Clutch Woes

[badassmav]

did you shear off the bolts to helix. that has happened to us.

did you shear off the bolts to helix. that has happened to us.

We were running the most "Rampag-est" clutch they offered (I think it was the stage 8). At V2R, I believe we broke one of the weighted arms, but at least twice since then, it is either the socket cap screw closest to the pulleys (the center lower hdwre. closest the pulleys in the "roller stop" pic), or the weighted arm "roller-stop" screw that put us out of a race

. The threads of said bolts extend well past the 2nd shear tab, into the "load area", or the area between the two tabs. Not only were the bolts slightly loose upon delivery, secured only by the nylon locking feature of the lock nut, they also were lacking the appropriate threadlocker to help protect them from vibrating loose

. As you can see, the damage when one of these bolts fail is catastrophic

(note the missing threads and locknut on the right side of the image titled "roller stop"). If we kept using forementioned clutch, I had decided on a "hardware fix" for our problem using a combination of shoulder bolts (that would bottom out on the second shear tab), and shim washers (under the head of the shoulder bolt to adjust the grip length) at a cost of around 40 bucks from my favorite industrial supply catalog, Mc Master Carr. These clutches are an engineering marvel, and I can't understand why an end item such as hardware can be such a challenge to the manufacturers.
Through the advice of members here (thanks Mega D. D.!), we are opting to work with Adam at Airdam clutches to transfer the power in 2014. Just reading through the link pages on his site re-assured us of his commitment to always moving forward in developing a reliable clutch for our race needs. I am hoping not to come across as bashing any clutch manufacture(s) here. Their support in 2013 has been greatly appreciated. My goal is specifically to share our experience in this area, and gather advice and info to help us decide on the best course of action for the 2014 season. It's my guess that the UTV manufacturers will be introducing a design change in the power transmission components of at least their top-end UTV's in the near future, but we know how tight-lipped they are!. If so, the speeds are going to shoot sky high. Class 10 times maybe? Our new build should be around 300-400 lbs. lighter, in an effort to become more competitive. DBRBFL (I know Jim won't get this one, my home-made acro!

)

 

[the stripping shop]

that sucks about clutch looks like a $2500 boat anchor. trust me i have issues with certain products/builders its all about how they go along to make it right is what counts. i just hate to be the guinea pig but in desert racing you always are.

 

[Madjaz]

Good thread! I had an early issue with my primary coming off within short delivery from my first maverick. After that we swapped my clutch to a full commander tuned race clutch and haven't had one problem yet, however the clutch works well for the normal guy it's not fast enough on the top end. The bottom end is great but it all depends on what kind of racing I suppose. My teammates maverick has a stock clutch with a shim pack to attempt and keep the primary bolted in and has worked for the season, first blown belt around 400 miles. We are not easy at all on these cars either haha if you have any questions feel free to give us a call at our shop 951 471 1615 -James Hill

What mods did you do to stop the belts from breaking.

 

[george.felix]

The for sure solution is run a Rzr 1000. That's all I know for a "fact" cuz we've never lost a belt including V2R and B1K. Since that's not the question.... As long as your measuring air flow and a cool air source was mentioned.....we don't run our air intakes up there just because we want to look goofy. Just saying. Starting line 2" grommets work great to exhaust out of the air box. We have I believe 3 maybe 4. Ea one is equal to (4) 1" so go figure...

 

[///Airdam Clutches]

///Airdam Clutches

2014 Score UTV champion
2014 Score ATV champion
2014 BITD ATV champion

all of these trusted us, and let us build them a setup, to which helped them win races, and make it to the finish first. Give us a shout at the shop Mon-Fri and let us get your problems sorted out. i have different setups for each application, depending on what you are doing. for long term desert racing i have the exact setup you need just give us a call and we will get you sorted out with a setup that will win races.

 

[megadesertdiesel]

//Airdamn is the man when it comes to CVT clutches