[AT] Flat Belt Implements 101

rlgoss at twc.com rlgoss at twc.com
Wed Oct 2 20:39:24 PDT 2013


On item #2, Al, alignment of the two shafts isn't nearly as critical if one of the pulleys is crowned.  The belt will naturally run toward the crown.  Precise alignment only becomes a problem when both pulleys are absolutely flat.  I used to line up our John Deere L to drive the hammermill.  I was around 11 years old at the time.  If I had problems with the belt wanting to run off on one side or the other, all it took is a couple wraps of friction tape down the center of either pulley to make it seek the long path in the middle and run true all day.  It's a simple matter of physics, Al.  I asked my father about the fact that it took such a small amount of crown on a pulley to make the belt behave any way you wanted it to (center, crowd left, crowd right)and he launched off into a discussion of the geometry always seeking for the longest distance between centers..... He was an engineer from the Old School (Colorado University -- 1927) and his explanations often parted my hair as they went by.  I do remember that buried in his explanation was the comment  "That's why they call is friction tape."

If you have access to an old-fashioned machine shop with overhead line shafts that you can tour, take note of the fact that those various machines are "turned off" or "turned on" using three pulleys.  Two are immediately next to each other to act as an idler and the powered machine.  Those two pulleys have to be flat, but the pulley that's on the other shaft has to be crowned. 

Larry 


  
---- Al Jones <farmallsupera at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> I recently acquired a #6 IH hammer mill in pretty good shape. 
> 
> These mills are driven by a long, flat belt. I"ve never run anything with a belt pulley before, so I"d like some input from those who have been there and done that. My plan is to demonstrate it at shows. Here"s what I "think" I know:
> 
> 1. Long belts stay on better if they run slack
> 
> 2. Everything has to be lined up just right.
> 
> 3. You have to put belt dressing on the belt
> 
> 4. It is cooler than heck watching a belt driven machine run.
> 
> That"s about it. It looks like (I have not measured the pulley) I need a 6" wide belt. Looks like there are plenty of different lengths on Ebay. How long a belt should I look for? Basically, I need a "belts for dummies" lesson.
> 
> I plan on running it with a smaller tractor like a Farmall Super A. (I don"t plan to crowd it too much) Does the size tractor I use help determine the length/type of belt?
> 
> Any help appreciated...
> 
> 
> 
> Al
> 
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