Winch rebuild problem...help

[Crazyguypa]

I am rebuilding a winch I just got for my truck and I am stuck at the point of removing the woodruff keys from the shaft? I thought the gear assembly side would just come off as the other one did but it doesn't. Anyone have any insight on how to remove the keys from the shaft?

 

[OLDCHEV4X4]

Have any pics?
I put a metal handle on a big screw driver so i can hit it with a hammer. Soak with Kroil. I put the tip against the radiused edge of the woodruff key and tap it with a hammer. You will probley need a new key.

 

[SterlingDevelop]

Pics would be helpful.
How have you tried to remove it?
A brass drift should do it w/out damage.

 

[m16ty]

They can be stuck pretty good. I've had luck using a chisel and hammer to get them out. If it's stuck real good you can dig into them with the chisel pretty good but they are still reuseable most of the time. If all else fails you can try and put some heat on the shaft to break it loose.

 

[1stDeuce]

Ditto the chisel and hammer. I had to do some filing to straighten it back out so it would fit in again though... Mine were definitely stuck in the shaft good...

 

[SterlingDevelop]

you can grab it w/ some locking pliers (vise-grips) and beat on the pliers.

I would try the non destructive means first, but keys are cheap. Just avoid damage to the shaft.

a bit of heat to the shaft w/ a propane torch, nothing hotter, should assist also.

 

[rosco]

Hit one end with a hammer. That will rotate it in the slot. Then lay a cold chisel as flat to the shaft as possible, and smack it. That will jack it right out.

Lee in Alaska

 

[wsucougarx]

I used a hole punch and a hammer to get the darn thing out. I had to use a file to refit it back in there. I just ordered 3 sets of oil seals for the 3 winches. I ended up only spending around $50/set. Seems I might as well make a day out of rebuilding winches.

 

[jollyroger]

Yep, a little heat if it is seized. Maybe some MAPP gas instead of propane. Just a touch hotter. I usually start by hitting one end with a punch to rotate it in the slot. Then you just keep tapping on it till it rolls out. Heat if neccesary. If it is a square grove key none of that works too good.

 

[Crazyguypa]

Still no luck getting the keys out. soaked em... added heat... nothing. theses things are big and even beating on it, and still no movement. the next step might be destructive, I'm not worried about buying new keys to replace them. This is the one step that is holding everything up. With out removing these I can't pull the shaft and replace the one seal on the gear assembly.

Opened up the brake band housing to find it full of water and mud and the band rusted to hell, deteriorated and essentially usless. Time to find a new one.

Pics of the keys..... any other ideas to removing them?

 

[emmado22]

The TM says they are a "one time use" thing, and need to be replaced. I had to destroy mine to get them out.

 

[spicergear]

I was just trying to take apart a blown up winch and gave up after pounding the be-jesus out of them and having them not move. It was prolly better to keep all the parts in one lump anyway-

 

[OLDCHEV4X4]

Thats not a woodruff key. Just flat key stock.
I have drilled and tapped them to get out the rusty stuck ones. Screwed a bolt in and pryed up on the bolt head.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Anyone tried an air chisel?

 

[rmgill]

An Air Chisel seems to sometimes make things move that would not otherwise move. The vibrations alone sometimes work. Squirt Truck, a buddy of his and I got some lunnette eyes off some trailers to move them to different heights with an Air Hammer attachment. Just the vibrations on the side of the housing freed things up neatly.

 

[G-Force]

Use a pair of Dikes (wire cutters). Our machines only use the type of key that you have. You grab it with the dikes and pry the dike jaws against the shaft. They always cone out that way.

 

[1qwkgoat]

Clamp a pair of vice grips on the key, as tight as you can get them, use the air hammer to knock up on them. The vice grips will most likely come off, but the key is usually shaken loose and can them be pulled and pryed out.

I had to use this method on my go karts keyed axle shaft as a kid. It worked for both hub keys and the spocket and brake key.

 

[Crazyguypa]

Ok let me just say taking these keys out....... has got to be the worst job on this truck. i have spent the better part of the day trying to get these keys out. I tried the drill and lift out with a bolt, as someone mentioned.... and yes the bolt snapped. Lucily there was enough threads showing to get it out. I drilled 2 holes in the end and was able to remove a piece of the key and then as luck would have it, was able to pop the key out with a little brute force.

The other side is a whole different animal, it still does not want to play. I got about 1/3 of the key removed and this one is stuck fast. I am soaking it with penetrating fluind for a little while as nothing seems to work. I've already bent 2 cold chisels trying to get it out. I thought about pressing it out as the one end of the key is gone, but my luck I'll crack or deform the housing, so I guess I'll stick with the chisels for now.

....... back to work again i guess. At least I know when I finally get the winch back together it will be done right and I shouldn't have any problems. Guess I'll have to take the shaft into work and have the guys in the machine shop make me some keys....with a little more room just in case I ever have to tear this apart again.

 

[chaplain]

Great guys, and I was looking foreward to rebuilding my winch. I think that I will put it off a while.

 

[Crazyguypa]

Ok I finally got the other key out. Not bad for about 6-8 hours working at removing them. If you guys ever have to rebuild a winch, pray that you don't have to spend as much time as I did to remove these damn things.

So now that I got the keys out and the spool off the shaft, the next step in the rebuild has you pull the spur gear and the shaft outta the casing. I thought this would just slide out, however it does not work that easy for me. Is there a trick to pulling the shaft and the spur gear out or is just murphy hanging around my house this week to piss me off?

attached is a few pics of whats left of the keys and the gear casing and spur gear.