Nifty Solution for Removing Cutlass Bearings with Shaft in situ

[ribbony]

We relaunched yesterday. One task completed was to put in new cutlass bearing in the strut. Getting the old one out was going to be difficult as the shaft had to remain insitu, the only way to remove that was to remove the motor and the whole drive train (no way).

This nifty device was the solution after a mallot and soft dolly failed to remove the bearing.

I found the plans to it on another forum after googling the problem. It took a couple of hours to make and it worked a treat. My wife pointed out that it would be usefull in reverse to install bearings.

[4HMainer]

If you use a fully composite cutless bearing bedded on epoxy as a clearance fit removal is easy as you just heat the carrier, epoxy softens and bearing slides out. It can also give you confirmation that the carrier is aligned as you should be able to spin the new bearing in the carrier with the shaft chocked.

[ribbony]

The bearing we installed were composite types as you described, and bedded on epoxy. Though finding a suitable epoxy and getting the epoxy it into the housing with the shaft in there was not easy.

[4HMainer]

I can imagine it was tricky, but removing will be easier nxt time.
The epoxy we recomend for those searching is branded in Europe and the states as araldite 2011, this is a low temp epoxy so easy to soften for removal. You will need to thicken it up for bedding the bearing as it is slow setting and can slump.

[ribbony]

Thanks, I have found the Araldite 2011 available in Oz. Would microballons be suitable to thicken it for bedding ?

[4HMainer]

Coloidal silica or talcum powder not sure about the micro ballons, I'd check with supplier, but they should be OK as we bed phenolic resin bearings on polyester epoxy.