Murray Hammer Clutch

[Jonned]

I just picked up a sweet 25# Murray Hammer, late model, clean, tight, all original with no repairs!! The clutch does not release as readily as it should and am wondering if it needs to be lubed.

The clutch: two flat steel wheels, one inside the other, inner wheel is faced with what looks like leather.

I know w/Little Giant and others, the wood clutch blocks need to be oiled. Thinking that the leather also would need oil but would like other opinions before I do it.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[eric sprado]

I've had many Little Giant Trip hammers and have never seen a wooden clutch block??Maybe all mine have had it replaced but I don't think so. Go on to the Little Giant web site and it might be of help for your hammer.Sid has lots of good info on there. I do have to keep the clutch oiled a LOT. If they aren't spraying oil across the room they aren't getting enough. My current, a LG 25#, one is one hundred years old. Completely rebuilt and runs like a sewing machine.

[Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver]

There's quite a variety design between Little Giant, Mayer Bros., Murray etc. I've seen the metal-to-metal cone clutches, the wood block clutch and the leather one. Not sure it's a good idea to use oil on the leather one. Don't know. I'd try to adjust the clutch better or even put a brake on it.

[peacock]

I have a 50 and a 25 one has cast iron to cast iron the other is leather
both need to be well oiled. 5 or 10 weight motor oil or ATF. Also on the
Murry you need to check to see that you have enough return spring tension,
or if the treadle and linkage is binding. Lift up on the treadle and see
if that lets it release.

[Andrew T]

You need to oil it enough to make an oil streak on your ceiling.

[Andrew T]

Newer style LGs have wooden blocks, older have leather pads, I've had them both.

[Fe-Wood]

I guess I'll throw in my .02 cents- I have an old style 100Lb LG. Haven't a clue what the friction pad is.... Is was 5/16" thick and black when I got it. I figure some sort of belting or another because it has fabric pattern on the edge. Anyway, my hammer doesn't really like to let go until the whole clutch, drive and shaft assembly gets warm. I think it has a lot to do with the drag of the grease on the babbit between the clutch pulley and the driven shaft. I do oil the clutch pads though, one good squirt while the pulley is turning. I use bar and chain oil because I like a really gooey, sticky mess when I do maintenance work :P

[peacock]

FE-Wood: I think the bar and chain is your problem. It's too sticky till it warms up. Spray the running
clutch with WD 40 to clean the old oil out. Then re oil with ATF it may take a while to get
the bar & chain oil out. Don't be afraid to oil it often as the composite lining doesn't soak
up the oil like leather does. You may be correct about the grease drag in the clutch pulley,
a lighter wt. grease like white lithium may also help.

[Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver]

I'm with Peacock on this. You'd be surprised how much tear-away strength that chain & bar oil has. Leather has a more controllable coefficient of friction.

[SGropp]

At the recommendation of Sid at Little Giant , I use a light oil in the clutch of my hammers [ both cast iron on cast iron and one with the synthetic material used in place of leather. They should be run soaking wet. I use 30 # oil mixed 50/50 with diesel or kerosene kept in a spray bottle. I oil the hammers about every 4 hours of use, I use way oil [ Vactra #2] on the bearings and pins, and grease on the crank , treadle bushing and main clutch to shaft bearing fed through a grease fitting at the rear of the shaft.. I imagine the Murray hammer to be basically the same set up.

Some light flat bar and inventiveness can be used to make a guard around the clutch to keep the oil from being slung around the shop. This flung oil is not only a mess but also a fire hazard and can contaminate work finished or in progress, giving problems with patinas or finishes .

The clutch on my #7 Beaudry motor driven is also a metal on metal cone clutch. There is no way to access or lubricate the clutch surfaces directly, so I assume that it gets the lubrication that's required by the oil that flows out the oil chamber in the main top bearing. Does anyone know if this is correct? The hammer works very well with good control of both speed and power using the clutch. I use way oil in this bearing , fed through a drip oiler at a pretty good rate of flow.

I've pretty much given up using bar oil to lubricate my mechanicals, finding it too sticky and a magnet for grit and dirt, preferring to use the slightly lighter and less tacky way oil. The fact that it flows through seems to be an advantage to keep the junk out of the open bearings used on these types of machine