Fri Jun 24, 2016 6:23 pm
Those spanner nuts can be difficult to remove for the first time. They aren't reverse-threaded or anything (the lock washer keeps it from moving regardless of which direction the motor is spinning). The proper way to remove one is to use a spanner wrench that is the correct size and has the correct teeth to fit the slots. However, it may be difficult to find one that fits this nut properly.
I recently swapped rotors and bearings in my chopper motor and the way I removed the nut was by putting it in the chuck on my friend's lathe with an insert that fit the nut snugly to hold it in place without squeezing it unevenly and bending it out of shape. I then used the rotor as leverage by grabbing it and turning it by hand to break the nut loose (that way the nut didn't get marred up by vice grips by applying the force directly to the nut).