Clam Drill Plate Trigger Modification

[buz23]

I just greased a couple of the pivots in the linkage and haven't had any problem since.  No mods necessary for me.

[silverado23]

For the members who have completed the modification ...how did you remove the rubber coating on the trigger handle ...did you cut it off or were you able to remove and reinstall ...if so how ?

Soaked the plastic coated handle portion in hot water for about thirty seconds slipped right off.  Soaked the plastic piece in hot water again and dried off and slipped back on.

[cleveland]

Thanks for this post defiant1, this is a great idea and super cheap.

[hardwater diehard]

After viewing this thread I purchased all the necessary items for the modification ,spring and collar sets, via home Depot...my first outing or two I didn't place it on my new Clam plate ...but noted the trigger slop...I did attempt to remove the rubber from trigger,with intention on doing the modification , with zero results...my next outing I placed the castration band on the trigger just because of it ease of instillation and I had one handy ...I must say it works flawlessly...so simple and sooo effective. 

[defiant1]

Thanks for this post defiant1, this is a great idea and super cheap.

U betcha.  Glad to help.

[RyanW]

Nice...

Like my rubber bushing idea, that's just too easy...

Not Rube Goldberg enough for most of these guys..

<°)))>{

I basically did the same thing except I used about 5-6 wraps of electrical tape. I didn’t have any bushings or bands. Works great!

[Ice Scratcher]

I basically did the same thing except I used about 5-6 wraps of electrical tape. I didn’t have any bushings or bands. Works great!

Got it done though.. Just need a stop there, surprised Clam didn't include some type of adjustable stop..

<°)))>{

[rudyc]

Just finished up the spring and set collar modification. Works like a dream and really adds a quality feel to the whole unit.  Thanks for the idea.

[silverado23]

It would be a nice addition if clam just added the spring and stop from the factory.  It  would be easy to adjust when setting up the clam plate and really adds a bit of refinement to the somewhat sloppy trigger control of the clam plate.

[Luckydog]

I just found this thread.  Thanks for the tip.  I think it's a great idea.

[Bryfish84]

I haven’t looked at mine yet, but is this modification pretty self explanatory to do?

[defiant1]

I haven’t looked at mine yet, but is this modification pretty self explanatory to do?

Yep.  Study the pictures and you should be able to figure out how the parts will need to be assembled.  A lot of good tip and techniques are discussed in this thread as well as alternative methods to achieve the same relative result.

d1

[stinkyfingers]

Just one of those little 9" baby bungee cords will do the trick also. Hook it, loop it around, hook it back and basta. Even an idiot like me can do that mod.

[piersm2]

Just did the mod on mine and it works great.

[Bryfish84]

Playing around with mine yesterday, I’m not sure it needs anything. Feels pretty tight. Is this something that becomes a little loose over time??

[stinkyfingers]

Playing around with mine yesterday, I’m not sure it needs anything. Feels pretty tight. Is this something that becomes a little loose over time??

It's not whether it's tight or loose. It's just that it doesn't always release the pressure on the trigger when you let up. Thus mods.

[defiant1]

Playing around with mine yesterday, I’m not sure it needs anything. Feels pretty tight. Is this something that becomes a little loose over time??

Nothing comes loose per se.  I feel the Clam linkage has a lot of play in it.  I did the mod for two reasons:
1. To have a little resistance when pulling the trigger.
2. To have the trigger reliably reset to the static position when released.

d1

[Bryfish84]

Nothing comes loose per se.  I feel the Clam linkage has a lot of play in it.  I did the mod for two reasons:
1. To have a little resistance when pulling the trigger.
2. To have the trigger reliably reset to the static position when released.

That makes sense. Thanks.

d1

[Seamonkey84]

It's not whether it's tight or loose. It's just that it doesn't always release the pressure on the trigger when you let up. Thus mods.

I was wondering why people were making this mod other than to eliminate some of the slop in the back and forth of the handle. The trigger not letting up happened to me once, then I figured out I over tightened the pivot points, just like the instructions said not to.  That spring mod seems like a good safety measure as well as elimating some slop, while the gasket/band mod just eliminates the slop of the lever going too far back.

[fishEH]

Thanks for the inspiration! Picked up my Clam plate tonight from Bass Pro then headed across the street to Menards. Having the part numbers was great! The bin for the spring was empty so I just grabbed a 10 incher and cut it down.

[defiant1]

Thanks for the inspiration! Picked up my Clam plate tonight from Bass Pro then headed across the street to Menards. Having the part numbers was great! The bin for the spring was empty so I just grabbed a 10 incher and cut it down.

Good deal.  Glad you were able to make it work for you.

[jcrow75]

Looks pretty good... I was going to do something similar, but I found an easier route...

Here's mine...

Parts list...

1 rubber bushing...

<°)))>{

I just rigged up my plate the same way. Easy to do and worked out nice! Now I am dying for ice!

[lefty2053]

So I am guessing a shorter spring like 3" should work as well? Or even a 2 3/4" spring?

[Newman]

Hi
   I could only find a 3 inch spring. I found it a little hard or too much resistance when activating trigger. I stretched it out a bit to around 3 3/4inch and much better. Experiment to find out what you like the best.

                                                                                                                      Newman

[lefty2053]

Thanks Newman. I will give it a try.

[jcrow75]

I saw this modification on FB and figured I would install it on my Clam drill plate. I use a M18 Milwaukee Drill with Kdrill auger. I do like the controlled action of the Clam Plate trigger bar modification much better than the loose tolerance factory specs.

 The parts (approximately $6 worth) used are (can get at Menards):
 Qty: 1 - Handi-Pak Compression spring 1/2x3-9/16: Part #88271
 Qty: 2 - Handi-Pak 3/8" Shaft Collar with Set Screw Part #83942
 Optional: Stainless steel washers 3/8" and lock-tite for set screws.

 d1

I made the updates as you have shown. Very nice and easy to do! I am dying to try it out!

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Finally got around to ordering the compression spring and collar. Shipped to store and picked them up last night. Looking forward to making the modification.
Thanks again for the tip!

[ActiveTrapChecker]

With some pearls of wisdom from d1 I got the spring/collar trigger modification done. Perfect timing, with today being the last day of regular season and my survivor pool pick gettin upset at home. Time to get the rest of he gear out!

Thanks again for your help d1!

[defiant1]

With some pearls of wisdom from d1 I got the spring/collar trigger modification done. Perfect timing, with today being the last day of regular season and my survivor pool pick gettin upset at home. Time to get the rest of he gear out!

Thanks again for your help d1!

Glad to help.

[appleye]

Thanks for sharing this modification. I put one on my Clam plate and used it today and really works well. Thanks again.