Echo trimmer clutch drum bearings

[Dustin4185]

A coworker brought in an Echo straight shaft trimmer. I have forgot the model, but can get it tomorrow. It would turn, so we took the shaft off and the head and shaft are good. The clutch drum wouldn’t budge. Took the housing off for it, removed the small snap ring and gave it a few good taps, but the clutch drum and shaft still wouldn’t come out. We soaked the shaft in acetone/trans fluid overnight, so maybe it will be freed up tomorrow or Monday. The IPL lists those bearings as 6001, but only shows them shielded on one side. Would it better to put 6001 2RS bearings in that are sealed on both sides? Any tricks to getting the shaft out of the bearings?

 

[JB-PlantHeirloom]

Cut the outer part off with a cutting wheel, then once the bearings are removed, cut the inner race with a dremel using a thin fiber/diamond blade, the kind that will break on contact, until you see or hear the bearing pop off the shaft. Do not cut all the way through to the shaft, for obvious reasons. Cutting it helps remove it's ability to retain tension. I use this technique to remove locks or frozen lug nuts on wheel studs too.