Removing roll pins

[Wheel_horse1975 0]

Hi all, Need some advice. I have a 48" S.D. Mower deck on my C-161 I cut a corner too tight against an inmovable object and pushed the height adjuster quadrant hard enough to move the axle and sheared the pin right off. I have tried PB Blaster both with and with out heat and a 3/16 punch to persuade it to move. No luck so far! I could drill another hole on the opposite side of the axle BUT I would rather fix it right. Any advice on how / what to drive it out? I have tried drilling them out in the past but since it is hardened steel that doesnt work either. Thanks in advance! Jeff

[linen beige 14]

I'm not familiar with this deck, but if it's in a place where heat won't damage other parts, get it red. That will take the temper out of the metal and it will drill right out.

[Curmudgeon 28]

Did you take it off and lay it on a solid surface when you tried to drive the roll pin out? Or just whacked at it in place so the axle was free to bounce around? If the axle is well supported so all the force of the hammer strike is transfered to the pin, it's much more likely to come loose.

[linen beige 14]

Did you take it off and lay it on a solid surface when you tried to drive the roll pin out? Or just whacked at it in place so the axle was free to bounce around? If the axle is well supported so all the force of the hammer strike is transfered to the pin, it's much more likely to come loose.

Excellent point! The simple things do sometimes elude me.

I recall watching an old time mechanic in my home town driving out one that was set below flush. He dripped in some oil of wintergreen, then took a hardened roller from a broken bearing (one advantage to having a somewhat messy shop.) and put one end in the hole against the end of the pin. He then placed a small socket over the other end and squeezed the two toward one another with a large "c" clamp. He had to turn the handle on the clamp pretty tight, but the pin did pop out. He then grabbed the protuding end of the pin with a pair of locking pliers so that they closed the slit in the pin and twisted it out.

[Rollerman 290]

What helped me a lot was buying a set of "roll pin punches"

You can use a regular punch but the roll pin punches have a knub at the end of them that sets inside the roll pin itself that keeps the punch from wandering & greatly reduces the mushroom effect on the pin itself.

Again this is what I have found & works for me.

[kpinnc 11,881]

What helped me a lot was buying a set of "roll pin punches"

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a set of those....

Who knew?

Kevin

[TT-(Moderator) 1,131]

Quite a few of the roll pins used in these tractors are Spirol and not the standard single wall roll pin. They can be much tougher to get broke loose, but are also capable of taking more pressure.

A roll pin of any type is actually designed to be pressed in or out of the hole, not driven. More than likely they are installed in a location that prohibits the use of a press or the C clamp method. I also have a set of roll pin punches like Stephens and I make sure to hold the punch very tightly against the pin to try to reduce the mushrooming effect. Start with a small hammer and try light taps first. Penetrating oil never hurts either.

As previously stated, it is imperative that the side opposite the force be solidly supported so the impact is concentrated on the pin itself. Wooden blocks aren't exactly solid support, but they are better than nothing.

As with any hammer and punch/chisel application, make sure proper eye protection is used. A spring steel roll pin can splinter just like the hardened punch, and like one of my old bosses once told me:

"YOU ONLY GET ONE SET OF EYES!"