We were having a little discusion on the trail the other day. I know that the Grizz and Kodiak use a centrifucal clutch to keep from burning one spot on the belt when the tires are not moving. What type of belt systems do the other brands use?

 

All the automatic belt drive quad today have for the most part the same basic clutches made after snowmobile clutches. I sell all the brands of drive and driven clutches for Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Polaris, Arctic Cat, and put them all together and its very hard to tell who's who.
Put the Grizz in High side and put in some gumbo mud where tires won't turn and smell the smoke off of belt. Put in low and spin them. One thing about belt drives, if the wheels aren't turning then your making flat spots on the belt.

 

Polaris doesn't use a centrifiucal clutch on their drives. Rather the front pully spreads out enough to not put any tension on the belt at idle rpms.

Either system works nice and neither flat spots the belt at idle so its all good. My buddy has a bayou 300 and it does have the clutch setup. Only thing that takes getting used to is reving up and then the clutch engages. Almost goofed the first time I rode his.

 

hondabuster
Pro Rider
Minnesota

Posts: 3488
Joined: Dec 2003



Wed January 04, 2006 12:46 PM (NEW!)



The yamaha Ultramatic, and the suzuki built cvs (not twin peaks), and the a/c cvts (suzuki built), are the same functionally.
They have a centrifical clutch, which allows idleing in gear, with out the pullweys spinning. Less noise and wear.
They also have a sprague clutch, which is what allows the engine braking. Its a one way clutch, ( basicly a roller bearing with ecentric rollers, pretty reliable and troublefree) which passes torque in only one direction....when the wheels are driving the motor, like at idle down a steep hill.
The advantages are...the belt isnt a wear item, unlike the others.. It just stays tight and alined, and transmits power with out slippage, unless it gets wet. It allows for bump starting, the other types wont. Its quieter, and longer lasting, and not as hot as the others on your leg. It allows for right now engine braking, some say better than gear driven machines.
The polaris and to a point kawasaki are very similar. The belt goes slack at idle, and that allows idling in gear. The belt is a wear item....its the clutch. Good thing,the belts are cheaper, because they go thru more of them. Engine braking is dependant on other than sprague clutch . Bump starting wont work.

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Since the clutch is internal to the engine on the competition, replacement is much more difficult. I always felt that since the belt is both the clutch and the transmission, I will never have to rip apart the engine to replace the clutch. I only have to change the belt. However, the statement about engine braking is misleading. On the Polaris machines that have engine braking, there is also a one way clutch that allows the engine to provide braking. Seems to me that these machines could also be bump started. And I don't think that belts are a major wear item if the quad is correctly maintained and driven properly. Fact is, if you slip any clutch too much you will wear it out prematurely. I have had sleds that have gone thousands of miles on the same belt. And these sleds put out considerably more HP than any quad. For my quad, I have ridden for two years and plowed snow for two years and have yet to see any significant wear on my belt.
Bryce