Prop pulling

[Joe Myerson]

Hi all,

This is a follow-up to my previous posting about propeller damage.

My prop definitely got banged up and one blade bent during an unfortunate encounter with a winter stick on Columbus Day weekend (but you should see the other guy--he was decapitated).

I'm going to have to pull it, and I'm wondering what is the easiest and least damaging way to do so. In the latest edition of This Old Boat Don Casey shows a drawing of a simple prop-pulling device, for which I'd probably have to visit a machine shop. (It shouldn't be that expensive--just two triangles of steel plate with several holes and three threaded bolts.)

Do any of the experienced folks on the CD board have any other suggestions, or should I make a copy of Casey's drawing and take it to a local machinist?

--Joe

[tartansailor]

Hi Joe,
Sorry about the damage.
There are 3 ways I have pulled difficult props in the past:
The easy way: dive overboard and loosen the king bolt
Put the tranny in reverse and gun the engine big time.
or
Rent a large gear puller from a tool rent-all store.

I hate to say this, but if all else fails then one time I had to cut the shaft and put the remains in a hydraulic ram driven bearing press. Hope yours does not go to that extreme.

Dick

[Oswego John]

Hi Joe,

I have two questions to ask you.

Question #1:
How many blades on your damaged prop?

Question #2:
How many times in your lifetime do you expect to pull the wheel?
(Ballpark answer is close enough). Once, five times, once a year, once a month or once a week?

The reason for question #2 is to ascertain what quality, how much to spend on a gear puller. In the case of a shop owner who would use a puller quite often, I would suggest purchasing a quality set of gear pullers to pull your prop.

Otherwise, you might consider checking out Harbor Fright and picking up a set of pullers ranging in price from $14.00 to $24.00. They come in sets for this price. Depending on how many blades your wheel has, they come in two jaw and three jaw models.

What I do is put a strain on the wheel with a puller, then give it a slight whack with a soft faced plastic or lead dead blow hammer.

I'm wondering what it would cost to have a machine shop cut, weld, drill and tap out holes to make a half elbowed substitute puller? Then, again, maybe you can borrow a puller from someone. I bet that you can even rent a puller.

Good luck,
O J

[Joe Myerson]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Dick: She's on the hard now, so diving and spinning in reverse won't do it. The prop and shaft are wrapped in a tangle of monofilament fishing line, which explains how I managed to suck the winter stick into my prop in the first place. (This makes me feel better: It wasn't faulty seamanship on my part.)

The line is fairly light, and I'm sure I can handle that problem quickly enough.

Now, onto OJ's questions:

How many blades on your damaged prop?

Three blades

How many times in your lifetime do you expect to pull the wheel?

As few times as possible, assuming I don't have too many mishaps. I've never had to pull the prop during the 8 years that I've owned Creme Brulee.

you might consider checking out Harbor Fright and picking up a set of pullers ranging in price from $14.00 to $24.00.

This might work. I really wouldn't mind if my Chinese gear-puller only survived for one use.

I'm wondering what it would cost to have a machine shop cut, weld, drill and tap out holes to make a half elbowed substitute puller?

Well, it would really only involve cutting and drilling, but I've never gone to a machine shop myself.

Guess I'll check out our friends from China first.

--Joe

[JWSutcliffe]

Joe:

If you haven't had the prop off in the 8 years you have owned Creme Brulee its likely to be difficult to pull using a puller. The limited space afforded by the rudder cutout limits the size of puller you can use. A 3 jaw gear puller will have to be fairly small (and thus limited in pulling power.) After several aborted attempts at doing this I went the Sawzall route instead. A brand new shaft is in the $75 to $100 range.

[Russell]

Your boatyard should have a puller that they might be willing to lend you, or just do for you. I dont see much sense in having a personal one made, its not something you will use often enough to justify.

[Joe Myerson]

A 3 jaw gear puller will have to be fairly small (and thus limited in pulling power.)

Skip,

Uh-oh. You're probably right.

And to think I've already added to our nation's trade imbalance by ordering an el-cheapo three-pronged gear-puller from Harbor Fright. (Even one of the customer reviews of this product said the "damn thing broke on the first try.")

Actually, the prop-puller described in Don Casey's book would fit into the tight space between the end of the prop nut and the rudder. I'll have to see about visiting a local machine shop after all.

My late father-in-law was a supervisor in a machine shop, and I did acquire his drill press--but none of his steel-cutting equipment.

Nothin's easy the first time around.

--Joe

[Joe Myerson]

Your boatyard should have a puller that they might be willing to lend you, or just do for you.

Russell,

For the second year running, I'm not keeping the boat in a yard. I saved big bucks by doing almost all the work myself last season, and the charges in the lot next to the local sailmaker are less than half what I paid at the yard for storage alone.

Of course, the equation changes when I run into little problems like the propeller incident.

--Joe

[Russell]

In that case, if you have the origonal bronze prop rather then SS I would agree with Skip on the sawzaw route. You may find when you try to remove the shaft from the coupling you end up doing this anyway. That is assuming you plan to remove the shaft fully as well to replace the cutless bearing and such (perfect time to do such maintence when you are pulling the prop anyway).

[Stan W.]

You should be able to borrow a suitable puller from Autozone's free loaner tool program (they charge your credit card account for the tool's value when you borrow it and then credit your account when you bring it back). Blocking the rudder to one side will give you plenty of room to work. The puller by itself probably won't do the job. The trick is to use the puller to put a ton of tension on the prop and compression on the shaft and then give it a sharp blow with a heavy hammer. The prop will pop right off. It doesn't hurt to soak everything in something like PB Blaster or Kroil first.

[Maine Sail]

You'll likely need a set of scissor type pullers that perhaps you can borrow one from your yard or just pay them to do it? Algonac makes a good one and they can sometimes be found on eBay then re-sold there..

I can't even remember who made mine but they work darn well. Even with all that leverage I still sometimes need to tighten it and then apply heat to the hub before it goes pop. A well fit prop, correctly installed is a very, very tight fit.

If a prop comes off by slamming it in reverse it was never fit or was installed correctly to begin with. That is actually pretty scary and would mean the key is taking way to much of the load which can end up in one of these situations.



I have seen a prop that went two years with the first nut not even tight due to bad threads on the shaft. The owner tried to pull it unsuccessfully and buggered the threads and did not notice when he gave up and put it back together. That prop was still a bitch to pop of even with a scissor puller and even after two full years use with no nut tight to the prop...

If you lived in Maine you could borrow mine...


If your prop is that badly bent then you're likely due for a new shaft as well. Truing a shaft can run more than a new one as it is quite time consuming and tedious. Cutting it out is not the worst you could do..

[Oswego John]

As mentioned earlier, Stan has the right idea. You don't pull the wheel off with the puller. You keep pressure on it with the puller and give it a smart whack with a soft blow hammer. A lump hammer and a piece of oak will even do. It should then pop right off. And yes, a penetrant would do no harm.

Good luck,
O J

[Joe Myerson]

Thanks for all the advice.

Replacing the shaft, seal (dripless?) and cutless bearing wouldn't be such a bad thing--if it has to be done.

It's times like this when I don't begrudge the yard its heavy hourly charges. Unfortunately, not having had a full-time job for more than two years, I find myself trying to do more and more of this stuff on my own.

My plan calls for starting with the simplest approach, using my cheesy gear-puller, and working up the scale. It sounds like I may have to call on the local marine-engine-and-power-train guy. His hourly fee is about what the yard charges, and he does make house calls.

--Joe

[barfwinkle]

Is that anything like

"Cow Tipping" or "Sheep Dooring"

Fair Winds and I'll see you in Fairhope

[Maine_Buzzard]

Heat is the elixir of frozen parts. Can't describe how many things have popped apart with a good torching.

Get a MAPP gas torch, as the propane these days seem to be more like burning ice cubes...

The good news is that stainless is a rotten conductor of heat. You can have the bronze prop hub toasty and the shaft at the cutlass will barely be warm. Don't grab the hot hub as it comes off and do that Indiana Jones thing to your hand...

Dittos on the hammer treatment to remove it. Heat the hub, install the puller and give it a decent whack.