A little winch help please

[combat32]

Started the dissasembly of my free winch, it is locked up tight.Now that I have it apart a bit I can see why.The clutch side was full of water, I bet the drive side is too.I have all new seals on the way.My question is what is a good technique for gettin those woodruff keys out on the shaft so I can remove the thrust bearing and then the drum.I have TM in hand but it is a bit vague, it says remove and discard, I would kind of like to reuse them as I have no replacements.

Any advice is appreciated, here are a couple of pics of my progress so far,

 

[doghead]

You will need to get replacements, they don't usually come out without damaging them.

 

[jasonjc]

I had to use a BFH and cheisle.

 

[emmado22]

The major dealers have the woodruffs. They will be destroyed when you take them out. It's just how it is.

 

[rosco]

You can be as careful as you can, but jasonjc has it nailed.

 

[wsucougarx]

I have had to revert to this particular technique when I rebuilt the 4 winches I have. I used a standard 1/2" rubber mat on a concrete floor for this. What I did was simply tore down my winch as shown in your 2nd pic. I placed the shaft portion on the floor and lifted the entire assy about 3 inches off the floor and let her free fall. Mind you, this is not a light winch. After about 4-5 drops, the pins let loose. It worked on all 4 of my winches w/no damage to any of the components. No damage to the pins nor the winch assy. Just don't drop the assy from too far up. If I remember correctly, I have those pins a good soaking with PB Blaster then proceeded. Hope this helps.

 

[NDT]

Grab the key with a vice grip and pry up with a chisel. Use a hammer to drive the chisel between the shaft and the vice grip. May take a few times. If you bugger up he key you can always grind it smooth again.

 

[Stretch44875]

Don't know how good the quality is, but a good hardware store should have the keys. Or Grainger.

 

[bustin]

Don't know how good the quality is, but a good hardware store should have the keys. Or Grainger.

right on with a quality hardware store. Take the old one with you and dont forget the anti sieze when assembling

 

[Speddmon]

First off, those do not look like woodruff keys to me. That is just standard square keystock, with the ends rounded off and placed into key slots milled into the shaft. A woodruff key is pictured below.

When I have to remove keys like that, I always use a large pair of electricians side cutters. Open the side cutters and slide them along the shaft (parallel to the shaft) and grab the end of the key. Since the key is so wide, you'll only have the key by two points, but the cutters will bite into the key considerably. Use those two points as a fulcrum and lift the handles of the cutters. When you do this, the points of the cutters will press against the shaft and the added leverage will pop the key up from it's slot. This will work, although you may have to try it several times and use some penetrating oil but it will get them out without totally destroying the key or the shaft. A little work with a file and you can re-use both of them again.

 

[baxter]

I rebuilt my winch last summer and the woodruffs were the worst part I agree above BFH and a drift worked for me. I installed new seals and mine leaks bad it never stops dripping.