Well, good news and an interesting twist. I tried using the porta-power spreader (which is like a hydraulic-powered reverse jaw) to push the hub off. It can only apply about 1/2 ton of force, so no luck. I tried using the 10 ton straight ram to push it off, but discovered I was flexing the 1/4" thick plate frame, and decided to stop that approach before I ripped the wheel motor mounts off the tractor with this gadget... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
As usual, I ended up with my two neighbors over (we "trade" helping each other out with things), one of which was previously an auto mechanic for years. He brought a 2lb sledge hammer over, and we put the spreader back into the gap and cranked it to a little bit of pressure. He whacked the motor shaft (not the hub) twice, then we moved the spreader to the other side, and one more whack on the motor shaft and the hub came loose! Duh! I was going about this all wrong, trying to not the hub off of the motor shaft when I should have been knocking the motor out of the hub. I guess we actually knocked the whole tractor out of the hub, since the motor was still attached to the tractor... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Go figure...anyway, next time I'll know the correct technique. And, I'd say this hydraulic porta-pack is a keeper as well!
Now for the twist: this wheel motor has a Parker label on it, while the other three are have Ross or something like that stamped into the back (can't tell for sure without taking them out, and I don't intend to do that anytime soon). Looks like this guy has already been replaced once! Now, what the heck do I do? I'm going to call PT in the morning, and see if they can rebuild this Parker motor (who knows, maybe it's the same thing but made without the markings just for them???). I'm thinking I probably need to check around locally and see if someone here in Raleigh can rebuild this thing. At least it has the metal tag on it, so the model number stamped on the tag should mean something to somebody. I guess it isn't too much of a big deal, because (as I understand it) many of these hydraulic motors are designed to be direct replacements for competing brands. Imagine that, mfg's consciously making things fit the same specs as similar products from different mfg's. Now, what were they thinking? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Dave