This Shop Kink follows on the heels of our popular Tech Tip #24, Maintaining Your Power Take Off. In this Shop Kink we discuss how to remove a pilot bearing. This is an important topic because whenever you remove a PTO for rebuilding or replacement, you should install a new pilot bearing. The problem is that we find that often the pilot bearing is hard to remove.

Over the years people have used slide hammers, bearing pullers, and cursing. None of these three techniques is infallible. As a result we've come up with a new idea. First remove the Rockford/Twin Disc PTO. Then pack the now-exposed old pilot bearing with grease. Insert a long wooden dowel of roughly the same OD as the ID of the pilot bearing into the pilot bearing. Whack on the wooden dowel and the grease will squirt out and cause the pilot bearing to come out. No cursing required.

Please call us with any questions. We stock Workshop Manuals for Twin Disc and Rockford power takeoffs and would be happy to ship one to you. Foley is different: we're a 90 year old, three generation family firm that wants to help.