South Bend Clutches

Note: All South Bend Diesel Truck Clutches have Solid Mass Flywheels for H.D. Single Disc Clutches, Street Dual Disc Clutches and Competition SFI Approved Double and Triple Disc Clutches! The SFI flywheels are all machined for excellent balance, for durability and strength.

The Pedal pressures on these South Bend clutches are very close to a stock.  (Original Equipment Manufacturer Standards)  This is true for all 650 Horsepower or less street clutches. These clutches  wont slip, chatter, wear the flywheel, burn up pilot bearings or pop out friction disc springs. South bend is the only clutch we sell because you won't find a better made Diesel Performance clutch. Made In America! 

South Bend Clutch has a wide variety of combinations for our customers to choose from. Solid single Disc upgrades, like smooth engagement organic HD clutches, performance clutches including single and dual friction combos,  competition single disc, dual disc and triple disc ,all with Solid Mass and billet turned Flywheels. SFI Approved  for sled pulling, drag and street race competition. Clutch pack repair kits, flywheels, 1 3/8  input shaft upgrades and replacement HD master slave hydraulics with adjustable master cylinder.

Also, South Bend has a complete choice of dual friction substrates including; Organic, Feramic, Kevlar and Ceramic buttons.

Cryogenic Freezing 

When you bend and forge a piece of metal, which is part of the manufacturing process, the integrity and structure of the metal part is compromised with tiny microscopic fractures at the bend. That's right, the weakness is at the bend. Cryogenic Freezing  realigns and repairs those breaks and fractures into a solid uniform and binding part at the atomic level, resulting in superior high strength components. We are able to process Cryogenically Frozen  Dual Disc and Triple Disc SFI Approved Competition Sled kits. Also Cryogenically  frozen strategic parts a of high performance competition clutch with reconstituted metal for superior strength and durability. The cryo treatment re establishes the original molecules structure until all atoms and there electrons are perfectly aligned. This gives the cryoed part tremendous strength and integrity. Cryogenic Freezing is available for other SBC applications--call South Bend 800-988-4345 for more information. South Bend Clutches are very affordable  and its not a big deal to get your clutch treated. We supply Dodge Cummins , Ford Powerstroke and Duramax Clutches, ranging from competition triple disc Iron Giants capable of handling intense brute force , to South Bend every day stock replacements.

         

 

The  SDD3250 and HD series is our top selling clutch because they are the best on the market.

The Ford SDD3250 clutch has a new redesigned flywheel, delivering the same performance with an additional savings of $600.00 to our customers.

GMC  Duramax Clutches are still delivering the best high HP rating on the market.

Dodge Cummins, Ford Powerstroke and GMC Duramax Clutches built by South Bend Clutch are number one.

You will have a hard time finding a better built diesel clutch or nicer group of people anywhere. than at South Bend.

 

Purchasing The Right South Bend Clutch

Every thing works so much better when you have the right tool for the job. 

So, which South Bend Clutches are going to work the best for your situation? The first thing you need to think about, is the kind of work you do and what are the qualities  needed in a  to get the job done. Then look at all the ways in which your truck is being used and how often it is needed for each kind of task.  If it is a light duty personal vehicle, a service vehicle, performance truck, sled puller, tow truck, welding rig, show truck, farm truck, toy hauler, mud truck, hunting and toy haulers.  There are a wide variety of duties delegated to the American Diesel pickup and with South Bend, it should not be difficult process to find the right tool for the job and the best clutch for your truck.

If you are a farmer coming  pulling a 30,000 lb. load of round bails off the field, as well as a daily driver,we are going to recommend a street dual - double disk clutch like the SDD3250, rated at 650hp. That's the right tool for the job.

 

If you are hauling a goose necks, stock tailors, skid steers, wheel loaders or anything 15,000- 30,000 lbs.  The SDD3250 dual disk clutch will be a great choice to get the job done with out a slip..

However, if you have a high torque performance truck and you  compete in drag racing / sled pulling,mudding and the like, a SFI approved competition dual or triple disk clutch that matches the horse power you are generating at the dyno, will be the right choice.

 

 

      

 

On the other hand, lets say you pull a camper, boat or 5th. wheel which has a load capacity of 15K or less. The new 425 hp single disk,OK- HD series with 900 Ft. Lbs. Torque, is the optimal fit. Everything on this clutch has been built to a new heavy duty standard. The organic pads are thicker and wider and because they are organic, you will get the smoothest engagement. The OK-HD clutch also uses the same 3250 lb pressure plate as the SDD dual disk clutch, keeping pedal pressure  to a minimum. What is really nice about this unit is how well it works as a comfortable daily driver. Your wife will be very appreciative that.

The friction pads on a South Bend Clutches vary from Organic which has the least aggressive holding power on up through Feramic, Kevlar and finally the Ceramic button having the most aggressive. holding power and the least amount of slip. The organic clutch slips easy and the ceramic clutch bites giving you an e mediate engagement. This is the basic difference between more holding power and easy driving.

Is Your dual disk clutch Too Big or Over Rated? 

It is important to consider not installing a clutch with a high hp rating in a stock truck. A single disk clutch , rated at 550 hp, in a stock vehicle, will not function in the way it should. It is important to know that an over rated clutch built for higher hp motors  does not mean it is the right choice for your vehicle.  If your truck is 750+ hp, a stock clutch will burn up overnight.

If you are using a light duty product to avoid  heavy pedal pressure, even though you have a high torque motor, you are not likely to achieve a proper function or fit. If you are hauling oversized high capacity loads of 20-34k, on a daily basis, it is not realistic to expect a single disk clutch to have the same life expectancy of a dual disc. It's like using a wrench to pound in a nail, you really need the right tool for the job. If you want your product to last, keep in mind that their is no such thing as bullet proof . Common sense goes a long way in avoiding the consequences of trying to do too much. That means holding yourself responsible. Remember that there is no such thing as an indestructible clutch.  It doesn't matter which style, brand or how high the horse power rating, if you don't use your clutch properly,it will detonate.

So,get the right tool for the job and use it properly. It may be unreasonable to say that you expect to never have to buy another clutch, however you can use these guidelines to get your product to last. 

 

 Guidelines For a South Bend Dual Disc Clutch (Dodge Cummins, Ford Powerstrokes and GMC Duramax Clutches)

 >A clutch must have a horse power rating that either matches or exceeds the horse power of your vehicle. We often run the 3250 650 hp dual disk, dual friction street clutches, in stock trucks, in order to obtain a better match or compensate for a heavy work load. 

>Pickup Trucks over 450 rear wheel horse power in use for towing purposes should  look at  Dual Disk street clutch. A Single disk clutch will often engage too aggressively and result in other problems.          

>Trucks over 450 horse power, at the rear wheels and tow a max of 15,000 lbs or more, on a regular basis, are best served through the use of a double disc street clutch.

>All competition vehicles should always install SFI approved parts & clutches. Make sure these clutches are dual, triple, or multi-disk. 

Unreasonable Demands:

>My truck only has 375 hp, so all I really need is a single disc clutch . I don't think I'll have a problem if I try a few sled pulls and I am careful. 

>I pull 20K+ lbs almost daily. If I don't switch over to a double disc clutch, I should be able to make this single disc work if I just take it easy. 

>I'll never need another clutch for this truck.

A clutch made to hold a very high rate of horse power may not be the best choice for a daily driver or vice versa. One size does not fit all so make sure you pick the right tool for the job. Remember that it is your responsibility to pick the right tool and for what happens as a result when using the wrong tool for the job. Know the limitations . A high hp clutch may not be at all what you are looking for installed in a daily driver. Understand that one size does not fit all.

>When purchasing South Bend , always remember that "No clutch is indestructible". It doesn't make a difference  who manufactured it or the horse power it will hold.  Know that there is no such thing as an  indestructible clutch. Mistreating your clutch will destroy it. So be careful when choosing it and be reasonable when using it. That is how you get your clutch to last.  Manual transmission trucks consistently get more miles the gallon  and are more durable and efficient in many ways. When you pull excessive weight, work a truck hard or race, a manual transmission will out perform an automatic.

 South Bend / Dyna max is part of your Competition Team,

>It is important to remember, when trucks are built up for higher performance. or operated in access of the OEM factory limits, a South Bend SFI competition or performance clutch is what is called for and that the performance and feel of the clutch and that pedal will be very different. When you make the proper choice for your vehicle, you can minimize these negative or undesirable effects. In order  to avoid slippage and last , some of these differences like the way a clutch slips, the way it sounds and the pedal pressure to disengage etc... are necessary in order to achieve the level of performance required,. This also will change in how it feels or sounds and  may be necessary to make your clutch kit hold and last.

It's that time of year for the maintenance after a long hard summer of sled pulling, competing in multiple classes, hooking up a number of times during one event and your triple disk clutch has just about had it.  About 25-35 hooks would be a good season and a good reason for South Bend to take a look at that beast.

You might snap some pictures and send it in to evaluate it for a rebuild. Peter at South Bend is still rebuilding even some of the first original Dual Disc South Bend Clutches manufactured.

Your clutch can be rebuilt, for a very reasonable price. In addition your clutch will be up dated with things like a newer Feramic compound to try, and updated sprung hubs.
When you call Peter at the factory, he'll usually say "Don't worry, we'll take care of it!"

sometimes a BRAND new input shaft shows up , after sending the old one in for inspection. Peter said there were some that had flaws, so he wanted to swap it out before I installed it. That's South Bend  Clutches customer service there!

South Bend guarantees your clutch will be as good or better than when you first bought it.

Cryogenic Freezing Cryogenic Treatment INFO ONLY Call South Bend for Cryo Pricing 

Cryogenic Freezing can be applied to all Ford Powerstroke, Dodge Cummins and Duramax Clutches.

Black Cloud Diesel is your source for a high performance Diesel Clutch

What Makes South Bend Clutch A Great Company? 

It's an outstanding product. All in all, these products beat the competition, hands down. The South Bend has innovative designs have proven over and over again, to out perform other manufacturers designs of Dodge Cummins Clutches, Ford Powerstroke Clutches and Duramax Clutches, in many ways. Competitive pricing, bullet proof engineering and clutches to fit all your needs, from SFI competition to daily drivers and great customer service.  We have had "0" issues over the past 15 years. When our customers need help we are there and things get handled in a timely manor. Literally every time we need help for our customers, we have been able to count on the manufacturing facility 100%.  South Bend is an American manufacturer of American made products. You may never find a better built clutch on the market. We have seen many other manufacturers attempt to copy the South Bend designs and because they lead the diesel clutch industry. You will always get what you paid for. If you are looking for Dodge Cummins Clutches, Ford Powerstroke Clutches or Duramax Clutches, you may find one cheaper but you will not find one better than a South Bend Clutch.