Hi jezzathegeo
I did a quick search this may help below. You have already done most of the disassembly.
1. Remove the blade side first
Take off:
Blade
Bolt
Washers
Any dust cap
This exposes the end of the shaft.
2. Look for the retaining method
Victa used one of these:
Circlip on the blade side
Circlip on the pulley side
Internal snap ring inside the housing
Pressed‑in end cap (rare)
If a circlip is still in place, the shaft will not move.
3. The shaft must be driven OUT THE PULLEY SIDE
This is the part most people get wrong.
✔️ You do NOT pull the pulley off the shaft.
The pulley is pressed on and easily damaged.
✔️ You DO drive the shaft out THROUGH the pulley.
The shaft slides out of the pulley’s bore.
Direction:
Hit the blade side of the shaft
Shaft moves toward the pulley
Shaft slides out through the pulley
Once the shaft is out, the pulley simply falls off the shaft.
4. Remove the bearings from each end of the housing
With the shaft removed:
Tap the left bearing out from the right side
Tap the right bearing out from the left side
Use a drift that contacts the outer race only.
These bearings are a tight press fit but they do come out cleanly.
❌ What NOT to do
Don’t try to pull the pulley off with a puller
Don’t heat the pulley
Don’t pry under it
Don’t clamp the pulley in a vice
The pulley is soft and bends easily — once bent, it wobbles forever.
Reassembly
Freeze bearings 1 hour
Lightly oil housing
Tap bearings in using a socket on the outer race
Slide shaft back through pulley
Refit circlip(s)
Check for smooth rotation
On the horizontal‑shaft Victa edger:
The shaft comes out sideways, not up or down
You drive the shaft through the pulley, not the pulley off the shaft
Bearings come out from opposite ends of the housing
This is why your puller damaged the pulley — it was never meant to be removed that way.
So summery just to remove bearings but I'd still look for a snap ring or circlip first just to make sure, as I'm working blind here.
The only retaining device is usually on the shaft, not the bearings.
So once the shaft is out, the bearings come out like this:
(after shaft removal)
The left bearing is tapped out from the right side
The right bearing is tapped out from the left side
Each bearing is held only by a tight press fit in the tube.
No circlips.
No hidden retainers.
No internal snap rings.
Just friction.
Cheers
Max.
