I'm looking for workarounds! We are currently working on our 2nd one with a 3rd waiting. The problem we are having is removing the gear from the motor shaft. The gear sits flush with the motor housing, so there is no way to get a puller under it. We have tried every type of puller we could find among our staff & nothing fits! We did buy the $300.00 special socket to remove the nut (that's a whole other story, can you say hiway robbery!).
So far we have managed to get them apart using prybars under the gear & wailing on the armature shaft with a hammer! Not the best way to do it. As these machines get older this is a repair that is likely to become more frequently needed. So I'm hoping that with the collective wisdom this site holds someone will be able to enlighten me.