Just how hard do I hit this thing anyway?

Hi all, thought I'd ask the question on here - I asked on 'a horticultural forum' and got roundly ignored on it... I'll try again but don't hold out much hope.

I have a villiers mk25c that came off an allen scythe that I'd like to use on something else. I need to remove the drive gear from the end of the crankshaft, but it's refusing to budge.

Is it on a taper? Screwed on a thread (left or right hand)?

I've tried shouting at it and it still won't fall off I've tried a puller (maybe not the strongest one ever) and tried turning it too - not too much force yet though. If I can't get anyone to let me in on the big secret I'm getting the grinder out and teaching it a proper lesson on who's in charge.

If I do end up lacking a response and bullying it into subsmission, anyone else want to know how to remove them?

Try heating with blow torch just the sprocket so it expands then tap off
Jonesey

Is that suggestion based on having done it before? It certainly makes sense if it's on a taper or parallel shaft (also on a thread actually)... I did sort-of consider it before but couldn't be bothered to get the torch out.

I just wondered which way to hit it... Straight off or unscrewing? I'll probably warm it up and hit it randomly until I see movement

If warming it doesn't help matters I'll just cut the bugger off anyway - it's worn out so I'm not losing anything either way.

villiers pulleys and cogs cant be a swine to remove even with heat and pullers at times ,
95% of the time the are just pull off with a tappered shaft and keyway
i just soak and heat on and off for a few days and eventualy you win
watch out that it after it moves it dont stop faast again and then you end up back at square one or still cutting the sod off lol
all the best with it from me and paced not haste with it and goggles i recommend as wwhen they break bits fly well from the cast iron and alloy drives from villiers
kev

I'd agree with it being a straight shaft with maybe a grub screw holding it maybe not.

Stu.

I think there may be a little confusion going on.

It's machined steel, not cast iron or aluminium. It has a spring washer and nut on the end of the shaft to 'hold' it on. It's about 1.5" or so in diameter and is more a drive pinion than a cog/sprocket/pulley - i.e. it meshes with another gearwheel rather than driving a belt/chain or similar. It's not corroded in place - it's lived inside an oil filled gearbox.

I'll put a pic or two up of it when I get the engine out of the box - although having looked at the replies I've had here and elsewhere I'm thinking cutting it off is going to be the safest option for removal.

pauldg wrote:Hi all, thought I'd ask the question on here - I asked on 'a horticultural forum' and got roundly ignored on it... I'll try again but don't hold out much hope.

I have a villiers mk25c that came off an allen scythe that I'd like to use on something else. I need to remove the drive gear from the end of the crankshaft, but it's refusing to budge.

Is it on a taper? Screwed on a thread (left or right hand)?

I've tried shouting at it and it still won't fall off I've tried a puller (maybe not the strongest one ever) and tried turning it too - not too much force yet though. If I can't get anyone to let me in on the big secret I'm getting the grinder out and teaching it a proper lesson on who's in charge.

If I do end up lacking a response and bullying it into subsmission, anyone else want to know how to remove them?

Hi Paul, I just answered your answer to me. then just now I read this from yourself.
I had a 1959 James Captain Motorbike, 2 stroke 197cc Villiers. to get the flywheel off I used their Flywheel Spanner
one end is a ring spanner 6 or 8 flats not sure but perfect fit. wedge the flywheel with hard timber. hit the other end of spanner (it has large square metal ) with a heavy hammer, the nut will be tight, then it will unscrew and come loose, however , the flywheel will not come off at this stage, keep the spanner on the flywheel and you will find as you turn it that the shaft has another thread on it that cant be seen, this one is very easy to losen . just continue to unscrew and the fywheel will drop off,
Warning,[/b]make sure that your flywheel is same as the origional James one I had. if it is same then it unscrews conventionaly, counter clockwise, just PLEASE ,MAKE SURE it is same and not on a keyway
George

It's not the flywheel, it's the other end of the crankshaft. But thanks anyway George.

Villiers flywheels aren't an issue - I made my own 'hammertite' spanner (complete lie, I have an old ring spanner that fits nicely and I hit it with a lump of wood...)

I never jam the flywheel with anything either whether I'm doing up or undoing - I've seen too many missing fins... I hold it with my gloved left hand while I whack the spanner with my right - that's how I do everything attached to a crank and never had a problem, it also seems to stop shock going into the mains too much. Works on integrated puller nuts (villiers etc.) as well as 'normal' ones.

Paul

I don't think it'll be screwed on Paul, it should be either a taper or parallel shaft, but if you get that nut off you should be able to see a key-way, or at least I would've thought so.

Have you got the nut off yet???

Maybe some pics might help. Obviously you'll be careful if you cut it off, not to damage the shaft too much.

The nut is well off, as is the spring washer behind it

No keyway visible at all - I can't really tell if it's on a taper as there appears to possibly be a shoulder at the rear end so I can't measure and compare...

As for cutting it off, I'll run a slot nearly through in two places, then split it off with a chisel of the cold variety - I shouldn't think it'll be an issue, just thought I'd ask on the offchance I'd missed something really obvious.