Changing the roller on a Staton kit

[Happy Valley]

mifletz
The spindle and bearings are assembled with a press fit so a shop press is pretty much necessary but makes their disassembly fairly straight forward. You don't need a particularly high capacity press however one with a large enough opening, around 10", is needed for the set-up blocks.

[5-7HEAVEN]

Question: How does a machinist remove a 1.5" friction roller from the drive housing when its bearing holes are 1.375"?

[moondog]

Originally Posted by 5-7HEAVEN

Question: How does a machinist remove a 1.5" friction roller from the drive housing when its bearing holes are 1.375"?

Heat the channel. Push the bearing and roller out the side as far as they will go then use a puller to remove the bearing that is on the outside of the channel ( the other bearing is still on the roller on the inside of the channel ). Then remove the roller ( still has one bearing on it ) ?

I think I understand why they made it press fit. The bearing holders are aluminum.

We bought a friction drive kit from BGF and it had a steel channel like BMP's kit but BGF's kit had a steel machined bearing holder welded to each side and the bearings were a slip fit.

Best designed friction drive setup I have seen but not the best built.

When I build one it will be a copy of the BGF kit.

[motman812]

I just changed the roller on my Staton friction drive after 2100 miles and didn't have any problem whatsoever. After removing the engine I carefully vised up the clutch bell and unscrewed the roller with a pipe wrench. Then I put a 1" closed end wrench (a 1" socket would have been better) on the bearing and tapped the roller and both bearings out out with a hammer. I even did it twice because when I reinstalled the roller and bearings (using the same method) I hadn't placed the split rings on the correct side of the housing. I moved up from a 7/8" to a 1 1/8" roller and increased my top speed from 20 to24 mph. I ran it for 10 miles and it works great!

[5-7HEAVEN]

Yes you can. However, you cannot remove and reinstall bearings and roller as a unit, with 1.375" and 1.5" rollers.

[kerf]

I have a problem with roller changes in a Staton unit that I need some help with. On my old unit, the clutch drum had two elongated slots, either side of the drum hub. This allowed me to use a homemade spanner to turn the drum and break the Loctite Red when unscrewing it from the roller. My new drum doesn't have these slots and the engine spacer doesn't leave enough drum exposed to use a strap wrench. What would be the best way to get a grip on the drum, without deforming it?

[Happy Valley]

Originally Posted by kerf

What would be the best way to get a grip on the drum, without deforming it?

I drilled two new holes in mine and then, as mentioned, improvised a spanner.

[kerf]

Originally Posted by Happy Valley

I drilled two new holes in mine and then, as mentioned, improvised a spanner.

Thanks, I thought about that but was concerned about effecting balance. I also thought about dropping my spare clutch shoes in the drum and using some type of cam setup to expand them. Probably couldn't get enough friction to turn the darn thing. I'll call David but I think your idea may be the only way.

[Happy Valley]

I doubt balance will be a problem. The DE drives I've had have one 1/4" hole drilled in the outside clutch shoe bearing surface of the drum used for locking the drive when changing rollers. Zero balance issues noted there.

[kerf]

Originally Posted by Happy Valley

I doubt balance will be a problem. The DE drives I've had have one 1/4" hole drilled in the outside clutch shoe bearing surface of the drum used for locking the drive when changing rollers. Zero balance issues noted there.

That's interesting.