Removing brush hog blades

[ericm979]

The used brush hog I acquired last year has badly worn blades. I was able to remove the 600 ft-lb blade nuts but I could not get the bolts out of the carrier.

Bolt #33 is stuck in part #30. It's a shouldered bolt with a 1 1/8 threaded portion and about 1 3/8 shoulder that fits in the carrier and holds the blade. I doused it in penetrating fluid and beat on it with a pipe and an engineers hammer and an air hammer but it did not budge. Any ideas how to get it loose? If I do hit it with something heavier I will support part #30 from below so the bearings are not taking the force. I can get at it from below, or from above through about a 3"hole in the deck.

 

[scootr]

You could try heating it with a torch to break the rust bond... beyond that daily application of a rust buster solvent for a week or so may do the trick.
A second thought is a airchisle driven in between the blade and the center piece to add separation pressure then try the hammer once it is preloaded.
It may take a combination of all of the above. GL

 

[mrmikey]

Any way you can get a ball joint press in there, if not as scootr said, heat is gonna be your best bet.

 

[ericm979]

I was thinking heat. Would a decent hand held propane torch do or do I need Oxy-Acetylene? I've used propane torches on stuck fasteners with success before but the fasteners were a lot smaller.

There's no room for a normal gear puller unless I remove the blade carrier entirely. Then I could get at it from above without going through the 3" hole in the deck.

 

[scootr]

I've use handheld MAP gas for all sorts of heating projects, big pieces just take longer.
A bearing puller may help. I 've been know to get these as tight as I dare and whack em with a hammer.

 

[CalG]

Use two Burnze-o-matic hand torches.

 

[Hay Dude]

That’s weird cause mine usually just fall out.

 

[D&D]

I was thinking heat. Would a decent hand held propane torch do or do I need Oxy-Acetylene? I've used propane torches on stuck fasteners with success before but the fasteners were a lot smaller.

There's no room for a normal gear puller unless I remove the blade carrier entirely. Then I could get at it from above without going through the 3" hole in the deck.

If you have removed item 34 and 35, I would drive a wedge/chisel/air hammer in between the blade and carrier.

 

[Hay Dude]

Worst is being 20M from shop and bending a blade.
My bolts usually just fall out though.
My DeWalt impact has just enough azz to get them out of my CX-15

 

[skipmarcy]

On my very old Howse 6', the bolts also have a "pinched-up" key made into the tapered shoulder of the bolt to keep the bolt from turning which could be adding difficulty removing them. It's possible the bolt was/has spun and that key is wedging the bolt in even tighter. My personal opinion is a propane torch will be useless, need something much hotter to heat that much metal and a BIG hammer. You should always replace the bolts when replacing blades - they are a wear item too.