Heymow - Lawnmower Racing Forum

Mower Building / Setup Help => Drag Mowers => Topic started by: meanmachine on December 22, 2010, 07:03:48 pm

Title: tranny?
Post by: meanmachine on December 22, 2010, 07:03:48 pm
right now i'm running a 500 peerless ragb thinkn switching it to a 700 peerless tranny when i find one, which should be simple but having thoughts of running a 1 to 1 ragb to kept from having to shift, not sure this will work in a drag racing mower or not, was running a stock 11hp briggs switchn to a not so stock 18hp oppy, were racing 100ft drags, some on dirt some on tar, what is the norm in the drag racing world? any input on perfered drivetrans would help me make up my mind as of now i shift my 500 ragb during the race but hope my new motor will give me enough power to kept from having to shift   i like to stick with the live axl with my disc brakes setup on it. any input good or bad is great thanks
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: birdman_express on December 22, 2010, 07:16:41 pm
You get a good motor, and prolly going to start breaking 500-700 style trannies.
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: Huffy044 on December 22, 2010, 08:26:56 pm
My team and I did a radio show thing at a local sports arena. Took 4 mowchines, broke 4 700 series trannys, had the good steel stuff inside. They just wont hold up on launches. We had some awsume wheelies, but it cost too much to go back the next year.
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: Rooster on December 22, 2010, 08:43:20 pm
Not sure what your rules are, I don't know drag racers.
The one drag racer I have seen had a modified motor cycle transmission.
He used it because he could slam the next gear and not worry about breaking anything!

Switching from the 11 to the Opposed is going to be a big difference!
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: amr5080 on December 22, 2010, 08:44:57 pm
If you are shifting during a race, you will tear any mower tranny up. If rules allow, about your best bet is going to be a centrifical clutch...
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: more4les on December 23, 2010, 12:23:21 am
If you could ever find the belts that would hold up to a vari-drive clutch that could be the way to go....very similar in concept to a slider clutch. I tried using one years ago when we first started. We drove it to a 600 transaxle. Unbelievable launch and the 600 took it (never broke one) but the belts would not take it and we tried everything short of snowmobile belts. It worked so well (when  the belts did hold up) that the club outlawed them.

Lester
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: meanmachine on December 23, 2010, 08:18:44 am
i read some theards on run a centrifcal clutch to a 700 ragb which would take the launch part out be easyer on the tranny then dumpin the manual clutch but not sure how competive that will be against guys dump a clutch at 4 grand racing a guy stumpn on the gas from a stall speed?
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: George Herrin on December 23, 2010, 08:25:38 am
If you could ever find the belts that would hold up to a vari-drive clutch that could be the way to go....very similar in concept to a slider clutch. I tried using one years ago when we first started. We drove it to a 600 transaxle. Unbelievable launch and the 600 took it (never broke one) but the belts would not take it and we tried everything short of snowmobile belts. It worked so well (when  the belts did hold up) that the club outlawed them.
Lester

Ditto the varidrive MTD setup is awesome IF you could ever make it work belt wise. I too played with it. Man what bottom in like having a automatioc transmission but belt wise whew nothing seemed to last a whole race.
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: Jay19LM on December 24, 2010, 06:44:11 am
right now i'm running a 500 peerless ragb thinkn switching it to a 700 peerless tranny when i find one, which should be simple but having thoughts of running a 1 to 1 ragb to kept from having to shift, not sure this will work in a drag racing mower or not, was running a stock 11hp briggs switchn to a not so stock 18hp oppy, were racing 100ft drags, some on dirt some on tar, what is the norm in the drag racing world? any input on perfered drivetrans would help me make up my mind as of now i shift my 500 ragb during the race but hope my new motor will give me enough power to kept from having to shift   i like to stick with the live axl with my disc brakes setup on it. any input good or bad is great thanks

Like everyone said the 700 won't hold up. I never dumped the clutch on mine but stock 23hp eventually did a number on the shift keys. I plan on using a ragb I got off a Skagg mower deck with a centrifugal clutch on the output. I need a 1" bore cent. clutch if anyone has one. Haven't had a problem with live axle.
J19LM
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: Racerchck51 on December 24, 2010, 09:12:24 pm
If you are shifting during a race, you will tear any mower tranny up. If rules allow, about your best bet is going to be a centrifical clutch...

I don't know your rules, but he is right. I drag raced before i got into oval. Centrifical was allowed in ours and worked for the closer to stock classes.

Not sure what your rules are, I don't know drag racers.
The one drag racer I have seen had a modified motor cycle transmission.
He used it because he could slam the next gear and not worry about breaking anything!

Switching from the 11 to the Opposed is going to be a big difference!

Rooster is right also the faster classes used these and I only ever saw one mess up.

And as for switching from the 11hp to the opposed I'll say I hope you have a nice frame set up sir, cause that is way to much engine if your only dragging 100 ft.
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: gtpuller on December 26, 2010, 11:41:42 pm
Ditto the varidrive MTD setup is awesome IF you could ever make it work belt wise. I too played with it. Man what bottom in like having a automatioc transmission but belt wise whew nothing seemed to last a whole race.

Did you ever try timing pulleys and belts?
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: Rooster on December 27, 2010, 04:49:05 pm
Did you ever try timing pulleys and belts?
That will work on a vari drive?
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: meanmachine on December 27, 2010, 07:45:51 pm
so what are the drag racers running for trannys? transaxles? a guy here was running that vari drive system he was very fast but the belt seem to be sliping some and getting hot on back to back races. you guys (sorry, and gals) dont think a ragb from a mower deck will work or hold up? are they 1 to 1 ?
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: birdman_express on December 27, 2010, 08:09:28 pm
) dont think a ragb from a mower deck will work or hold up? are they 1 to 1 ?

Has to be a hundred of them across the nation running on mowers.
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: meanmachine on December 28, 2010, 10:25:42 pm
Has to be a hundred of them across the nation running on mowers.
on drag mowers or circle track i think that makes a diffence
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: Burwell555 on December 29, 2010, 12:30:52 am
Not so sure if any drag racers are running them but I know some circle track guys do and love them!!! Some of the fx machines and the super mod/outlaw twins with verticak shaft motors are using them with great sucess and those big nasty twins make upwards of 80 plus horse!! You will be fine with it. They are really pretty simple. Its a cast iron box, has an input and output shaft with bevel gears inside. Add oil and abuse it!!! They are stout!! Some are 1:1, some 2:1 it just depends. But on another note, if you are dead set on using a transmission, ya might look into a 400. They are basically a 600 transaxle center section and are also very strong. I have a friend with a healthy kohler bp tractor and said he raced it for 2 seasons before he decided toi change the oil and everything inside looked great!! Hope this helps
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: jerb on December 29, 2010, 12:37:46 am
George and a host of others run the 1000 series ragb's with great reliability, you can also find many other ragb's on ebay, the 1 to 1 ratio boxes are probably the strongest due to both gears being the same size, the peerless boxes are cast aluminum but hold up fine to major HP, just mount them to some 1/4'' steel plate and don't worry about them.... ;)
Title: Re: tranny?
Post by: baborz on March 29, 2011, 09:09:12 pm
Haven't found a transmission that will hold up to a stout engine on asphalt. I've broke all of the ones I've tried. I finally stopped building draggers(they don't drag 'em around here anyway). I would recommend going with a differential from a salvage yard from ...oh...say a 2000 Honda CRV(the rear diff. from an all wheel drive version) or a Dana Spicer unit from an old golf cart. If you want to run 1 gear you'd better have one HECK of an engine or be running nitro-methane/methanol mix(if you can get away with it),I've found a 2 gear to be the most efficient setup(with a powerful modified 16.5hp O.H.V. Briggs engine. In my opinion, trying to run lawn equipment on the drag-machines is ....well .....kind of like.....OH THERE IT IS..... :bash:....Yea, That.....