You can probably drive it out from the top, but why not use a razor blade?

Baymee, their is a cup shaped bit up from the star thing and it's all wrapped inside that, I had tried to cut it with a small wire cutter but 99% is wrapped behind the sides of the cup and the lower bearing

Well, got it fixed, removed the top nut from the pulley, tapped with a hammer after jacking up the tractor and the shaft came out, no way was I going to be able to cut that off 99% was wrapped around the shaft behind the dust cup. Seems like a bad design, the cup is just the upper washer for the star thing on the blade and the ball bearing is rubber sealed so what is the purpose? Not going to keep crud out of the lower bearing from what I can see, should have been a flat rim.

Going to see if I can find a bearing #'s long as I have it apart. Positive I can get replacements for a whole lot less than dealer price.

Let me know if it's "standard bearing #" 6204.

mownie,

unfourtunatly due to the heat and the pain I just put it back together w/o looking for numbers.