Well, not really tool-less...it takes a piece of cotton t-shirt.
After replacing several marred rods, and unhappy with even the tools designed for such an operation, Bubba whispered into my ear.
First, while supervised, I insert 6 empties into the cylinder and grip thusly:
Then, the cotton fabric is carefully and tightly wound around end of rod in the direction of loosening the rod -
righty-loosey
Then another couple of wraps are taken, snug but not too tightly.
The material is wound on until it’s about 1.5 inches thick. Feel free to use a bit more, if extra diameter and leverage are required.
Continue to slowly turn, and you’ll feel the fabric tighten up around the shaft. Keep turning, and you’ll feel the slight ‘pop’ as the ejector rod breaks free.
To reinstall, start the threads by hand, and wind in opposite direction until fabric tightens up, then a bit more.
I haven’t had one come loose yet, and I’ve unstuck some rather recalcitrant rods with this method. I feel that with the crane installed, there’s little damage that can occur from my ham-handedness.
Any comments or cautions welcome.