M2 Main shaft/pivot shaft bearings, right side

So...lost the bearings on the right side of the main shaft (book calls it pivot shaft) when finishing wheat in late June. Didn't get a chance to work on it until late last week due to other half griping about me not having work done on the house we bought last Spring. She in a big hurry to move, not me. Anyway, I got the tailings elevator raised up out of the way, but that's as far as I've gotten. I can't get the unloader sheave to budge. I've had a 2" wrench on it and pulled it tight with a come-along while beating on the center. Won't move. Don't have an air hammer, but have an air impact wrench. Made a socket to fit the square center of the sheave and put my 3/4 impact wrench on it yesterday and still haven't moved it. I'm told it's left-handed threads, so I've been trying to turn it to the right to loosen. Right? Going to heat it in a few minutes and see if that'll free it. Anyone else had this much trouble with this job?

The slip ring assembly is bolted to the end of the shaft 3/4" if I remember right. The bin unloader pulley is LEFT hand thread, we used an air hammer. The magnet is held with 4 bolts (1/2 x3/4), watch the plate behind it, as it has bloody sharp edges (don't ask how i know blood is a good lubricant). The clutch plate is also held on with 4 bolts, yes slippery when lubricated. The pulley assembly is supported with 2 bearings, the first one is captive in the pulley, we used 2 good sized pry bars to slide it off. Most every thing else slide off with a little persuasion. We did not need a puller, maybe we got lucky. Have fun and keep the lubrication on the inside. If the bearing is not in several pieces the flange will not come off over it. Do not know the price of the bearing flange, if it is cheap I would break it as there is very little room to get it and the bearing to move. We used the torch to cut the bearing race's, then smashed the piece's out so the flange would come off.

Help a dummy out - what is the slip ring assembly? I've removed the brush holder from the end of the shaft, and as near as I can tell, the bin unloader pulley is next. I can't make it move a bit. I've had the air impact on it, set to turn it clockwise. That's how you loosen left-handed threads, right? What am I doing wrong? Or what have I failed to do? Thanks.

Sorry about that, the slip rings (electrician terms coming out) are/is the brush assembly. If i remember we had to go counter clockwise to free the pulley, and it took quiet a bit to get it moving, seemed to have locktite (red) on it. Now I am confused about right or left hand thread, not real good with the mechanical terms. I just though about it as if it was running, it should tighten up rather than unthread and fall off. At least thats how stuff is where I work.

Take your rock door tool, put in in the holes in the pulley and wack the bar with a big hammer. Sorry I can't remember if it is a right or left hand thread. Been 25 years since I did one, but with that process it loosened up easily.

Ok. Spent 4 days trying to get the unloader sheave to come off. Put a 2" wrench on the square center & let it hang down, hit it several times, no good. Hooked comealong around back axle and onto box end of wrench, drew it tight as I could get it, beat on the center, no movement. Put rock door tool through spokes from the top and chained to front axle of compact diesel while leaving comealong hooked up, spun out and bent bar - no movement. Left everything hooked up and beat on center of hub - wouldn't budge. Made socket to fit square hub center so I could use 3/4 impact. No good. Heated hub center red hot in a couple places, still wouldn't give up. Finally (Wed) torched spokes on hub & cut that part off. No change. Heated what was left of hub center right good one more time, then after 30 seconds or so of hammering on it with the impact, it finally started to move. Then it spun right off. Hated to ruin the hub, but thought I was out of options. Have bearings and a replacement now, so hoping to get it together Sat. and head for the field next week, Lord willing. Took VS sheave off the shaft and hauled it to my dealer for evaluation. Showed me where the snap ring groove was supposed to be, but isn't there. Says the snap ring most likely failed and the VS spring shoved the hub against the side of the combine, which took out the bearing, and it spun metal on metal, eating up the snap ring and back side of the hub. First one of these I've had apart. He had the whole works from an L2, so I'm $550 poorer for everything (including bearings and a new thermostat), but have what I need to get going again. The replacement from the L2 is an updated design which doesn't use a snap ring in back to hold it all together. Thanks for the advice.

It is left-hand thread and does go right to loosen. Noticed in the square center of the hub, there's the word =REMOVE-> stamped on it, written much like I typed it, arrow to the right. That's how it came off.

Glad you got it apart, holy cow that was some tight.

Thanks for your posts - they were helpful. You know, the most aggravating thing is - I got everything back on the shaft Sat. afternoon, and as I was cleaning up, I noticed where I'd knocked the cage needle bearing out (I set the VS setup on a large piece of pipe when I knocked out the bearings), there was a thin seal lying beside it. I missed that on the part breakdown, and the dealer looked at the same breakdown and got me the bearings, but never mentioned that seal! So now it's all together, minus the seal. I'm going to pump it full of grease and run it for a while. If all the grease runs out the back side, I guess I'll pull it apart again...