Heavy duty clutch

[Ltriumph]

I am going to replace the clutch. I see 2 options, 1 is heavy duty. Is it worth the extra money?

[johnnydog]

I'm just wondering why you need a so called heavy duty clutch?
I towed a caravan with my Triumphs for many years with just the standard Laycock or Borg and Beck clutches with no issues whatsoever.
I understand the difference may be the clamping pressure, but the torque of the Triumph engines isn't enough to require a 'heavy duty' clutch in my opinion. This also results in a lot heavier clutch pedal with the force required to operate a so called heavy duty clutch.
I personally prefer a light clutch pedal - the original Laycock and especially the original (not aftermarket) Borg and Beck clutches give a very light pedal.
I have fitted later aftermarket Borg and Beck clutches, and the resulting pedal is very heavy with an 'in and out' bite rather than progressive.
Laycock clutch assemblies are now hard to find; there are some questionable reconditioned assemblies available, but I would always try to find an original kit, not reconditioned. A Laycock cover works fine with a Borg and Beck driven plate however.
As an altetnative, the original Borg and Beck covers are far superior to the later aftermarket if you can find them. They are easily identifiable as the 'centre fingers' are a straight profile, whereas the heavy aftermarket versions have 'doglegged' fingers.
There is an very interesting US article if you search 'Laycock or not to Laycock' which gives the findings by the author about Laycock and the ORIGINAL Borg and Beck clutches.
I've attached pictures of the visual differences between the original Borg and Beck cover and the later aftermarket type.
Back to the original point, I don't think you would go far wrong with a genuine Laycock or an original Borg and Beck, but I would avoid aftermarket or reconditioned versions personally.

[johnnydog]

A better couple of pictures of the original type Borg and Beck cover, and a picture in the above mentioned articles which shows the differences between the two covers from the inside of the cover.