Just repowered the boat. Got my new shaft coupler for my 1.25" shaft, and I started to install it. It was a very tight fit. Tried greasing the shaft, applying a little heat to the coupler, and just generally tapping and banging until the coupler finally slid all the way on. It was then that I noticed that my aggressive efforts had distorted the coupler. The step around the hub was mashed down and would no longer fit into the recess on the other flange. The outer flange had a slight warping to it. Esentially, I had ruined the coupler trying to get it onto the shaft. Getting it off was even worse, and now the coupler is just a beaten lump of steel.
My question is, how tight of a fit is it supposed to be? Shouldn't the coupler just slide onto the shaft with a few light taps? It has a keyway with two set screws. Would it be ok to gently sand the shaft until it fit a little easier?
My question is, how tight of a fit is it supposed to be? Shouldn't the coupler just slide onto the shaft with a few light taps? It has a keyway with two set screws. Would it be ok to gently sand the shaft until it fit a little easier?