best way to remove steering wheel on JD 750?

[swelltimes]

Hi all -

My wife and I recently bought a JD 750 with a handful of implements, from a seller on Craigslist that lives near us.

As anticipated, I'm running into a bunch of issues as I work through the machine and get to know it better.

Need to remove the fuel tank (plastic), to clean out whatever sinister gunk is lingering in there, but to do so, seems like I need to remove the steering wheel.

I borrowed a 3-arm gear puller from a neighbor, and that doesn't work. The 17mm nut on the steering shaft came off easily, and I've been soaking the wheel / spline interface with Kroil.

Before I go buying the wrong new tool, or getting medieval with improvised methods, does anyone have any recommendations as to how to get that steering wheel off?

Thanks!

 

[Tx Jim]

A steering wheel puller should get the wheel off. Install puller then lighten center bolt,tap this bolt with a hammer & wheel should come loose

 

[Birdhunter1]

Without a puller I've stood over it, pulled hard and had someone tap the top of the steering shaft and it popped off. In an extreme case I two of us were pushing up on the steering wheel from opposite sides of the tractor while a person on the tractor tapped the column and it popped off.

 

[oosik]

I had the opportunity/JOY of pulling the steering wheel on an old Ford tractor. Wish I would have had the tool that Tx Jim shows. It took time & patience. Finally the rust gave way and the wheel came off.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Rent or buy the puller, so much simpler, and less likely to break something or get hurt if the wheel lets go. The splines on most wheels are taper fit so once they move a tiny amount they usually come right off.

 

[DwayneB]

I used a steering wheel puller on my JD and the threads pulled out of the wheel. I then purchased a bearing puller set from harbor freight. It worked perfectly because it goes under the wheel.

 

[swelltimes]

Yeah, I'm having a tough go of it here. Hoping to put a little heat on it today, and get the wheel off.

Anyone happen to know the thread pitch and size of the nut that holds the steering wheel on? Asking for a friend....

 

[swelltimes]

Put some heat from a torch on the nut and steering shaft, and that was the trick.

Turns out the nut / steering shaft is 7/16 x 20, for collective future reference.

 

[fried1765]

Put some heat from a torch on the nut and steering shaft, and that was the trick.

Turns out the nut / steering shaft is 7/16 x 20, for collective future reference.

Now that you got it off, use a bit of "Antiseize" when you put it back.

 

[Tx Jim]

Put some heat from a torch on the nut and steering shaft, and that was the trick.

Turns out the nut / steering shaft is 7/16 x 20, for collective future reference.

Thanks for posting update. I glad you got wheel off. I sure thought the nut would have been metric.