Friction Drive Talk

brendonv

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Come here to chat n ask questions about friction drives rather than making all little threads.

Well i have a Ryobi Scorpion King 30cc Weed Eater and ive got a Friction drive. Ive been experimenting with friction drives, i first started with a knurled 3cm diameter aluminum pole 10cm long, dont make the same mistake i did, the knurling wears out quick, a Steal knurled drive is the best. Ive found 3cm is the best Diameter, if u make it 4cm the motor has to work to hard and its not good for it, 3cm will give u a speed of about 25-30mph and decent hill climbs.

Ive tried rubber and its ok but steel is better, i stuck a rubber tube over my spindle and it was ok but it wears out quick, i mean rubber is a little quieter but wears out within a month so steel is ur best option.

Ive also tried heat shrink on my spindle but it ripped in about the first 2mins. If you started with some other soft metal the best thing to do is get a tube of JB Weld and mix it with a little sand, only a little, you dont want to sandpaper ur tire, just enough to add a lil more grip. Smear that over ur spindle and let it sit for about 24 hours and ull be cookin with gas.

Dont bother using something like skateboard wheels or other rubber or plastic spindles because they wear out real quick, they will give good grip but steal is still ur best option. I made mine on the lathe and it only took about 20mins, i made it from alu so ive since covered mine in JB Weld and sand.

If your thinking about getting a spindle drive this is some Pros and Cons.

Pros:

Easy to install and take off

Quiet

Easy



Cons:

Slips on Sand, wet ground and other things which then puts flat spots on ur spindle

A little tire wear but u should be able to get about 300 Miles on a tire or more with the right tire pressure and spindle.



So thats basically all. If you have any questions about spindle drives post them here or even if u just want to chat or post ur knowledge about them this is where to go.

Cheers,

From Brendon.v
 
Hi Brendon -- well coming from a JB user FROM WAY BACK - 40 years back - the stuff is amazing in my book.. When the time comes - my unit is still new - I think that I may give this a try. About how many miles would you say you get on your spindel befor you have to apply new JB ? Happy Riding from - Mountainman
 
About how many miles would you say you get on your spindle before you have to apply new JB ?

Well ive only just done mine so im not sure, JB goes well under heat so i think it should work good, dont put to much sand in the mix though, dont want to sand paper ur tire while u ride.
 
3 cm? Three? That's only 0.12 inches. (25.4 cm per inch) Are you sure that you don't mean 30 cm? (apx. 1-1/4 inch diameter)

A 3 cm roller at 7000 RPM would push you at no more than 2.5 miles(4 km) per hour...
 
A centimeter is 1/100th of a meter, I think your making a mistake loquin! MM is 1/1000th of a meter.
 
lol i was going to say nah u got it way wrong, 3cm = 1 1/4 inches

U had ur feet and inches mixed up.
 
Last edited:
Heres the pics guys, it runs so well, actually to grippy atm, it works well with low tire pressure. Sorry about the bad pics as i took em with my phone, my camera was at home, i keep forgetting to bring it to the factory, my bike will be at home 2morrow so good pics and film will be up 2morrow night.

Also check out my camera mount i made, in Picture Gallery.

Cheers,

From Brendon
 

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My dimension kit comes with urethane rollers and after about 100 miles my 1 1/8in roller Ive been using hasnt worn at all. Im not using a precision dial caliper to measure it but just a tape measure. Whatever theyre made of its pretty tough and durable and the wear on my original kenda tire is hardly noticeable. They are great rollers and have a 1/2in center hole in them.
 
If its the same sorta stuff hockey pucks are made of then yer it is hard as. If this JB Weld wears out quick my dads friend said he will make me a stainless steel roller all knurled, stainless hardens as it heats so its never going to wear out. The guy is in the front of my dads factory and he makes mines machinery or something so he likes working with metal. I asked yeh but how much will that be? He replied, just a few favors haha. I think he means a ride on the bike lol, he always comes up to my dads factory, has a beer with dad and throws ideas at me for motorized things and different mounting ways.

Cya guys,

From Brendon.v
 
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