weed eater muffler mods

comfortableshoes · #1 (**permalink**) 08-16-2008, 01:43 PM

anyone done any mods on weedeater mufflers? Mine is loud as heck and I'm going deaf riding it. I'd like to mod it and I have a few ideas that would use some plumbing pipe pieces. The big issue is that on the Craftsman 32cc whacker the muffler is held on with 2 little but strong springs so anything I put on it has to use that to hold it on...

At this point I think anything would be better than the stock muffler on the thing.

I want to take the bike out for a ride but I've seen a few cops go by today and I'm afraid of getting pulled over.

deacon · #2 (**permalink**) 08-16-2008, 05:05 PM

The only mod I did was to drill five big holes in mine, now that is loud...

Now my chainsaw bike is very quiet but not as peppy as the weed eater.

comfortableshoes · #3 (**permalink**) 08-16-2008, 08:48 PM

pipes aren't the right fit.... Had the thing going like a bat out of you know where today, no pedaling and 15mph on a flat, then the allthread holding the spindle to the engine sheared off, leaving a chunk in the clutch and a chunk in the spindle.

sun of a beach

I've been working on it since it happened and it didn't look good for the clutch. The chunk of allthread left in it didn't want to come out, so I tried my extractor set... YEah right, that worked worth a turd. That broke off in the hole.

Then I've broken 5 drill bits off in that tiny little hole.

So I figured what the fudge, I'll cut the shaft below that little bit of extractor and see what happens.

So far so good. Now I just need to go buy another couple of drill bits.

I haven't cursed so much in a long time. Funny thing is that the piece of all thread in the other half of the set came right out! Slick like too...

This time around I'm buying a nice hardened steel bolt and cutting the head off it to use in the drive.

It was quite the thing to hit 15mph without touching the pedals!

HEre's to hoping nothing else is wrong!

deacon · #4 (**permalink**) 08-16-2008, 09:25 PM

I had always heard that the clutch bell on a weed whacker was too flimsy for a drive but some guys use them I think.

What kind of engine are you running?????

comfortableshoes · #5 (**permalink**) 08-16-2008, 11:13 PM

32cc craftsman I got it for free off craiglist and it looks to be aboud 15 or so years old, looks a lot like one of the first ones my grandfather had.

So far the clutch itself has held up just fine, had enough oomph to shear off the 1/4 all thread I used to attach the spindle to the clutch.

After that sheared off I broke off a screw extractor trying to pull that out.

THen I figured I'd trim the shaft a little, that got the extractor out but it fouled up other thing.

So now the clutch bell is fubar and I pulled the clutch itself off and now I need to hing the whole darn thing and get it to work without the clutch.

I really liked the clutch. I found the part on a website and it'll cost me $25 to get a new one... MOre than I have in this whole project so far. I'm debating it.

I just found 3 weed wackers on craigslist in the $10-25 range. I'll be calling tomorrow.

deacon · #6 (**permalink**) 08-17-2008, 07:00 AM

I ran this ad on craigs list and have been given one bad bad weed eater and a guy says he will call to arrange for me to pick up three more all free,
wtb dead weedeater or blower

deacon · #7 (**permalink**) 08-17-2008, 07:02 AM

I'm glad to hear your clutch is working why not just go with the gravity clutch it is pretty simple. However I can understand wanting to use the centrifugal clutch and keep the recoil starter as well.

Ranger · #8 (**permalink**) 08-18-2008, 09:21 AM

On my Ryobi 31cc there are 4 holes where the weed eater pipe shaft connected to. I would guess that these supports ar very strong? I mean it held up the pipe with some extra stuff that I added before I wanted to mount it on a bike.

I have also learned that that would be a great place to connect to. The plastic housing is strong so i think it will support the weed eater motor.

I havent done anything to my bike yet except think of how to connect everything.

deacon · #9 (**permalink**) 08-18-2008, 12:54 PM

Let me know what happens guys I am really curious.

comfortableshoes · #10 (**permalink**) 08-18-2008, 12:58 PM

I used the 4 holes around my clutch bell as a way to mount as well, it worked really well, little vibration and held it very well. I cut a little of the plastic for my braces to fit well and it was still a tight mount. Even without the clutch bell those 4 holes are there and they hold on the pull start, I'm thinking of trying it out with a gravity clutch. it will be SUPER easy to mount up without the clutch. I need to find some brake handles to use for the gravity clutch. I figure all I need it a 1/2 to 1 inch lift off the back tire, and most brake levers will easily give me that much throw.

I wonder if the housing gives a little vibration dampening?

After work today I'm picking up another weedwacker, this one's only $20 and tomorrow I'm picking up another more upright bike that I'm going mess around with.