Kubota ZD321 deck gearbox removal issue

[BamaRaised]

I am in the process of removing the deck gear box on my ZD321. The belt broke and jammed in under the box now the pulley is flopping around and it has damaged the bottom seal on the gear box as well. I am trying to remove the box to assess the damage but have run into a road block. I actually rebuilt the box a few years back, but my I don't remember running into this problem removing it back then. The issue I am having is the bushing under the dust cover underneath the deck that slides over the shaft is stuck and it is preventing me from pulling the box from the top of the deck. I can slide the bushing up and down the shaft an inch or so but it is catching on something. I searched for a snap ring and can't find one, but there is something preventing it from sliding off the shaft. It has been a few years since I removed it, is there supposed to be a snap ring somewhere holding this bushing on the shaft? I cleaned up some of the grease/oil but I didn't see one.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mikester]

Sorry I can't help but did you check messicks for parts diagrams showing an exploded view of your assembly?

 

[BamaRaised]

Sorry I can't help but did you check messicks for parts diagrams showing an exploded view of your assembly?

I did, and there should be a snap ring there. But it's as if the bushing slid down over it and now it is stuck. I can see a snap ring or the groove for one on the shaft. I can slide the bushing up and down a couple of inches but it won't come all the way off. At this point I have no idea what I should do next. I appreciate the response.

 

[arto98607]

If you have not done so yet, I would remove the deck and prop it up on it's side so you can see better.

 

[m7040]

Take off the deck and prop it upside down so you can use a drift pin and hammer to drive the shaft out and free the gearbox

 

[BamaRaised]

Take off the deck and prop it upside down so you can use a drift pin and hammer to drive the shaft out and free the gearbox

I appreciate the advice. Earlier today prior to reading this I bolted the gear box back down, then put a large socket on the bushing and gave it a a couple of taps with a hammer in hopes that I may expose the snap ring. This ended up exposing the groove where the snap ring goes, but still no sign of the ring itself. I think it is stuck inside the bushing and preventing it from being pulled all the way off. If I have a punch large enough to cover the threaded area on the shaft i'll try what you suggested, if not, would a large pulley puller be a decent option? Or do you think I will need the shock of the hammer to drive it out? Thanks again.

 

[BamaRaised]

If you have not done so yet, I would remove the deck and prop it up on it's side so you can see better.

I finally had to give in and do that. Here is a video and pic I shot of what is going on.

Short video

 

[mikester]

I'd be trying to press that out. It doesn't look like any snap ring is left anywhere and the parts is being a bugger to disassemble.

 

[arto98607]

I finally had to give in and do that. Here is a video and pic I shot of what is going on.

Short video

Yes it looks like the snap ring somehow slid off and is far inside the "bushing".

I would be careful and try not to damage the spindle since it may be pricey.

 

[BamaRaised]

Quick update.

I was able to get the bushing off the spindle with the pulley puller. Once I got it off, I saw the the top inside of the bushing had a little squash damage causing it to catch on the splines. It came off without applying a whole lot of pressure, thankfully.

Once I got it it off I removed the gear box. I noticed there was some play in the output shaft. Assuming it was a bad bearing, I disassembled the box and inspected everything. To my surprise the bearing seems to be good. There is no lateral play in either of the races and it is smooth. I pressed the shaft out of the bevel gear, which is pressed into the bearing. After inspecting it I didn't see any obvious damage, so i'm a little confused about what is going on here. Any ideas? Or does the spindle bearing stabilize the shaft making this normal?