Is there an affordable means of adding a clutch on open shafts?

[CountryBoy19]

A guy i do work for from time to time brought me a piece of well drillers equipment. He wants a clutch added to the shaft so he can make it freewheel then re-engage it to drive pulley.

The shaft is 1-1/4" and there is plenty of free space at the end the pulley is mounted to. A centrifugal clutch on the engine won't work. Is there some type of manually engaging clutch that can be put on the outboard side of the driven pulley that will decouple the pulley from the shaft?

This is basically a large winch powered by a 5hp gas engine but he wants it to freewheel when spooling out.

 

[Bill D]

A 12 volt ac clutch on a car seems like a start point. Of course I doubt he has 12 volts at that small engine. I would look at boat stuff for ideas
Mowers and cheap rototillers slip then belt then push in a idler pulley to tighten the belt. use some kind of over cam action so it stays locked down both ways.
Bill D

Manual Clutch - Single 'SPA' 125mm pulley

Forani manual clutch C95-125SPA1 Single 'SPA' section 125 mm diameter pulley Shaft diameter: 14 mm

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FP-94-8050611 - Manual Clutch, Twin 'B' Section 140mm diameter pulley / General Items / Site Map / Xylem JabscoShop - Jabsco & Rule Pumps and more - from the experts

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Canadian machinery and metalworking (July-December 1917) . he photo is an end view of a heavy duty CLEVELANDshowing position of the Johnson Clutch A in the feedmechanism. She clutoh sleeve B is connected by means ofmiter gears to the feed pulley C an

Download this stock image: Canadian machinery and metalworking (July-December 1917) . he photo is an end view of a heavy duty CLEVELANDshowing position of the Johnson Clutch A in the feedmechanism. She clutoh sleeve B is connected by means ofmiter gears to the feed pulley C and when the clutch...

www.alamy.com

 

[Bill D]

Simple method hinge engine so the weight keeps the belt tight. lever to lift engine up so belt slips. think line shaft drives from old shops.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Simple method hinge engine so the weight keeps the belt tight. lever to lift engine up so belt slips. think line shaft drives from old shops.

This is a multiple belt situation, the machine is currently clutched in a similar way at the engine but won't freewheel. I need a way to clutch it at the last driven pulley (a 16" diameter pulley). If there is no means of clutching at the shaft we plan to put a lever operated tensioner on the last belt but I don't think it's going to freewheel in the way he wants it to.

This thing is for cleaning wells that have sediment in them. There is a big bucket thing that drops freely and slams into the mud at the bottom, then the bucket of mud is drawn up in the bucket, dumped out, and repeated. The harder he can get it to slam into the mud the less repetitious he has to do.

 

[hvnlymachining]

Two options come to mind, a cone style clutch similar to the old dredge cranes and LeTourneau dozers used on the winch drum, and the finger style used on Holmes wrecker drums on old tow trucks. I've operated several of both and repaired both. Simple designs and long operational life. There should be ample drawings and pictures of both on the web.

 

[gbent]

Do you need a clutch that can be slipped? My winches have dog clutches to allow freespool. Think of lovejoy coupling where one coupling can be slid on the shaft for disengagment. I doubt lovejoy couplings are strong enough, just an example.

 

[john.k]

The simplest of all HD clutches is the old GM Airflex,always providing you have air of course.....For 5 hp ,a car AC clutch might work.......these things cost a coupla bucks at the auto wreckers,but are actually expensive new.......I bought a bigger AC clutch for a coach,and the unit was near $1k

 

[john.k]

Last year I scrapped an old crawler crane (Osgood 200),and the thing had at least five of the mutiplate over centre type clutches on it.....I couldny be bothered cutting them out ,even though they used to be very valuable.

 

[Bill D]

The classic way a cable drilling rig uses is a drum winch with a rope wrapped around the drum. pull tension on the rope and it lifts the tool. let go and the rope slips around the drum allowing the tool to drop at full gravity speed.
Bill D

 

[john.k]

Free rope around dolls head drops weight........unfortunately ,WHS dont like free wire ropes .

 

[true temper]

How about a twin disc clutch I think I could come up with a small one off of a ditcher maybe 10” diameter. I think it runs on 1 1/2” shaft. Photo does not show the outer housing https://www.google.com/search?q=twi...Ag&biw=375&bih=622&dpr=2#imgrc=E7Nlx6yIvVNmrM

 

[EmGo]

Do you need a clutch that can be slipped? My winches have dog clutches to allow freespool. Think of lovejoy coupling where one coupling can be slid on the shaft for disengagment. I doubt lovejoy couplings are strong enough, just an example.

Or a sawtooth, same idea but should engage easier. Briggs doesn't run backwards so unidirectional should work okay.

 

[john.k]

No fixed tooth clutch will work,because they dont (normally ) disengage under load......the Twin Disc clutch would be ideal,they used to be factory fitted on Wisconsins and Kohlers ........most come with a conical housing and a clutch operating lever.

 

[john.k]

The catch with small engine clutches that mount to the engine crankcase,is they only fit one particular engine........the bigger models have round housings of standard size #4,#3 #2 SAE,but will also require a suitable flywheel.

 

[EmGo]

No fixed tooth clutch will work,because they dont (normally ) disengage under load.....

Nonsense, almost all motorcycles have worked that way for a hundred years, you just have to shut the throttle for a heartbeat while you disengage. I've ridden hundreds of fast miles without touching the clutch, doing it that way.

In this case, if he used a handle to slide the clutch out of gear, just put a kill button on the handle and do it one-handed, easy.

 

[Cole2534]

Planetary gearset with a brake?

A small differential would be easy. Brake disc in place of the ring, an enclosure and Bob's your uncle. Could be actuated mechanically, pneumatically, electrically...

 

[CountryBoy19]

Do you need a clutch that can be slipped? My winches have dog clutches to allow freespool. Think of lovejoy coupling where one coupling can be slid on the shaft for disengagment. I doubt lovejoy couplings are strong enough, just an example.

There is a separate brake on the winch drum so I don't think it has to slip. A dog clutch that disengages should work and I think it would be dropped from the surface after emptying it so it wouldn't be under high load.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Planetary gearset with a brake?

A small differential would be easy. Brake disc in place of the ring, an enclosure and Bob's your uncle. Could be actuated mechanically, pneumatically, electrically...

I'm not sure I'm following this. Can you elaborate a bit more?

 

[4GSR]

Most old oilfield pulling units were equipped with a secondary drum of cable that was used for swabbing a well with. The drum shaft was equipped with either Wichita clutch, Twin Disc clutch, or step jaw clutch. That step jaw clutch may have up to three steps on it that allows you to engage it without too much fuss and ease into the load, most of the time. You don't see this type of clutch used much anymore, they can get wicked if not careful with its operation.

 

[Cole2534]

I'm not sure I'm following this. Can you elaborate a bit more?

Imagine a traditional open differential, putting power to one side and the load on the other side. If there is nothing to resist the forces on the housing the housing will just spin. If you were to stop the housing the energy would be forced through the gears into the output shaft.

I think the same could be done with planetaries like in an automatic transmission.