I've decided to not use a chain drive as it requires more skill than I have. I'm now going with a friction drive. I have an old poulan 33cc chainsaw. The clutch is one where the sprocket is mounted on the inside so I'm going to use the smooth part of the clutch to spin my back tire. How would I design the pivoting shelf that friction drives use. The one that the motor pushes down on
Friction drive with chainsaw
- Thread starter FatManChan
- Start date
One thing is that cent clutch will get hot and burn through your rubber, second of all the outer size on the clutch housing is to big (I think) to give you the right ratio, and last but not least you might have to add more weight to the clutch in order to even get that cent to engage with a humans weight on it.
Lol. I am a bit husky. But weight aside, could I use that liquid weld stuff to put some textured rubber on the clutch? I've seen a video on youtube where people used just the clutch and it seemed to work fine.
It really depends on the clutch, some Chainsaws are strong enough you can use it the way it is, but I doubt a 33cc would catch right as it would probably just die if or when the cent engaged. The clutch just has a lot of variables. If in doubt, try it out! Just don't hurt yourself in the process 
Well I've lost all hope in myself at this point. Just spent 30 minutes yanking the pull cord only to find out I forgot to add gas. Anyways, I'll just try that first. If worse comes to worse I just have to move a few things around and weld a bike peg onto there somehow
I personally am a rebel and if someone says it won't work I'll find a way too make it. Just trying to give ya a heads up to what your up against.
LoL yep I ran a 33cc direct shaft on a GT DYNO I improvised a clutch mechanism that would pull the motor down and engage the shaft to tire. That was also a Bike peg and I used old fashioned JB weld to hold it in place. Worked great and actually did almost forty, actually the day I blew it up I hit 43 going down a hill and busted my crankshaft. It worked very well for a while, until that damn hill. LoL
Is JB weld a good substitute for actual welding? I don't know how to weld and that would definitely make my life easier
Depends on the application, in my case there was a couple inches on the standard shaft and it was square so the JB weld did just fine I used lots of it. Mind you your not going to try and use a small amount and make a pretty bead, as if you were welding. I gobbed that **** on and never had an issue, actually tried to save the peg after I blew the motor, and umm...not so much...lol
Doesn't have to be pretty lol. So a nice, large glob of the stuff will do the trick? I'm thinking of using it in place of welding entirely
Do you have a phone with a camera on it, you can send the picture as a multimedia message to your email.
About the JB Weld:
It's great for small stuff, and in this application it should work out really great. But IT IS NOT a substitute for welding.
I had a friend of mine cracked his skull and knocked out two teeth when he tried to JB weld the frame of his bike back to the fork retainer. He thought that JB was a substitute for welding. I've seen stupidity and his name is James. James was in the hospital for almost three weeks. Nasty concussion.
JB weld doesn't actually weld things, it's just an extremely strong glue.
About your problem:
If one of your friends has a welder, see if he can do it. Most friends are willing to help see something cool become a reality.
Be sure it's squared up to reduce any wobbling. Vibrations at high speed can tear even the most well designed stuff into pieces.
Check and see how other people have solved the problem you are having, pull from those ideas. There are alot of people on here who have built rigs out of old chainsaws. I'm sure you can find some ideas from their projects.
The whole DIY thing is supposed to be challenging. But have fun with it too.
About the JB Weld:
It's great for small stuff, and in this application it should work out really great. But IT IS NOT a substitute for welding.
I had a friend of mine cracked his skull and knocked out two teeth when he tried to JB weld the frame of his bike back to the fork retainer. He thought that JB was a substitute for welding. I've seen stupidity and his name is James. James was in the hospital for almost three weeks. Nasty concussion.
JB weld doesn't actually weld things, it's just an extremely strong glue.
About your problem:
If one of your friends has a welder, see if he can do it. Most friends are willing to help see something cool become a reality.
Be sure it's squared up to reduce any wobbling. Vibrations at high speed can tear even the most well designed stuff into pieces.
Check and see how other people have solved the problem you are having, pull from those ideas. There are alot of people on here who have built rigs out of old chainsaws. I'm sure you can find some ideas from their projects.
The whole DIY thing is supposed to be challenging. But have fun with it too.
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Thanks for the help. I've been on vacation for the past week with no computer. If the JB weld doesn't hold up all I'll lose is a free chainsaw
Hey again guys. I got pictures of the bike and chainsaw. I also have a T-hinge about 8-10 inches long that I'm going to use as the needed hinge for a friction drive. Please help me figure out how to mount this
