HELP! Cannot Get the prop off

[Texan32]

not boat related, but this reminds me of the first time i pulled the OEM ball joints out of my TJ,  They were 8 years old.  Using a heavy duty c-clamp puller and a cheater bar.....i neatly $hat myself when it finally popped loose.  It was like a .22 pistol went off next to your ear.

[amartin]

Last time I had trouble getting one off I did the following:

loosen the nut so there is a minimal gap 1/16 - 1/8” Between the back of the prop and the nut.

Pit the boat in the water and pit a few “hard” reverse throttles on it - no like you are backing it off the trailer,  it like you are about to drift over something bad.

put the puller back on and it popped right off with ease.

good luck.

[Slurpee]

Just out of curiosity. Can you tell that the key slot on the shaft is still aligned with the notch on the prop?

if you ever tapped something with the prop and the key sheared, then you are in for a fun time getting that off. 

[justgary]

You guys beat yourselves silly getting your props off.  I'll stick with the puller I made.  No lube, no heat, no banging.  Tighten the nuts in a round robin, and "binnnnng!"

[Eagleboy99]

8 minutes ago, justgary said:

binnnnng

Great name for a purse company.

[justgary]

7 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Great name for a purse company.

An even better name for a prop tool company... I could weld up a matching purse for you if you still need to beat on things!

[Eagleboy99]

Seriously, do you have plans/specs for that  puller.  I've got a "normal" one, but who doesn't need another tool?

[justgary]

14 hours ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Seriously, do you have plans/specs for that  puller.  I've got a "normal" one, but who doesn't need another tool?

I made a PDF drawing for @DocPhil back in the day.  He had somebody cut the plates for him and made one.  I'll see if I can dig it up.  IIRC, I also drew the optional holes for a four-blade prop as well.

[jmack]

Any luck with getting it off yet?

I think you're wasting your time with penetrating oil. The tapered fit is tight enough that nothing is going to work down in between the prop and the shaft. You're going to need a combination of heat, pressure (from the puller) and harmonics to get it to break loose.

Someone mentioned blocks of wood or a rubber mallet.... If anyone is hitting the actual prop, they're doing it wrong! Never hit the prop - hit the nut on the rear of the puller or possibly the front of the "C" of the puller, but never the prop.

The puller doesn't just work off of harmonics - it's made to apply pressure, and lots of it. Tighten down on it hard.

I'd suggest a torch using MAP gas. It burns hotter than propane, but not hot enough to melt anything like an oxy-acetylene torch will. I wouldn't use boiling water - you're going to want it hotter than 200*

Tighten the puller, heat the hub of the prop, and smack the puller with a 4lb hammer.

 

[justgary]

On 8/6/2020 at 6:28 PM, Eagleboy99 said:

Seriously, do you have plans/specs for that  puller.  I've got a "normal" one, but who doesn't need another tool?

I found my drawing.  Can you guys buy 1/2"-13 all thread rod easily up there in the frosty north, or is 12mm easier to find?  Just curious. 

Maybe it's next to the bags of milk.

[Eagleboy99]

I happen to have a  couple pieces of 1/2"-13 in my purse...    Seriously, I have some - galvanized, too.   Plans would be appreciated although it will probably take me a while to get it made.

[Sportster207]

I've only owned the boat for a year and since I've owned it we've never hit anything, I'm sot sure about the previous owner. The key still looks aligned in the keyway, so I don't believe it is broken. To clear the air I am not hitting the prop, I am hitting the puller. I'll try putting the puller on and leaving it for a couple of days tightening it every so often. I've used a map gas torch as well. 

[Chaabo]

The prop needs to “break” free off the taper. Harmonics is the key word here!
As mentioned a few times above, tighten the puller pretty good, use a small(-ish) hammer and give the puller a handful of repeatedly smacks in rapid succession.
10-15 should do it. If prop is still not broken free, tighten the puller some more and repeat procedure. It really is about harmonics breaking free the taper tension between the driveshaft and the hub.
I have never ever not been able to get a prop off that way.
Never had to use heat either.

Edited August 11, 2020 by Chaabo
typo

[oldjeep]

Time for this.  Or find a friend to help.

 

[justgary]

3 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Time for this.  Or find a friend to help.

 

Heh heh heh.  Nothing like a Coach, man.

[Dfowkes]

On 8/11/2020 at 11:25 AM, Chaabo said:

The prop needs to “break” free off the taper. Harmonics is the key word here!
As mentioned a few times above, tighten the puller pretty good, use a small(-ish) hammer and give the puller a handful of repeatedly smacks in rapid succession.
10-15 should do it. If prop is still not broken free, tighten the puller some more and repeat procedure. It really is about harmonics breaking free the taper tension between the driveshaft and the hub.
I have never ever not been able to get a prop off that way.
Never had to use heat either.

I'm telling you, tighten the puller very tight but still straight.  And while you are tapping the puller tighten at the same time.  

[jmack]

47 minutes ago, Dfowkes said:

I'm telling you, tighten the puller very tight but still straight.  And while you are tapping the puller tighten at the same time.  

Yes - I don't understand "tighten it and tap on it and tighten it more" or "tighten it and leave a couple of days and tighten it more". If you can tighten it more, then you didn't tighten it enough the first time. Tighten it until the prop comes off or you can't get it any tighter. If you tighten it as much as you can and the prop doesn't break free, then tap it with a hammer. If that doesn't work, then apply heat and tap it with a hammer, if that doesn't work, then get a cheater bar and tighten it more and repeat the process......

[henrik]

On 8/11/2020 at 7:56 AM, justgary said:

I found my drawing.  Can you guys buy 1/2"-13 all thread rod easily up there in the frosty north, or is 12mm easier to find?  Just curious. 

Maybe it's next to the bags of milk.

 

On 8/11/2020 at 7:56 AM, justgary said:

I found my drawing.  Can you guys buy 1/2"-13 all thread rod easily up there in the frosty north, or is 12mm easier to find?  Just curious. 

Maybe it's next to the bags of milk.

Any chance you could send it my way as well?
I need one of those. If you can include the 4 blade version that would be awesome. 
henrik

[justgary]

55 minutes ago, henrik said:

 

Any chance you could send it my way as well?
I need one of those. If you can include the 4 blade version that would be awesome. 
henrik

Turns out the four blade version has one extra hole, which technically makes it a two blade version (and you get to choose the two blades!).  As such, it is completely untested.  It wouldn't take a lot of thought to add two other holes, but I didn't check to see if the plate would still be strong enough.  If you have a wimpy prop, sure it is.  But the whole point of this thing is to remove *any* prop.

I tried sending a PM to both of you, but I'm full again.  Let me see what I can do about that....

[henrik]

4 hours ago, justgary said:

Turns out the four blade version has one extra hole, which technically makes it a two blade version (and you get to choose the two blades!).  As such, it is completely untested.  It wouldn't take a lot of thought to add two other holes, but I didn't check to see if the plate would still be strong enough.  If you have a wimpy prop, sure it is.  But the whole point of this thing is to remove *any* prop.

I tried sending a PM to both of you, but I'm full again.  Let me see what I can do about that....

Thank you up front. I did try to pm you but got message that you didn't accept pm's..

No rush on my end, Henrik

[asnowman]

On 8/5/2020 at 7:07 PM, Sportster207 said:

Thanks for the replies Guys, I worked on it for about another hour repositioning  the clamp and giving it some more hits...still nothing. I'm hitting this puller pretty hard with a 16 oz hammer. I am  headed to in the in-laws this weekend so i'll keep spraying oil on it once in a while.  The Flightcraft gets this round, I'll try another day when it isn't 91 degrees in the driveway.

So did you get that prop off yet? or do you have a nice new 515 you may not need?