Viper clutch

bhill

Member
Anyone have any info on viper clutches? Will the accept bully drivers? Thinking of purchasing a 2 disc . Always like more bang for buck.
 
The viper was built by Ward Karting many years ago.
It's been out of production for years
 
Unfortunately the name was recycled about three years ago and used on a new line of clutches.

Mike Ward, being the stand up guy he is, didn't complain and simply renamed his original version when he started making parts again recently.

The "current" VIPER is built from the base design introduced by Tim Baker about 16 years ago, and marketed under various names by most every top clutch builder in the USA.

The Baker design is easily the #2 selling clutch in the country right now. Parts are readily available at practically every kart shop in the lower 48. And as said before, the support for the "Viper" and its fellow clutches is out there daily.

An absolute bargain for a piece that gets the job done.

As one of the builders puts in his press release......from Putt Putts in Iowa to a $10K race in the Heart of Dixie, the "insert name here" gets the job done.
 
Anyone have any info on viper clutches? Will the accept bully drivers? Thinking of purchasing a 2 disc . Always like more bang for buck.

Do you know where I can find a spring height chart for this design?
 
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Hopefully someone has re-painted/coated the springs because if you have a black Bully spring, it will not work right in these clutches without some serious modifications. Check the length of the spring and get back with us. Mike Curry can get you hooked up on all the info you ever need on this style clutch. FWIW, I've never seen a spring height and weight recommendation for engagement rpm chart for these clutches. I would imagine someone that sells them under their brand name would provide this info publicly.


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Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
29 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
Some people paint the springs. With the OC/Gator/Viper being the second best selling platform, there are many builders doing their own thing for product recognition.

The gold .085" wire springs are the only ones I have made a chart for, as there are very few people using them. I can email that to anyone who needs it.

The standard .090" wire spring as supplied is a raw steel/silver in appearance. It is noticeably longer than a Bully spring, which is one of the main keys to the clutch working properly.

When Tim Baker first designed the clutch, we used the Yellow spring from the Horstman enduro axle clutch as this removed any sensitivity to air gap from the clutch. A Viper style clutch will still work even if the air gap is as tight as .020" or as loose as .060"
A good starting point for 3800 rpm on a stock clone is .430" using a Bully brand spring height gauge.

The spring is fairly linear so a .020" change in height is "about" 200 rpm. Above .450" it is less than 200, and below .380" it is slightly more than 200rpm.

Depending on lever style, as there are about 12 different lever style available, that is a good guideline to follow.

Shannon Halbert and James Raines use a different style retainer than I am familiar with, so if they built your clutch, you may need to contact them to get a good ballpark height to start with.

The main thing to keep in mind, is make sure springs are from same batch (or matched) and that you are consistant in your settings. Buy a Bully brand spring height gauge, and check it often with the supplied calibration ring.
 
And as Brian pointed out, a Black, Red, or Blue Bully brand spring is not ideal for use in a OC style clutch.

If you are running a Jackshaft setup, or are looking for a really low stall, the Purple .067" wire Bully spring works fine, as it utilizes the same engineering as a OC style spring.
 
The springs themselves are different lengths (Bully to OC style.) Bully uses .500" length springs, while the OC style clutches use .600." I hope I am correct on that. As Mike said, they are considerably different when held side by side, but to the untrained eye, if you were to only look at one, you may not notice the difference in length.

Also, when measuring wire diameter on a spring, check it in the middle of the spring and consider the thickness of the powder coating (or whatever color method was used.) zinc, chromium, nickel plating, etc will add very little to the wire diameter dimension, while powder coating can add enough to make you think it's the next wire size (ie .086" - .091.")

Thanks Mike, for offering your chart on the gold springs.
Much appreciated!
Hopefully others will follow your lead.
 
Question is the n-gage clutch in this family of clutch's ?
I got one when they were hot , now see nothing of them .
 
The N-Gage by Tim Eilts was one of the first builders to really make a push with the Baker Design.

He sold the Brand to Andretti Stevens in 2015. He later started a new company call PDS (Precision Drive Systems) when his No Compete Clause expired.

He can definitely provide you with any service or information if you need it. He is on Facebook primarily.

A lot of early credit for improvements to the Original Baker design go to David Martin (MartinBuilt Touch) and John Ivers (Dunamis Clutches)......they helped refine the original design that was first marketed as The Orange Crush that is still available from Ralph Woodard at Uncle Franks.

Builders like Shannon Halbert, Brad Page, and James Raines have put their mark on the map by providing their own versions of the Baker design to propel their customers to great success.

I built up a few new versions, including the Four Disk 3/4" clutch while developing the Gator line of clutches.

Since the Fall of 2015 I have assisted with the growth of the Viper brand of Baker design clutches and currently offer more than 25 different models of 3/4" and 1.0" bore clutches in one, two, three, and four disk versions.

One of the great features of the Baker designed clutch is its modular design and ease of getting parts. They are available at practically every kart shop in the USA.

You can't go wrong with any version, as long as you provide the builder of choice with the proper information so they can set you up with the right unit for your application.
 
...and this guy KNOWS!

Another nice thing about these clutches is that the plates are all flat, so they are easily machined - no steps or recesses. If you've got a surface grinder (or access to one) you can resurface all of the steel discs perfectly flat without a rotary table.

I've got one apart on my bench to work on this morning. "Easy-peasy" - or whatever the utes say today. ;)
 
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