Clutch ideas

[fixerupper]

I am going to be helping a friend build a new ice cream making machine for our threshing show. The old one is maxed out. Anyway, this outfit holds three 5 gallon ice cream makers and is run by PTO. The PTO coming from the tractor turns a jack shaft that has three pulleys , each pulley runs a belt that turns it's respective ice cream maker. The old machine had a belt tightener to stop the works when one of the buckets is put on line or removed when it is finished. The belt tended to drag sometimes when it was disengaged which is not acceptable. We would like to have a clutch on the end of the jack shaft on the new machine but I don't have any ideas about what to use. Preferably the clutch will be on the end of the jack shaft and the PTO will go into the clutch.
We want a manual clutch with a hand lever, not an electric one. dependability is of the essence. This rig has made somewhere around 350 gallons of ice cream during the three day show so it can 't have any glitches. Any ideas about what we can use for a clutch? If all three ice cream makers are getting stiff at the same time it could take possibly 20 horsepower at a max.

 

[Mike M]

Maybe it's time for one BIG ice cream machine ? instead of 3 little ones.

 

[johndeere720GA]

How about just adding brakes to the shafts to stop them during the changeout? Seems easier than designing a clutch.

 

[fixerupper]

Is there a home made crank ice cream freezer made that is bigger than 5 gallons? These five gallon green mountains don't come cheap. And they come with a crank to hand crank them. I wouldn't want to arm wrestle with the guy who can crank a five gallon freezer. LOL

 

[fixerupper]

Brakes will work too and in the end that might be what we end up with. The clutch idea is intriguing. A clutch will involve more engineering for sure. Maybe a clutch off a Wisconsin V4? I'm up to the challenge. This rig will be made to look kind of cobbled up on purpose just for show. The old rig was cobbled up and it got a lot of attention from the people while they were waiting in line for their ice cream. The Model T frame it was designed on just wasn't up to the task.

 

[Mike M]

I'm sure Smith Dairy has something larger than 5 gallons at a time.
Should be able to build one with a stainless steel 55 gallon drum stuck into a tub of some sorts to hold the ice and some sort of a gear box to drive it. Get a couple of big ones hooked up to a Big Block Chevy with headers roaring away. That will draw a crowd !

 

[fixerupper]

LOL.

 

[fixerupper]

Come to think of it, this rig was hooked up to a horse power once. We took it to another smaller show where they provided the horse and horse power. We couldn't get it made very fast though, the horse kept slowing down on us. Someone would have to give it a slap on the rump every once in awhile.

 

[casenut1]

You need the clutch off a new idea corn picker. You make a throw out lever and shift when you need to. We put one on our pedal pull sled.

 

[johndeere720GA]

initially I thought you had each machine hooked to a common shaft via belts with tensioners to start and stop them independently. However, as I read through this again it sounds like it is a single point of disconnection you are looking for. If that is the case why not just use PTO control on the tractor?

 

[Greg K]

How about a friction disc like was used on
snapper mowers? I'm no sure of an exact
style layout but the vague idea is there.

 

[fixerupper]

He wants to keep everybody involved working to keep up with demand instead of having someone pull away to run the tractor. I do know of a New Idea picker with a tree growing through it sitting a couple miles away. I might sneak over there. If the tractor had a hand clutch a simple rod back from the clutch lever would work.

 

[fixerupper]

The original machine did have individual tensioners but he wants only one disconnect now. He has been at this for a good twenty years so he knows what works best.

 

[Jim in rush co]

I do have a clutch off a VH 30 hp wisconsin,not the clutch reduction one. I also have a clutch designed by Rockford Clutch that goes on 1" shaft and has double B pulley 5-1/2 or 6" diameter and is similar to the Wisconsin but is open and dry not like the Wisconsin which is wet. I might part with either?

 

[fixerupper]

Jim that dry clutch sounds interesting. Is a picture possible?

 

[moresmoke]

You could use an automotive rear axle.
Drive one wheel hub with the pto shaft.
Use the pinion as the output shaft. The
e-brake on the opposite end is used as
the clutch.

 

[heavyhaulertoo]

farmall cornpicker elevator drive though out clutch should be just the thing very strong and simple I know you have run one.

 

[Jim in rush co]

It will to tomorrow if that will do? I had it on a 18HP twin that we turned the crankshaft down to 1". Works real slick connect it to a lever and it brakes over center like the old JDs or Wisconsin. I had a friend that was a desiginer for Rockford Clutch, Div. of Borg Warner and he came up with it for me I wanted 1-3/8" but got me the 1" so we worked the crankshaft over. would kill the 18 any time you wanted to but you can ease it in. The clutch linings come in on each sides of the pulley to engage and free wheels when disengaged.Not sure on your location,I'm south east Indy.

 

[wisbaker]

Find a clutch off of an old Ryan greens aerator or off a Wheel Horse garden tractor or get a centrifugal clutch and continue to use an over center idler on the belt if the clutch is the driven sheave when you
loosen the belt the RPMs will fall off enough that the driven shaft won't creep

 

[Bill in IL]

My old belt driven drill press has 2 pulleys side by side and of the same size. One is connected to the shaft to drive the machine the other is an
idler. There is a belt shifter to slide the belt from one to the other. It works really well and may be simpler than a clutch setup.

 

[fixerupper]

I'm in Northwest Iowa.

 

[notjustair]

My mixer grinder has an arm on the same shaft as
the auger pulley. When you disengage the auger
that arm pins the belt down to a guard. It isn't able
to spin. The other thing that comes to mind is the
sliding cog clutches on the unloading augers on
mixer grinders. There's no "feathering" it but it
doesn't sound like we are talking about a heavy
load anyway.

 

[Andy Martin]

Sliding cog was what I was thinking, flat belt with tensioner to stop rotation, then disengage the cog (or a pair of spur gears like the back gear on a lathe) to insure no slippage tries to turn the mixer.

Stopping all three at once doe not sound like the efficient way to go. Is that what he really wants or does he want that because that's the only way he thinks you can insure safety of those unloading and loading? If you can't spare a guy to go run the tractor, you would think you would not want to stop all three simultaneously, either, if you could insure each stopped one was safely stopped.

 

[fixerupper]

Individual shut offs sounds like the way to go to me. It will take more time to build but we have until this coming August to get it done, though time does get away. I'll have to have a brain storming session with him.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 17:46:39 02/26/16) farmall cornpicker elevator drive though out clutch should be just the thing very strong and simple I know you have run one.

Also corn planters and grain drills used that type of clutch, except they disconnected when the planters raised.

Dusty

 

[Duane WI]

This isn't the response you are looking for. Be safe. Think this through real good. You are building something that is being used for a fun event. Having someone get hurt is not going to be fun. I would not rely on a clutch for this. Reusing some old clutch is even worse. Shut the tractor off. I would not work on a PTO driven machine connected to a tractor and the tractor running. I know this is not going to be a popular response.

 

[Jim in rush co]

Let me know if you still want picture as it is hard to get to.

 

[4wdtom]

Most machinery in line shaft mills and shops was engaged and disengaged this way. I am sure you could do a google search and find many pictures of such a setup, you tube it also. It would be a simple way to do it. I think the drive and driven pully would have to be far enough apart so the minor miss alignment when the belt was shifted from the fixed to the idler pully would not affect it. With a fair amount of crown on the pully I don't think it have to be too far.

 

[gab]

Like somebody else mentioned , Wheel Horse clutch. 6 1/4" disc, through out brg. in end of hub, hub has long needle brg. inside that rides on a sleeve over the crankshaft, disc bolts to trans mission drive pully. This one locks on a over center deal, can't find an older style one I got somewhere that works a little different. And the little brake pad is on the left upper side of the pulley.

 

[gab]

Correction, 6 3/4" disc.

 

[fixerupper]

Jim I think I have access to something that will work around home after reading some of the suggestions. Thanks for the offer.

 

[Jim in rush co]

I would kind of like to keep it any way. I always thought I'd make something to putt around shows on and use it.

 

[fixerupper]

When the time comes post a pic of what you put it in.

 

[Ozlander]

I've made enough ice cream to know that it's a really bad idea to stop two freezers to change the third.
Probably never get them started again.