clutch from a cooling fan!?

GoldenMotor.com

monark

New Member
Feb 1, 2012
87
0
0
sweden
As progress is made with the Briggs its time to find a slipper clutch for the build,then i recalled working on a friends old volvo coolingsystem and seeing the backside of the fan with the "clutch" on it and thought it looked cool with all its fins.But on a briggs just in this moment in my frame it would be perfect but can it work,and has it been tried before? please,please,please
 

H.R. huffinstuff

New Member
Jan 27, 2012
49
1
0
Puyallup, WA
I think it would slip too much, a clutch eventually needs to "lockout" a cooling fan clutch is never locked, just pressured enough to over come resisting air flow forces, also, i would think to much heat would be generated.
 

monark

New Member
Feb 1, 2012
87
0
0
sweden
I think it would slip too much, a clutch eventually needs to "lockout" a cooling fan clutch is never locked, just pressured enough to over come resisting air flow forces, also, i would think to much heat would be generated.
thanks huffinstuff. its god with opns but me beeing a stubborn sod im still collecting one up from the lokal junkyard tomorrow and see if i can maybe use the outercasing(with the right looks).everything we use is fabricated somehow so nothing is impossible,.weld
 

wayne z

Active Member
Dec 5, 2010
1,743
5
38
louisiana
Most fan clutches have a thermal spring on the outside that controls a valve to make the fan freewheel or be driven, depending on the temp od the air around it.

If you got a good one from the largest truck or tractor you can find, and worked out a way to manualy control the valve, your idea might work. These are actualy hydraulic torque converters similar to the ones used in auto drivrtrains.
Please keep us posted with your results.
 

monark

New Member
Feb 1, 2012
87
0
0
sweden
thanks for the fast rep. you all! dont really know how these look on the backside sts,maybe the outer alucasing is worth working with or its not worth the effort but im by nature and genes a persisstant little one (like 40 and father of2) my mom says. post some phots and a report tommorow,goodnight wherever you are.
 

cannonball2

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2010
3,682
221
63
Colonial Coast USA.
I was a Volvo tech for years and these clutchs are different than the ones with a thermal spring. I guess is a pure viscous drive?. Filled with silicone oil as I remember. They fit on an adapter bolted to the water pump. When removed has a 3/4 or better center hole. When beginning to wear out they got noisy. If you ignored it, it would seperate from its center hub and the fan would screw itself half way through the radiator. Might want to consider another alternative.
 

leaded50

New Member
Oct 29, 2011
179
0
0
Norway
Try it out, thats the only right answer if it keeps up! But as said, find from a big engine......at least the Volvo,BMW cars had viscose, oil to make the slip go away....as in a automatic gearbox converter.
 

buba

Member
Jul 2, 2010
914
10
16
los angeles
buba here

subject of clutches???

in my scrap yard ventures i see electric motors i believe from, washing machines with a pretty hefty looking centrifical clutch on the armature shaft
anyone have any experience with these???
 

WayneC

New Member
Aug 2, 2009
173
0
0
Clearwater, FL
"thanks for the fast rep. you all!"

Hmmm. Southern Sweeden!

Also, keep in mind to keep the fan clutch upright and not laid down flat, lest the fluid leaketh thus rendering the fan clutch kaputt!
wc
 

monark

New Member
Feb 1, 2012
87
0
0
sweden
Mmm,dont know if those last replies is of much help to me here in SWEDEN! (a long way from north&south).

If we can go back to the clutch question now it seems a lot of hassle,im not going to try to keep the hydraulics or springs of any kind, maybe it comes down to just using the outer casing just for the looks of it,im rather new at this bike thing,not at fabrication!
 

WayneC

New Member
Aug 2, 2009
173
0
0
Clearwater, FL
Wait. After sleeping on it, I don't think you can use a fan clutch in this application anyway. Fan clutches DIS-engage at at higher RPM and Couple or lock at lower RPM.
Or did I miss something (again).
 

wayne z

Active Member
Dec 5, 2010
1,743
5
38
louisiana
I think most fan clutches are temperature controlled, regardless of engine speed. If your stuck in traffic, and they are speed controlled, the fan would not do it's job.
 

monark

New Member
Feb 1, 2012
87
0
0
sweden
Hi yal! :) Been to the scrapyard and now i know for sure that it cant be used as a clutch for a bike,as several of you mention its a viscotype clutch and the casing is to narrow to be made to house an ordinary clutch.I still like the outercasing of it and that is going to be used just for the looks of it.The plan is to machine it so it incases the ordinary hockeypuckclutch and have it in a fixed pos.to the motor as a safetycover.(^)
 

Attachments

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
I used the washing machine 10" pulley for my rear wheel drive with v-belt. I have a jack shaft and will get a lower ratio as well as put the engine in center weight wise on frame.

The idea of just adding stuff for a cover, but having it have some esthetic looks sound like a good idea, but of course I'm wanting to make my motor bike OHV also dual purpose. It is going to be an art Fish Mobile as I am scrounging parts from dumpster and using what I've saved. I found a stand for sheet music. I am experimenting getting it to be the mouth of a fish opening and closing. It is the three legged stand that folds. I'm thinking of using a windshield wiper motor to move it and also articulate the tail fin back and forth. A cloth cover to hide the mechanisms that make it move should keep the weight down.

I would like to see what you can come up with. I'm not sure in your area you have large flea markets of all kinds of used stuff, but that is where I’d go. Ya know the song "Do you know the way to San Jose... Flea Market?":)

That is where I always like to get good bargains on stuff that needs a little fixing up. A clutch that is like the Max Torque with gear (not pulley they are a little more costing) I saw on a thread today that some guy bought at lawn mower shop for $25. If you can spare that cost if they sell them like that in a shop where you are it is almost a given, other stuff besides that you can try for second hand.

MT

My thread

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29678

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=29678&page=2
 
Last edited: