# need help: how to remove Ariens pulley ?!



## plowman (Jan 16, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm replacing the engine on an old 1966 Ariens Sno-Thro. 

So, the engine is off the snowblower tractor... it's sitting on the garage floor. All I need to do is get the pulley off and I'll be rip roaring soon (I hope!). I found the two set screws... they are off. What do I do now ? I don't want to break any parts... like the pulley. Pulling doesn't seem to work. Is there a nut installed through in the middle of the crankshaft hloding the pulley in place ??

Please help! 

Thanks,
plowman


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## CharlesW (Oct 13, 2010)

There's a very good chance that the pulley is a press fit.
If it is, a puller designed to remove pulley may be needed.
Some require the use of a hammer to start things moving.
You might want to research "pulley removers" to see just how they work so you don't damage anything.

It's also possible that the old pulley having been on there for 44 years might be part of the problem.


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## plowman (Jan 16, 2011)

Hi Charles,
Thanks for the info. I think you're right. Looking at the schematics from the manual there's no bolt... so I guess I need to get a universal pulley puller and then I'll install it with a hammer...


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Are you talking about the pulley on the end of the shaft on the engine? Your pulley might be press fit, but you said there were set screws, which makes me think it isn't. Rust seems to hold things better than bolts do sometimes. Have you tried applying some kind of penetrant, like Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, or Kroil, some folks say it works best, around where the shaft and pulley meet. Let it sit and reapply. It might take a few applications. Sort of lightly tap the pulley a few times with mallet. Sometimes applying heat to the pulley will help too. I've used a small propane torch to do this to some of the things I've had that were stuck. I watched the owner of a small motorcycle shop here apply heat with a propane torch then squirt some penetrant on it. The heat seems to draw the penetrant in. Another option I've found that works well for me, especially when I need something to work quick, is get a new pulley. Then get the old one off when time and need isn't as great.


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## plowman (Jan 16, 2011)

After doing some research, I went to NAPA this morning and got a 3 tooth puller (works for gears, pulleys, etc). Hooked it up and it popped out surprisingly easy using the threads on the tool. I feel like a wuss now for not being able to pull it out but I didn't want to break it 

Now, how to put it back in.. I think... if I flip the teeth upside it installs... it looks like it will... rubber mallet always works. Thanks for the input !!!


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## CharlesW (Oct 13, 2010)

plowman said:


> After doing some research, I went to NAPA this morning and got a 3 tooth puller (works for gears, pulleys, etc). Hooked it up and it popped out surprisingly easy using the threads on the tool. I feel like a wuss now for not being able to pull it out but I didn't want to break it
> 
> Now, how to put it back in.. I think... if I flip the teeth upside it installs... it looks like it will... rubber mallet always works. Thanks for the input !!!


Having the right tool for the job helps a bunch. The puller was able to apply pressure much more evenly than you probably could with whatever you were using before.

When replacing the pulley, I have some reservations about the use of a hammer. Keep in mind that you are driving the crankshaft against the bearings in the crankcase. Those bearings are probably made to handle rotating loads and end loads might not be a good thing.

If you do decide to use a hammer, buy yourself a "Dead blow" hammer.
They are some type of plastic compound with shot inside them. Doesn't bounce after impact, thus a "Dead blow".
Works great. You will probably never use your rubber mallet again.


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## pfn (Dec 24, 2010)

After fighting to get many bearings, pulleys, collars and what have you off of shafts, sometimes having to cut them off, I ALWAYS put anti-seize compond on the shaft before reinstalling the pat. The anti-seize makes the next time a breeze, and no they don't shift or come loose.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

pfn, I second that. Every shop should have a can of never seize around. I have been using it for many years. Makes revisits to any job years down the road a breeze, that is provided you properly maintain your machine and still have it many years down the road .


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## plowman (Jan 16, 2011)

Thanks guy. It was my first small engine swap. Whew! Go excited and ran her last night before I secured the blower crank . Seems to chew through 2 foot drifts without hestitation.


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## plowman (Jan 16, 2011)

The pulley was pretty loose on install and the set screws and rectangular key were holding it in place. It was just rusted in place. I'm part caveman so I was initially using my barehands to try to remove it  However it was installable with barehands. I wish the shaft length was exactly correct but as they say, c'est la vie. Now I get to glue a plastic cover to the housing and make it custom.


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## Kestas (Mar 26, 2011)

Kind of an old thread, but I wanted to pass on a trick that worked for me. I too couldn't get pulleys off the shafts on my 40-year-old snowblower using a slide hammer, hammering from the back... nothing.

What worked was pushing from the engine side by using nuts and bolts. I have buckets of old nuts and bolts. I just had to find the right length pair of bolts with just a bit of clearance behind the pulley. Nuts on the end of the bolts could then be turned using wrenches, which provided the spreading force needed to elegantly push the pulley off the shaft.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

That works too. Here is a video that shows various pullers in use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emwOHzNuk0Y


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## Snowmann2011 (Apr 5, 2011)

Kestas said:


> Kind of an old thread, but I wanted to pass on a trick that worked for me. I too couldn't get pulleys off the shafts on my 40-year-old snowblower using a slide hammer, hammering from the back... nothing.
> 
> What worked was pushing from the engine side by using nuts and bolts. I have buckets of old nuts and bolts. I just had to find the right length pair of bolts with just a bit of clearance behind the pulley. Nuts on the end of the bolts could then be turned using wrenches, which provided the spreading force needed to elegantly push the pulley off the shaft.


I did this as well and it worked alot better than what you would think. The 3 jaw pullers are great but if your in a pinch, the nut and bolt trick should work everytime.


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