sledge hammer to drive it off the axle. That works most times. An air hammer usually does it too.
 
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Old 07-16-20, 04:59 AM
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The axle is part of the transmission which contain gears, bearings, etc., some attached to the axle. The last thing you want to do is break something inside the transmission attempting to get the rim off the axle. Personally, I would not try Cheese's approach as I am not a gambler. I would use a puller that pushes against the axle.
 
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Old 07-16-20, 11:10 AM
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Been doing it for decades, never one problem. Maybe some day it will, but so far so good. The other end of the axle has a snap ring holding a differential gear on it. If you were to hit it hard enough to ruin the snap ring, that would be a pretty hard blow, but it would just require a new snap ring and a bit of time putting it in. It's made tough enough to hit potholes and bump roots and trees. An impact hammer certainly won't hurt it and some judicious blows from a hammer won't either.
 
 

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