u/CadetKelley01

I'm on an MSC ship in drydock and we're servicing all the reach rods. This one is in a ballast tank and we're struggling to take it apart to clean and change the packing. (Rod is super stiff and requires a pipe wrench to turn).

The bottom plate won't come off despite having removed all the bolts. Can't tell if it's corroded or we're missing something like an internal snap ring. Ship has no drawings of these.

Has anyone on here taken one of these apart? The photo is taken from inside a ballast tank. The actuator side is on deck level in a cargo hold and is meant to be turned using a T handle. Cover appears to be brass so we don't want to beat on it too much.

Any advice would be appreciated.