20" Planer - Byrd head install question

[Bob Cooper]

Well i finally bought Bryd's 20" shelix head for my Jet 4 post planer. All arrived well. I'm following through the instructions on the Byrd web site (written for a PM but seems that all these 4 post planers are the same design...pretty much). So as i work through this i'm sure i'd like some advise from others that have trodden down this path.

Main quesiton - i'm at the point where i should be able to "tap" the existing cutterhead out from the pulley side and remove it along with the gearbox. I'm a little gun-shy here. How much force should i use and is a deadblow hammer the right tool? I tried a hammer against a block of wood but stopped when it appeared to require more force than i felt comfortable with using.

A less important question that i've run into along the way...but moved on regardless.

step 6 talks about removing the gears
6. Remove the three bolts from the gears to expose the keys. It should be possible to rotate the cutterhead enough to align the keys in an upward position.
Not for me...i couldn't turn the gears at all and why does it say to rotate the cutterhead...these gears aren't connected with the cutterhead but the rollers that pull wood through. And why does it matter anyway as long as they stay in the same position?

[Mike Cruz]

Sorry, can't help with most you your post and questions, but during my recent 20" planer tune, one of the things we had to do was turn the gears by hand. The planer HAD to be in neutral to do it. It may be overstating the obvious, but hope that helps.

[Chad Stucke]

Bob
It's been a while since I had done mine but I think I used a large spud bar or gentle taps with the sledge. There is considerable weight in the head a little hammer will have to be going pretty fast to move it. I like to go big and slow on something like that.
The cutterhead drives the gerabox and this drives the feed rolls. I changed the gears , bearings and seals while I was at it, mine kept poping out of gear due to wear. If yours is pretty old I would take a look inside for wear. I would wrap the head in cardboard for handling I didn't the first time and cut myself several times and chipped a cutter. I wrapped it when I did my jointer it was much better.
Chad

[Bob Cooper]

OK chad...i'll tap it with something a little bigger tonight and see if it moves.

[Chip Lindley]

Caution! Never use a hammer directly on machined shafts, etc. Always use a block of wood (i like a chunk of aluminum) between hammer and surface. Much heartbreak and extra work of filing down mushroomed edges will be avoided.

[Jim Andrew]

Was thinkin that I used a puller when I changed my jointer head.

[Mac Cambra]

I used a puller on my jointer head, I haven't done a planer, took the easy way out and bought one with a helical head.

[Bob Cooper]

success...at least past this and a few more steps. gentle taps with a sledge hammer and a block of wood did the trick.

I've since finished openning up the gear box, removing the gear from the end of the stock cutter head and tapping it away from the gear box. So now the old cutter head is totally off.