How not to remove a pulley?

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So I purchased the Harbor Freight “3 Jaw Puller Set” (32184) today for $12 and proceeded to put together all the pullers.  I installed the correct puller then broke the pulley.

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I guess I needed to remove the pen thing first (2nd picture with arrow)?  Not really sure how to remove it though.  I already removed the screw but not quite sure how to slide the piece out?  

3 Replies to “How not to remove a pulley?”

  1. I have done the same, breaking a stuck pulley. 2 ways you could have removed the pulley. 1. heat the shaft with a cutting torch. The heat would have expanded the pulley and the puller would have removed it. by putting some tension on the puller first, and then adding heat, the pulley would have popped free. 2. Since the motor was junk anyways, you could have cut the motor shaft off with the pulley attached, and either had it pressed out at a auto parts store, or put the pulley loosely on top of a vise and hammered the shaft through to remove it. Always and I do mean always use antisieze on everything you assemble to help you at a future time in case it ever needs disassembly.

  2. I’ve never needed to heat a pulley to remove it, but I’ve heard it can work. I usually saturate it with a penetrating oil and let it soak overnight, then I tighten down firmly on the puller and lift up on the puller as I tap it with a hammer. As long as the set screw is loose, you don’t need to worry about the key – the pulley should slide right over it. As a rule I never tighten down on the puller any more than I can hold onto one jaw with my other hand, that way you’ll never break a pulley.

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