Long story short, my intermediate plate is bad and I'm trying to pull the main shaft to remove the good intermediate plate bearings. Pinion shaft came out ok but I can't get the main shaft to come off. Seems the gear is stuck on the shaft. I've tried reversing the castle nut and using gentle to moderate taps but nothing seems to budge.

Any suggestions before I have to find someone with a press? Would a gear puller work to remove the gear from the shaft?

Those "gentle to moderate taps" have effectively destroyed the bearing. Maybe not on reassembly, but not too far down the road you're gonna get a howl from the pitting. It happens every time you pound on the bearing, no matter how lightly.

The Cap'n

..............I agree, you "flat spotted the bearings"....use a little heat on the gear., as the bearing is trashed anyway.

Ack! Guess that's a lesson in "don't do what I did"!

I was on the fence about replacing the bearings with new so this makes my decision easier.

What's the right way to remove the main shaft? Bearing puller to get the gear off then a press to remove the main shaft then bearing? Would a 6-ton press be sufficient to R&R the bearings (thinking about buying a press)?

Personally I think that removing 1st gear off the input shaft is a total pain in the ass. Which is why in Dr. Evil's video he says to not mess with it unless you have to. But in your case you do.

You are on the right track with respect to the puller and press. Getting the gear off is the hard part. Be careful to not screw up the castle nut and threads on the input shaft as well.