Anyone know what this is and how to remove it?

[jd5000]

On a pulley on an old motor, there is a little metal rod. Anyone know what it is called and how to remove it?

 

[phred]

It’s a square key. You don’t remove it. You use a pulley puller and pull the pulley from the shaft. The key will move along with the pulley. I would spray the shaft and key with penetrating oil and let it soak for a while before pulling the pulley. Reinstall by pressing the pulley back on carefully aligning the slot and drive the key back in along with the pulley.

 

[PsRumors]

^^^^

What he said

 

[thammel]

And if you have trouble pulling the pulley, a little heat may help (expansion effect)

 

[u3b3rg33k]

is there no set screw?

 

[MongoTA]

Google "motor shaft with key" for a better parts image.

I did what's already been said. I hit mine with PB Blaster and let it sit overnight. Came back the next day and hit it with heat and more PB. A hard knock on the pulley hub to shock the joint (do NOT hit the key, you do not want to deform it), and it slid off with a puller.

It'll probably help if you can clean up some of the corrosion in the keyseat.

 

[jack stand]

Note; heat the apparently aluminum pully.

 

[RoninB4]

The above posts are correct. Clean the keyway (square cut in the shaft the key sits in) out so crud doesn't migrate back into the pulley area causing further binding. You'll want to put a magnet on the pulley itself to determine if it's steel or not. If the magnet doesn't stick then that pulley is either aluminum or pot-metal and breaks fairly easy so don't put a lot of force on it anywhere except the hub itself.

Now soak the assembly in penetrating oil for a good while. Most keys are made of steel and corrode in place, making removal difficult or impossible. All surfaces (key, keyway, and shaft) need to be clean and corrosion free if that pulley is going to come off. It's even possible that you'll need to destroy the pulley to remove it so get all the dimensions from it while it's still in one piece.

I've removed hundreds of pulleys from spindles/motors, sometimes making special tooling for it, and it's not always an easy task. Good luck.

 

[The Cobbler]

is there no set screw?

there should be a set screw pressing that key, is there one in the valley of the groove ? it needs to be loosened . and yes, heat the pulley will help to pull it

 

[ratflinger]

there should be a set screw pressing that key, is there one in the valley of the groove ? it needs to be loosened . and yes, heat the pulley will help to pull it

Most press fit keys I've seen don't have a set screw. I see no indication in the OP's pic that a set screw is there. That appears to be a press fit pulley

 

[atch]

Some pulleys have the set screw down in the bottom of the "V" groove.

 

[nadogail]

Penetrating Oil, Pressure, and Vibration have caused a lot of Pulleys, Sprockets and Gears to move.

 

[Jim greengo]

Woodruff key is what I've always called the,keeps pulley from spinning on crank.

 

[scooby074]

Check for a setscrew. Youre going to have an un-fun time trying to remove that without breaking that pulley. Gentle heat and a puller at a minimum. Good luck

 

[jd5000]

Thanks everyone, I got it off.

 

[RoninB4]

Woodruff key is what I've always called the,keeps pulley from spinning on crank.

-What the OP has is a standard type square key, the keyway is the giveaway. A woodruff key has no noticeable keyway until the pulley is off. The slot a woodruff key seats in is made with a somewhat specialized cutter in a milling machine that matches the radius of the key. A visual and a few applications are below.

 

[bwringer]

Glad the OP got it sorted!


That was a simple rectangular key, but just for the sake of completeness, on very large and/or very old machinery, "gib head" keys are not uncommon. New gib keys are also considered more like raw material, not finished parts; there's a fairly complex fitting (or "fettling") process the installer must go through to cut and file the new gib key in order to ensure it fits correctly.

Unsurprisingly, humans and workplace pressures are the same through the ages, and this process was often mostly skipped by long-dead mechanics, leading to all sorts of interesting situations for folks dealing with Victorian-era machinery 120 years later.

 

[atch]

Thanks everyone, I got it off.

So tell us how you got it off and whether it did or didn't have a set screw.

 

[jd5000]

So tell us how you got it off and whether it did or didn't have a set screw.

There were two set screws on the pulley itself, but no set screws on the key.

To remove it, I gave it a quick squirt with some PB blaster and after a while, just pulled it off with my bearings puller. Came off easy.

Now, going back on my will probably be more difficult. I'm not sure if I put the key on shaft and then press the pulley on, or if I put the pulley on and then kind of bang the key in, or some other way.

 

[dchawk81]

On a pulley on an old motor, there is a little metal rod. Anyone know what it is called and how to remove it?

Confusing to me too I'd throw it out.

 

[jkuro]

Put some anti seize on the shaft and key, before you put it back together.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

There were two set screws on the pulley itself, but no set screws on the key.

To remove it, I gave it a quick squirt with some PB blaster and after a while, just pulled it off with my bearings puller. Came off easy.

Now, going back on my will probably be more difficult. I'm not sure if I put the key on shaft and then press the pulley on, or if I put the pulley on and then kind of bang the key in, or some other way.

i usually do a combination of the two, but everything i've touched has a set screw or two. one for the key, the other 90 degrees off if present.

if it's cleaned up good n proper, a little WD-40 makes decent assembly lube.

 

[OccupantRJ]

File bevels on the ends of the key to ease assembly, and clean the shaft and keyway (slot).

 

[Old Man Roger]

There were two set screws on the pulley itself, but no set screws on the key.

To remove it, I gave it a quick squirt with some PB blaster and after a while, just pulled it off with my bearings puller. Came off easy.

Now, going back on my will probably be more difficult. I'm not sure if I put the key on shaft and then press the pulley on, or if I put the pulley on and then kind of bang the key in, or some other way.

Key on shaft, then install pulley.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

You may want to dress the end of that key to knock the edges off the outside edge before reinstalling. Looks like you gave it some love taps.

 

[Fav Onefour]

You may want to dress the end of that key to knock the edges off the outside edge before reinstalling. Looks like you gave it some love taps.

I'd agree.
Honestly, it might be easier to just pick up some new keyway stock and make a longer piece for the reinstall.

I've put quite few together and it's easier to have a little extra length. Short pieces are more to keep centered on the pulley even when you take it slow. In fact, I bet that's why the end of the current key is all banged up. It probably wasn't in far enough so they whacked on the thing after the pulley was already on quite a way. Just watch the backside of the key so it doesn't get too close to the bearing. One trick is using flat stock or a good screwdriver on the side of the bearing to stop the key. Some of the old school guys just use full length key stock with that trick and cut off the shaft end after the pulley is installed. It works pretty good on stub shaft motors.

 

[rlitman]

Key on shaft, then install pulley.

This is a square cut key, and I've had bad luck installing them key first, but it depends on how the slot was made.

1) The usual method of cutting the slot is with a horizontal mill with a large cutter. Done this way, the slot stays square for at least the width of the pulley, but then curves up towards the surface like this:


In this style, if you insert the key first, friction with the pulley will drag the key further onto the shaft, and if the key gets driven onto the shallow region, you will do bad things as you drive the pulley on.

For this style of key slot, what I do depends on how loose the key is in the pulley slot. I want to start the key partially in the shaft slot and slide the pulley over it, ending with the key at least halfway in when the pulley is positioned, and finish by driving the key all the way home, usually with a wooden dowel and hammer. If the pulley is tight, I may have to start with only 1/8" of key in the slot and end with a brass drivt, but if it's loose, maybe I'll only leave 1/8" sticking out and just push it in with my finger (this is NOT ideal, but is acceptable for lower power motors).

2) The other way of cutting a square key slot is with a vertical end mill. On these, the key slot ends at full depth with a rounded end. This method is usually reserved for Pratt & Whitney keys where the slot is entirely on the shaft and doesn't exit at the end, but not always. Anyway, with a Pratt & Whitney key (or a woodruff key), where the key will stay in the correct position as the pulley is inserted, your method works well.

 

[LopezBart]

When replacing things, inspect the keyway for burrs; these can cleaned up w/a small fine file easily enough. Unless the old key is in good shape w/o divots, replace it as Fav Onefour suggests. The new key should sit flat in the keyway, and the pulley with the setscrews retracted should gently tap or just slide on the shaft. The top of the key should clear the pulley.

New keystock should be identified as such; keystock sold at hardware stores will generally be sized appropriately for easy assembly with a relatively loose fit. Keys used in machinery are generally closer fits, which you don't need or want in this application.

 

[atch]

I agree with rlitman; put the pulley on the shaft where you want it to stay and slide the key into the corresponding slots (in the shaft and the pulley). If the key and slots are clean I've never had one that was so tight that I had to wail on it. Just gentle tapping is sufficient, usually with a small brass (or wood) drift.