Woodruff Key removal?

BobReeves

Member
Nothing is easy...

I can seem to get the woodruff keys out of the brake cross shaft on this 3600. Tried vice grips. hammer with drift punch on ends and pry bar. Neither brake or clutch side will budge.

Any tricks?
 

Should also add, neither side is rusty and doubt it is rust holding them in. They are pretty clean from leaking seals.
 

Thanks, did try my big side cutters but they just slipped off. Can I get away with a small propane torch or do I need to break out the OA torch?
 
Heat the shaft, not the key. Heating the key causes it to expand in the slot making it tighter. Heating the shaft causes the shaft to expand making the slot wider.
 
(quoted from post at 10:34:24 06/17/17) Heat the shaft, not the key. Heating the key causes it to expand in the slot making it tighter. Heating the shaft causes the shaft to expand making the slot wider.

I meant to add... heating either with a torch will cause both to heat up and expand, but concentrating the heat on the shaft should cause it to expand quicker than the key.
 
A good pair of dikes usally works for me. If you are going to use heat, heat the key to a red heat. When you heat metal it expands in every direction and when it gets red hot it loses it's strength it can not expand out because of the key slot. Let it cool it will shrink in every direction causing it to loosen in the key way. The same thing works for nuts and bolts. If you want proof clamp a piece of rod length ways in a vice heat the rod red hot it can not expand out because of the vice when it cools off it will fall out.
 
Old screwdriver and a hammer usually works for me.
Hold the screwdriver parallel to the shaft and catch the end of the key and hit the driver (not your hand) and it should "roll out".
 
The good news is heat worked and I was able to pull the shaft out. Bad news is the shaft is badly pitted where the seals ride. Rather than taking a chance I ordered a new shaft from YT.

This is what can happen when you buy a tractor without fully paying attention to details when you are looking it over. Between a new clutch, fixing leaks and a bent front axle my good deal 3600 is now an average deal 3600.
 

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