What Type Sprocket For 3 Shoe Clutch?

[edju1958]

I've got several SEZ's that have the S clutch on them & I've acquired a few 3 show clutches that I like better.My question is can I put a 3 shoe clutch in a spur sprocket,or must I use a rim sprocket for the 3 shoe clutch?I know that I'll need to use a 65024 inner thrust washer on the 3 shoe clutch.

                                                             Ed

[onlyhomelites]

I've used the spur & rim style drums interchangeably with all 3 clutch designs without a problem. As you already noted, just get the right washers in place.

[rowdy235]

Just curious Ed, why do you prefer the 3 shoe clutches? Some of my XL series has the 3 shoe and others have the S clutch, never noticed too much of a difference.

[edju1958]

I've noticed with the S clutch that when I'm into some dry old hardwood the chain will chatter.I don't try to push it at all,just let the saw do the work like I'm supposed to.It doesn't matter if the chain has been filed by me,or if it's brand new.I've seen the S clutches break too,not on saws owned by me.I still have a broken S clutch laying around here,use as a paperweight.Lol

                                                                Ed

[onlyhomelites]

The 3-shoe clutch that is a smaller version of the SXL 69480 clutch is pretty good. I personally am not a huge fan of the late model 3-shoe design. I've definitely seen my fair share of broken s-clutches, but I'm still partial to them on the Super 2 and Super EZ. But once again, this might be like the old Ford vs Chevy debate...!

[rowdy235]

I’ve heard of some S clutches breaking, but I’ve never noticed any performance difference. I guess a lot of it plays in to what you’re cutting and how you’re cutting. I can see where the three shoe may have an advantage especially as the drum wears down, that’s when S clutches are the most prone to breaking as I recall.

I may have to rig up some sort of comparison now, lol.

[onlyhomelites]

I personally believe the breakage stems from two things: excessive heat and improper removal/installation.

The improper removal is obvious, but the heat issue can be several things. First, I've seen plenty of guys load up a 24" bar on a Super EZ "because it fits" and think they can go cut a bunch of dead oak. Clearly the clutch was never sized for this type of work and neither was the engine. The other issue is not replacing the drum when it wears...the clutch is harder than the drum, so if you do what I described above and slip the clutch, you will wear the drum quickly. As that deep groove wears, the clutch must "stretch" more to make contact; at a certain point that amount of movement, even if it's only an extra 1/8" all around, is going to weaken the clutch hub and result in breakage.

The three shoe clutches take the breakage factor out of the equation, so in that sense they are much better. But with proper saw maintenance and respect for your machine, the s-clutch should provide a good service life.