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Author Topic: My Gearbox  (Read 3327 times)

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Offline jk

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My Gearbox
« on: 24, March, 2012 - 08:49:12 »
G'day,
As my C5 came with a broken gearbox and fingers, and with replacements not that accessable 'down under' I decided to make my own. So here are a few pics I took the other day whilst re-assembling it after a strip down to check for wear.
I made it a 2 stage reduction chain drive, both stages being 2:1 reduction.
This is the first layer, bolted to the motor, you may notice the various unused holes that were intended to mount the entire assembly at different angles so that it could be rotated over its entire range to adjust belt tension. (As it is, it only has 45 degrees of rotation)

The second layer. There are two bearings in the lower hole to support the two shafts which are at different speeds.

Second layer with chain:

The third layer. There is a bearing encased in the upper retainer.

With pulley and belt:

Pulley retainer:

Assembled:

Its a bit noisy, the chain I used is quite wide, so there is not much clearance between the plates and it is rubbing on them. I did mill a bit of a chain groove and it has quietened down a slightly. I think the chain itself is creating noise too. How much noise does the standard gearbox make? I can hear my C5 from about 50 meters away.
If I ever get a dividing head for my Myford I will make a planetary gearbox like the original, But postage from the UK to here is way too expensive and there are hardly any for sale in Australia.
Well hope you like it anyway.
Jason

Offline fezza_rs

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #1 on: 24, March, 2012 - 09:36:14 »
Nice solution dude!  :D

Offline kamilb1998

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #2 on: 24, March, 2012 - 10:07:31 »
Another great example of improvise, adapt & overcome, looks like it will last!

Offline kamilb1998

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #3 on: 24, March, 2012 - 10:08:32 »
Also, this sort of set up could probably work quite well with 24V conversions.

Offline PLOD11

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #4 on: 24, March, 2012 - 11:59:52 »
Well done, looking good 8).          How hard was it to make ? 

John
« Last Edit: 24, March, 2012 - 12:01:39 by PLOD11 »

Offline C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #5 on: 24, March, 2012 - 13:40:25 »
Well done it looks great .Just one thing how fast will the C5 go now ....Sorry just another thing would it be possible to fit belts instead ..Bye Chas

Jonny

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #6 on: 24, March, 2012 - 18:45:22 »
Looks great, could you not fit gears or belts to reduce noise?

Offline Lancealot

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #7 on: 25, March, 2012 - 10:03:37 »
Good bit of improvise and manufacture.
 
Lance

Karl

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #8 on: 25, March, 2012 - 21:02:01 »
Quite an elegant solution , most impressive  ;)

If you want a genuine gearbox posted out let me know....

Offline jk

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #9 on: 03, April, 2012 - 10:55:44 »
G'day All,
Thankyou for your comments, and sorry for the delay in the reply to your questions/suggestions, but here I go.
kamilb1998 - 24v in definetly on the cards, I'm looking into some LiIon batteries right now. The Winston Battery WB-LP12V40AH appears to be an exact fit, and from what I have read from other owners experience, the standard motor copes well running on 24v with supplemental cooling.
PLOD11 - probably the hardest part of making it was finding suppliers for the bearings and chains. I had an idea of how it was going to look and operate, but I used a 'design as you go' principle. The hardest physical part would have been boring the plates to a press fit for the bearings. On the motor/pulley line there are 4 bearings retaining two seperate shafts, one rotating twice as fast as the other, and all needing to be in the same axial line.
C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER - Its max recorded gps speed has been 23Kph, on a slight downward slope, with an average of 18Kph over a 4Km run. The gearbox ratio is 4:1 which I am told is the same as the original (thanks Marra). And also to Jonny on this one, belts, even though I did not seriously consider them, are too wide, as the you will always need a two stage reduction to bring the drive back in line with the input shaft in order to maintain an adjustable final (or original) drive belt which leads to the 68 tooth pulley. Gears were seriously considered, but the cost would have skyrocketed. I'm still looking for a dividing head for the lathe tho...
And finally BooBoo - thanks for the offer, but I'm happy with this right now, and feeling much more comfortable when someone pushes the 'go' button from a standing start.
Jason


Offline kamilb1998

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Re: My Gearbox
« Reply #10 on: 03, April, 2012 - 11:01:47 »
If you do get a Lithium battery, do let us know how you get on. The first Yuasa car battery I used in mine dropped it's range from 13-14 miles to 7 miles after 500 miles of daily use. (3 & a bit months for me)