How are engine mounted clutches different than pump clutches?
Construction, mounting, and purpose are different yet have similarities.
Electromagnetic clutches come in a variety of designs intended for specific purposes. They can range from light industrial/indoor products to micro clutches intended for use in office automation to outdoor, off-highway mobile designs.
Ogura's Mobile products are generally intended for two purposes: either engine mounted applications or pump and compressor mounted types. Both styles were developed from the same base design and share the same characteristics of a single plate clutch but differ in many aspects.
Off-highway clutches, or "General Purpose" clutches are intended for installation directly onto an engine crankshaft and are bearing-mounted. That is, the load of the clutch field is supported by bearings. The clutch field, or coil, is restrained by a small torque tab that prevents rotation and keeps the wires from ripping out.
Pump clutches' primary mounting arrangement is via a flange. There are typically no bearings in the field. These are mounted directly to the pump face or to an intermediate bracket that holds the pump on one side and the clutch on the other. Because they are flange mounted, pump clutches are normally two-piece designs while General Purpose clutches are one piece.
Another major difference is that General Purpose clutches are designed to transfer power FROM the engine to an auxiliary drive. This manner of application is called pulley (or hub) output. Pump clutches take power from the main driver and transfer TO the pump. Finally, pump clutches utilize an integral or one-piece pulley/rotor design resulting in a shorter axial length. General Purpose clutches feature a separate pulley mounted to the output assembly of the clutch.
Ogura's General Purpose GT and MA series clutches range in torque from around 110 lb-ft to 400 lb-ft for engines ranging from 5 HP to 40 HP. Bore sizes for most models correlate to popular engine shaft sizes of 1" to 1.7/16" but custom designs can be made for the right quantity. Most mobile application clutches have 12V coils but other voltages such as 24V can be available for certain sizes and quantities. Soft start controllers are available for these clutches.
Ogura MA Series clutches for smaller pumps are available in torques ranging from 58 to 175 lb. ft. For pumps requiring higher horsepower, the MMC Series are rated from 200 to 1500 lb. ft. A variety of bore sizes and pulley options are available from stock.
Benefits of using an Ogura General Purpose and Pump and Compressor clutches:
- Long life
- Safety and convenience with remote starting
- Fuel and energy savings
- Built for outdoor operation
- Many years of proven success
- Custom designs available based on minimum order quantities
- Reduced engine load on cold weather starts
- Increased operational life of driven equipment
- Simple installation