(ET) Brake pin, this one is worse....

[Chris Zach <cz alembic crystel com>]

Well, driving the tractor around is fun, but I didn't think and drove it 
to the top of my driveway. Then realized that if I drove it back down 
and it popped out of gear I was going to have to dive off it and crash 
it into my log pile again. Been there, did that with the E20 (turned the 
mower deck into a cruller) and not doing it again.

So I drove it down the grass hill where I could steer into a field and 
stop it, no problems going down. Still it made me realize I need to fix 
the brake pedal.

Got the 1/8 punch out and went to work on the shear pin. I found the 
best way is to get the pedal down enough to get the punch on the pin, 
tap it down till it hits the footboard, then break it off and tap again. 
Takes about 3 times, but pin is out. Then the 5/16 punch plus the 5 
pound maul to bash away at the pin till I can get the pedal off, then 
smash it level with the 10 pound (small) sledgehammer. Still it will not 
go any further even after cutting off the end, so I'm stuck.

Drill time. Small pilot hole turned out to be off center, but the good 
part is 1/2 inch in is the hole in the shaft for the shear pin so you 
can get that far. Then larger and larger bits, currently up to 1/4 inch. 
Still does not budge so I'm going to keep going up till I get to the 
edge of the shaft, then drill a second hole offset and eventually get 
this thing out.

What a pain in the rear. I wish they had put a grease zerk or something 
there because that pin is welded/rusted/galled/swollen in there tightly. 
Hopefully Harold has a spare.

C