Combines wires and front jackshaft

About the wires...you need to remove the concaves from the machine and then on each side of the concaves are flat plates that are fastened with 3_8" bolts. You need to remove the plates and pound the wires out a small distance with a punch and then pull the rest of the way out with a vise-grip. About the pulleys.....been there done that.....I ended up with cutting off the pulleys, but saved the the shaft.....anybody else get them off with out cutting them offIJIJIJIJIJIJ Hope this helps.....Jack

That butt hook key you refer to is actually called a "gib key". The best method I have found to remove one is with the use of a slide hammer with a vice grip attachment. n1. Replace the adjusting screw of a set of vice grips with the slide hammer adapter. n2. Clamp the vice grips onto the sides of the gib key head securely. n3. Using either a stick welder (7018AC rod seems to work best) or a wire feed welder...weld the jaws of the vice grip to the head of the key securely. Take you time and do a good job, this is the most important part of the operation!! n4. After letting the parts cool for a few minutes thread the slide hammer onto the adapter_vice grips. n5. Apply pulling pressure in a straight line with the key and start hammering with the sliding weight. You don't have to use a great deal of force...start gently and build up until the key pops free. The gib key is tapered and once is starts to move will come out quickly so be careful you don't injure yourself if the key pops out suddenly. The heat of the welding seems to expand the key slightly and as the key cools it shrinks back from the hub and shaft making it easier to remove. The vice grips will ruined (I usually pick up a few old ones at farm sales just for this purpose),and usually the key will be too. But that is a small price to pay compared to having to break the pulley and replace it or spending hours drilling the key out. Good luck! Doc

Yes,those %$nnn*and GIB keys!!. If the pulley is not tight against the bearings,you can drive the pulley inboard a bit,which will release the tapered key. There are puller tools for those things,but have had mixed results using them. I hope their is a specially hot place in hell for the guy who invented those keys

Thanks for the ideas, I'll give it a shot.

A combine mechanic said it was good to replace the two bearings that hold the shaft because you don't want to have to do this again when they wear out. The case mechanics made a pipe attachment that is slightly larger than the shaft and will deliver a direct hit to the pulley to jar it out. I tried for an hour to remove my pulley. The mechanic stopped by after work with this pipe and broke it loose within two minutes. Basically a foot long pipe with a piece of flat steel welded on one end.