I am having trouble keeping a clutch on my Kitty, the drive sprocket keeps wearing out. Below are pictures of the set up, not a stock kitty.
It is a Hilliard Extreme Duty clutch. The teeth are wearing out, but also the bushing is starting to wear a bit too. I'm not sure if it is just a weak clutch or if there's something wrong in my set up. Improper tensioner/placement, chain too stretched, too tight, too loose...
Any suggestions or similar war stories?
Also, to save costs and not replace the entire thing, does anyone know if replacement sprocket/bushings are available for these clutches?
So I've already had a bit of off-line suggestions on this issue.
- The spring-loaded tensioner may cause pre-mature chain wear (I've seen it bounce and flutter which made me wonder how effective it really is)
- Use high quality chain to avoid chain-stretch (I'll admit to using cheap fleet-farm/princess-auto boxed chain as I now realize the woe in doing so.)
- Lubricate the chain and clutch bushings often (In hind sight I did not actually do this as often as I should have)
I found a local Kart shop that has Hilliard clutch parts, but they are in Portugal at the World Championships for another couple weeks. Awesome job.
When I get replacement sprockets, I'll likely also have to get some better quality chain, and possibly some half-links to set the chain length/tension right without the tensioner. My problem is I can not move the engine to adjust the chain tension.
More suggestions, similar stories, or set-up tips/samples are appreciated.
my buddy put a clone in a 120 and goes through chain and sprockets all the time. I also have a hilliard, nice clutch. ABout the only thing you can do is make sure the motor is perfectly aligned in all directions.. does not take much. I know from my kart racing days a loose chain will wear stuff out. we used to run stuff pretty tight, much tighter than one would think. You might be able to losen up you motor mount bolts to help move it a little when putting on the chain but it will still suck. I dont use a tentioner and have no wear... BUT i have half the power as well.
