drive wheel test

Since I can't attach the drive wheel to the engine till my new drill arrives, I have some time on my hands. I have experimented with a mixture of jbweld (a two part expoxy) and salt to coat the drive wheel. It works and it also wears off from the friction. After all it is a friction drive. I have previously just used metal but it has a tendency to slip if smooth or eat up the tire if grooved. I have seen several rubber coated ones but never up close. I have used rubber heater hose but it does not last long.

I have used plastic wheels from casters and those work well but in the current application I have no way to attach it to the engine. So I tried this last night.

I cut a piece of an old tire to fit the drive wheel I have. It is actually a 3/4" galvanized pipe nipple with an end cap I need to drill a hole in so that I can bolt it onto the engine.

I coated the rear of the tire with JB Weld. Then I wrapped it around the drive wheel and secured it tightly with twine. I left it over night to cure. I will give it a try when I am able to attach the drive to the engine. If by some wild stretch of the imagination this works, I will make a better coat of tire. the one I have is not quite right but it's what I have at the moment so I am going to do the test with it.