pull up the leather boot first, and get it out of the way, and I THINK that there is something there that you can unscrew that keeps the **** tight on the shaft. It's been a while so i don't remember, but i DO know if you yank hard enough on it, the **** will come off. but you'll probably destroy the **** attachment (Depending on how tightly it's screwed on right now). And depending on what you're doing, (replacement?) you may not need the **** to reattach. On the bright side, it shouldn't hurt the shaft it's attached to. I am pretty sure there is something to unscrew though, pull up the boot and check it out.