How do I pull this pulley wheel off ?

[KubotaSam]

I was in a similar situation last spring removing a large pressed steel pulley from the gear box of my Landpride rear finish mower. I tried everything; penetrating oil, heat, supporting the outside of the pulley and hearing plus tapping on the shaft, even a large gear puller (could not apply a lot of force because of the danger of bending the pulley). What finally worked for me was to use a dremmel tool and a sawzall to cut a slit in the hub of the pulley just above the keyway. This allowed the center to expand enough to slide easily from the shaft. Once the pulley was off I cleaned everything and prepped the pulley for welding. I put the pulley back on the shaft. It seamed a real good fit. I do not think the center hole had permanitly expanded. I tacked the pulley while it was on the shaft then removed it and finished the weld. It worked great.