653 Steering Clutch Drive Shaft

are you talking about the drive shaft to the clutches that has the clip in the hub ?

do you have the steering clutch and brake band removed and the clip pin unpinned.

also, if the splined shaft moves as far as possible toward the final outer housing and will not clear the seal at the point between the rear end and the final drive housing , then it is either hung up on the seal or the gearing in the differential. may need to pull the rear differential cover to discover what is hanging the shaft up .

sounds as though you cant get the shaft to move back enough to get the clutch pack out. sounds like either you have a burr probably around where that pin was or something broke off the pin and is caught in there. if you have a small magnet you might see if you can get anything out with it. you might also try stp as its a very good lubricant. one man prying with a large pry bar against the shaft and another man try to rotate the clutch pack back and forth might work. I could be wrong but with all the movement it gets when in use I just cant see it being froze to the shaft. really does sound like a mess. I think those shafts are pretty pricey. I have never been inside the tranny. don't know maybe something isn't lining up properly in there to let the shaft to go in far enough. good luck and hope you find the problem.

did you get your shaft out.

I got the axel out this weekend after I cut it with a torch. Once I removed the clutch assembly I was able to remove the cut off piece with a hammer and punch. It appears that it was stuck with corrosion. There were no burrs or excessive wear.
This machine had evidentially been sitting for a very long time. I now believe that had I moved it back and forth aggressively it may have broken up the rust and allowed the shaft to slide out.
Now comes the further disassembly to install a new shaft.

I am looking for some more guidance on installing the new drive shaft. The old drive shaft, even with the end cut off of it, will not come out of the clutch shifter sleeve assembly that the throwout bearing slides on. Has anyone ever removed that sleeve assembly? Once the sleeve assembly is out can you remove the drive shaft? Or do you have to remove the pinion shaft from the final drive and slide the drive shaft in through the hole that the pinion shaft was in?

I believe the pinion will need to be removed to give enough room to put new shaft into the differential .

Last night I removed the 3 bolts that hold the clutch shifter sleeve assembly (the tube the throwout slides on) and wiggled it out. Once this was loose I was able to remove the sleeve with the drive shaft slid inside it.
The job should be complete this weekend. If anyone has questions about steering clutch replacement let me know. I probably ran into that problem.

The machine is now running and turning right and left. Some thoughts at the end of the job are:
If the drive shaft is stuck try vigorously going from forward to reverse to break up the corrosion.
If that doesn’t work find a replacement and cut the shaft. Everything else is a waste of time. There is no way to push it out. It can only be done by levering on the shallow hole on the shaft.
Have a torch ready. You will need lots of heat for a machine that has been sitting.
When setting up the clutch pack align the lock hole in an open spot. This will make locking the shaft easier.
When installing the tube that the throwout bearing slides on tighten the 3 bolts evenly. If not aligning and installing the drive shaft may be difficult.
If the shaft holding the throwout bearing fork is rusted in place use a thin cutoff wheel and cut it out in between it and the casting pivot points. They are fragile and will break ( broken from a previous replacement).
When replacing the brake return spring run the pull wire through one of the front cover holes and use a lever to pull it up. This is a 2 person job.
Rick in MA

congratulations . Now you will be able to help others with the vast knowledge you have obtained .