Cage Bearing Removal Tool

kidcactus said:

What tool are you guys using to remove your primary sheave cage bearing?

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Push bread into the hole and use a wood dowel the size of the hole to push it in. When you get enough in and tap the dowel with a hammer it will force the bearing out. Add more bread and continue till the hydraulic action pushes it all the way out.

Interesting take on bread. I've always used grease and made a big mess. Now I have another tool to use until my ducks swarm me for the bread.

I recall Paul65 using bread to get his out too. The bread must be the trick for pushing out bearings. Good to know for sure.

I’m not taking credit!
Therebel19 posted the idea, someone else posted a YouTube video of someone doing it and working like a dream.
Can’t wait to try it myself!

I posted the removal in my Lube Thread.
Post #195 Link
You will want to drive the new bearing in by putting force on the outer edge/race of the bearing.
They make a bearing / seal driver kit, but you can also use the right size socket if needed.

SKELLEY521 said:

I posted the removal in my Lube Thread.
Post #195 Link
You will want to drive the new bearing in by putting force on the outer edge/race of the bearing.
They make a bearing / seal driver kit, but you can also use the right size socket if needed.

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Thanks for info. I already have the bearing/seal driver kit. I used it when I last serviced the clutch, worked like a champ with the seals. I now have my eye on a blind hole bearing puller. Is it ok to reuse bearing after cleaning/ greasing (Tink Seal)?

I would not reuse the bearing at all, if extracted. This bearing is so small and turns at a pretty high speed. You could easily damage it by extracting it and not even know it. The Blind Hole Bearing Puller is going to be pulling it out from the inner race, not what you want to be pulling on, or pressing it back in on, if you were even considering reusing it. The outer race is the point to press it in with, pressing on the inner race will damage the bearing. "Race" may not be the correct term, but I think everyone knows what I'm referring to.

If you just clean the bearing as good as possible with it still in the cage, it spins very smoothly, and all looks good, then I have regreased them with no ill affects. On older model machines the bearing has always been a fairly in expensive part, haven't priced it for the X2/X4 or Rmax

Not trying to change your mind on changing it out etc. don’t even know how many miles are on the machine and everyone looks at service differently so to each their own.
Just wanted to add, the same method for removing a bearing with bread should work for packing the bearing with grease. This is my intention anyways on my next service.
fill the void with grease through the center hole, push a snug fitting dowel into the hole and it should pack the bearing with pressure from the grease coming back up from the under side.
I sold my old machine at 7000 miles with a fresh sheave service and the bearing running strong. I only serviced the bearing once at around 4000 miles.

kidcactus said:

Thanks for info. I already have the bearing/seal driver kit. I used it when I last serviced the clutch, worked like a champ with the seals. I now have my eye on a blind hole bearing puller. Is it ok to reuse bearing after cleaning/ greasing (Tink Seal)?

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How much is a new bearing and how much is our time and aggravation worth if you reinstall it and its bad?

Budro posted in a thread of mine about the bread. I’m still on the fence. Mine cleaned up nice in a parts washer. I wonder if pulling it and pressing in a new bearing is a good idea. I have a new bearing and seal so that’s not it. But what’s in there looks great. I just don’t want to create a new problem but I also don’t want a later problem. I WANT IT ALL.

Good tip on using bread to push grease back in. How ya gettin the bread back out?

Paul65 said:

Budro posted in a thread of mine about the bread. I’m still on the fence. Mine cleaned up nice in a parts washer. I wonder if pulling it and pressing in a new bearing is a good idea. I have a new bearing and seal so that’s not it. But what’s in there looks great. I just don’t want to create a new problem but I also don’t want a later problem. I WANT IT ALL.

Good tip on using bread to push grease back in. How ya gettin the bread back out?

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Don’t use bread to push grease back in.
Just use grease. Put grease in, fill to capacity. Force dowel into hole, displacing grease back up through the bearing, packing it with grease.
Use bread to force bearing out if you don’t have the proper puller.

If you are using the Yamaha tube grease you could wrap the nozzle with duct tape the right size to squeeze the grease in the center hole and squeeze till fresh grease comes out.

I bought this blind hole bearing puller set from Harbor Freight back when I had my 2016 Gen. 1 Wolverine and needed to replace a couple of wheel bearings. The largest collet in the set would just barely expand large enough for the Gen. 1 wheel bearings. Also used 1 of the other sizes for removing and replacing the water pump weep hole line coolant seal and oil seal. One of the collets in this set might work for the cage bearing.
Slide Hammer and Bearing Puller Set, 5 Piece

Hey bud, glad you found this. I didn't pull the bearing in the primary support, figured there was too much that could go wrong. Mine was in great shape even after 3500+ miles. What I did, was soak the primary cage support in a parts washer, gently turning that bearing to clean it. Never use compressed air to spin a bearing dry. Once dry, I made a mix of red Mobile 1 grease and TinkSeal until it turned pink. I packed that into the bearing and worked it in very well by hand. That's it.

Not just TinkSeal. Mobile 1 red synthetic grease plus TinkSeal. This is what Michael posted previously,

If you figure it out, how to pull it, you will help everyone, but you don't have many miles on your machine so I'm not sure I'd encourage further disassembly. I'm at 4200 miles on that same bearing if it helps.

Thank you both for the information, good to know about how many miles these parts will run.

Wheeler said:

Thank you both for the information, good to know about how many miles these parts will run.

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Mine was going strong at 7000 miles in the old machine. Probably last the full life of them.