Tell me about SSM drives.
 

Need some info on older SSM. no 3 drives. How much ponies can they handle? Reliability. maintenance. etc. pros and cons.
THx
P

I'll start I think a good reliable HP number is between 650-750

I've heard 650 ft/lbs thrown around for the SSM #3. BAM lists the beefed up 3A as rated for 750hp/750tq.
Pros and cons.... Guess those depend on what drive you are comparing them to.

Aren't 3's the ones that are really hard to get parts for?

both these boats had 800 + hp and never a problem

Planning to push 580 HP on each, so I think it should be ok. Any issues with the Merc transmissions that were used with them?

they are a great upgrade to a bravo xr. you should be just fine with 750 hp. the boat will shift nicely with a trans. and there are still guys out there that can repair them. i believe it will add value to your boat as well. it gives me piece of mind knowing that i have speedmasters on the rear of my boat

Plan your drive height and prop selection ahead of time. At 600hp @ 6000 rpm, and a drive height of. 3" below the bottom, my prop selection was very limited. Needed 16 3/4" diameter min to get on plane, with about 23-24" of pitch. 600 hp was not enough to spin the props. So if your going with 580hp, keep the drives a little low so you can run a more common 16-16.5" prop with 23" pitch.

There are still new internal parts available for the #3 drive. I have new 1.31:1 straight cut, net forged upper gear sets ( the same "gear" as used in the #3A and the #5 drives, but manufactured with the "shank" as I call it, to be used in a #3 drive ) and new 1.75" dia.propshafts available for these drives. These pieces were manufactured in the USA. I can also supply the same upper gear that has a "polygon" internal for the #4 drive.

Gary
612-247-7081

THanks for the info and PM's. Not looking for any parts or to buy just yet, just some info.
P

Paradox I would suggest that if you go with a 3 drive and I agree they can easily handle 580 Hp . I would not use the merc tranny I believe that repair parts are hard to find . Go with the Borg Warner velvet drive . Great tranny and easily rebuildable .
Cheers RG.

I dont even think the "merc" tranny can be used with a SSM drive. My guess is when he said "merc" tranny, he meant Borg Warner?

I think your right Joe. The Merc trans was for the TRS. The gear in the pump broke if you through much power at it. BW is what you want. The aren't inter changable with out moving the engine foreward about 2"