[Glngib]

Any tips for removing the rear axle. Mine is in 3 pieces now with just the flange still in the tranny. Pryed, beat, tried to make a slide hammer with a ratchet strap fastened on with hose clamps and hit strap with heavy hammer. Sprayed PB Blaster in it. Avoiding trying to remove the other side to try to knock out the other one. Might end up with both stuck. 2014 Ranger 570 midsize. Thanks

 

[POS POLARIS]

I've never had an axle I couldn't pull...... eventually.

Don't try and pull the axle on the other side to knock the stuck one out, because you cannot access the axle from the other side. the splined portion doesn't go through all the way.

the best luck I've had is with two small pry bars, or the adjustable heel bars. you need two of them. slip them in directly oppisate each other and pry the stub STRAIT out. you may need to wiggle one way and then the other, but it will come. if you're prying on one side at a time, you might be chasing your tail. I've never gotten one out that way, and I have never gotten one out by pulling on it with force...

Keep lubing it and prying from each side of the shaft evenly. it will come.

 

[Glngib]

Ok, good to know not to remove the other side. That helps alot. Not much room for prying. Will try more in the morn. Thanks!

 

[Toxic-21]

Becareful when prying, you can damage the aluminum case, use good judgement.
Keep spraying something like PB Blaster inside the splines, and letting it soak.
You probably have dirt buildup under the C clip on the axle, not allowing it to compress, so it can come out.

 

[jathomas437]

I've yanked out plenty between my two Yamaha Grizzlies. Haven't had to yet on the Ranger. Sometimes you just have to get crafty and don't loose your cool. It can get quite frustrating when they're stubborn to pop out.

 

[commanderjjones]

Becareful when prying, you can damage the aluminum case, use good judgement......

Ditto. I've seen several members bust or damage a case (usually on the front diff').

Attach a large U-bolt to it and pound on it with a slide hammer.

 

[RiverRunner]

I know someone who has been successful with the muffler clamp idea.

 

[Toxic-21]

Also, when reassembling use anti seize on the splines.
I use a Marine grade antiseize that does not contain any metals ( copper, aluminum, etc).

 

[commanderjjones]

Also, when reassembling use anti seize on the splines.......

Definitely! I coat the splines and sockets to the point that it oozes out when I insert the axles.

 

[HD Dude]

I like the muffler clamp idea, When swapping out a front differential not to long ago, the axles on the machine that I was salvaging from were stuck pretty good, so I modified a brand new nylon Timber felling wedge ( a soft wood wedge would likely work as well) by drilling a hole slightly larger than the splined shaft about 1 ½'' up the wedge and then cut the bridged part out to make a ball joint type removal tool that fit over the axle spline then started tapping on the wedge. ( one came with fairly light tapping and the other with a little more aggressive action) Hope this is helpful! Use Evinrude Triple Guard Grease This stuff is made for the marine environment and 30 years of experience living on an Island in the middle of the Gulf of Alaska tells me that it actually works! Good luck

 

[Glngib]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was hoping it would come out today on my b-day but about out if time before work. Got a friend coming Sat to help me. new axle should be here tomorrow.

 

[Expat]

Did you get it out?

 

[Glngib]

No, a friend was suppose to help me yesterday and he did not come so I put it back together and hauled it to the dealer. Hope they have better luck.

 

[Glngib]

Dealer could not remove. Says might try taking tranny apart to cut shaft out for $800 if not then new tranny for $2835 plus. Gonna take to friend to try or he can replace cheaper. Bumming

 

[commanderjjones]

Holy crap. I can't believe the dealer couldn't budge it. Too bad you're not closer or I would tell you to bring it to me.

 

[fswan]

Been following your axel problem and what strikes me as significant is the advice from our best-of-the-best (and your dealer!) isn't working! There's gotta be something else going on. I'm probably the least qualified person on the forum to give advice on this topic but hell, nothin' else has worked so why not! Let's try some physics. Don't know the conditions you were experiencing when the axel broke but I'll assume you were going forward at the time. Based on what you have already tried, seems like splines of the axel must have moved beyond what the socket in the tranny was supposed to stop (we'll ignore a problem with the circlip for now). Probably the only way that could happen is that either the splines or the socket are defective, that is, one or the other was not hardened to spec for some reason (my guess would be the axel)--certainly wouldn't be the first time something got beyond Polaris' QC! If that was (is) the case, seems like your options would be to either; 1) weaken the axel further by removing material (drilling?) from it, or 2) contract the axel splines by refrigeration, or 3) rotate the axel backwards so that the splines line up with the center of the grooves better.

Drilling probably wouldn't work without damaging the tranny, if you could even get a (big) drill bit in there. Releasing a refrigerant into free air seems like a very BAD idea--toxic and/or explosive! So that leaves rotating the axel in the opposite direction it was going when it broke--probably would only have to move it less than 1 or two 1000th of an inch. A couple of ways to do that come to mind. Maybe use a large u-bolt or muffler clamp and instead of pulling straight out, whack it with five pound sledge so that it rotates backwards a tad, then try a straight pull. Another possibility might be to use or make an indentation to hold a large punch at the 4 or 5 o-clock position on the axel and drive the punch forward with the afore mentioned 5 pounder. Yet another possibility is (this is what I'd try first) is use a pneumatic air hammer instead of punch/hammer in the indentation to try and get the axel to rotate/unlock.

I know I'm grasping at straws, just trying to think of other options! Good luck!

 

[Glngib]

Thanks guys. Originally, outer boot was ripped and the axle was in good shape not broken. I decided to try to do the work myself. Never done this. Axle would not pull out and tried numerous suggestions. Took to the dealer and they welded a bar onto the cup stuck in the tranny and used a slide hammer and air chisel using 3 or 4 guys to hold pull, slide, etc. No luck. I was gonna go get today and asked if they could replace the boots while still stuck if cup etc not damaged too bad. First they said no, then called back and said they could. Of course squeezing more money out of me. Otherwise, some new friends from Illinois offered to help me as they fix and do all of their own work. That is a 2 hour drive one way which I would do. I am / was suppose to go to Brimstone next Thursday and might still get to go. Will see. Thanks for sharing and listening. I belong to various groups on Facebook and have a group of my own and they all shed info too.

 

[Glngib]

Commander are you close to Brimestone?

 

[trog]

dam the luck sorry you cant get it out wow T&S I,d try to take apart other side in bearing then slide new boot over to the other end maybe unless you already trashed the old one

 

[Glngib]

They called and took parts from my new shaft and fixed on machine. It is still stuck though so problems could
arise later. Gonna test ride tomorrow. Might be trading in the future.