Belt Idler Systems

[Larry Cobb]

How many of you have V-belt idler systems?

I know that Vortex has a belt idler for their PTO system.

Bruce just finished this new stainless model for our 34 & 38HP Kohler drive systems. It makes belt tensioning an easy process.

Larry Cobb

 

[Jim Martin]

the CDS did.......kinda........

when I first got mine it had one.then during one of my services the mechanic said the HM was having problems with them .the bearings were not holding out........so there big fix was to just put a smaller belt on the van and by pass the pulley...................

Mine was not giving me any problems but I did not want one............so I had him go ahead and by pass mine and add the shorter belt...........

in about a week I started noticing electrical problems.......battery not wanting to hold charge.weak charges .....most the time it happened when it was hot.........

Took a little while to figure out but what had happen was the shorter belt only gave the alternator a 1/4 rap on the pulley......so when it sat there and ran and warmed up the belt was not gripping the pulley and slipping

I put the longer belt back on and never had the problem again.......with the longer belt and using the idler pulley .it gave the alternator a 3/4 rap and the belt held fine......

I continued to run mine with the idler pulley and never had a problem with it.but I do know a few that there's went out.......

 

[Ron Werner]

John for Johns Heat Exchangers is making one for me that bolts onto the blower. His version will pull up on the belts rather than push down; easier on the belts that way. His is also fixed tension rather than automatic.
He was referring me to use 2- 5V belts on my system.

I was talking with a client just Fri night and he suggested using Gilmour belts. Appartently they last much longer than V belts and one belt can drive 100hp! Still want to run this past John and Les.

Any comments?

 

[Larry Cobb]

Ron;

The bottom of the 5VX belts are segmented. I would not want a tensioner on the segments.

The Gilmer Timing Belts can handle a lot of horsepower, but they would have a problem with stuck blowers.

Larry Cobb

 

[Ron Werner]

John has figured all this out. The 5VX, or 5X belts will work. The Gilmour belt won't because of the segments. The tensioner that John is building pulls up on the belts rather than push down. I just realized I'm only usign 2 A belts. I'm only running it at about 50% and carpets are drying within an hour or two. Can't wait to get a couple of 5belts on it and crank her up!!

 

[Johnnyone]

Larry
Can this be used on other Dynachem units?

 

[Duane Oxley]

Every Hammer, SledgeHammer and PowerPak I built featured a tensioner. I learned early- on that pushing in from the back of the belt reduces belt life, so I got away from that.

The reason it reduces belt life is that it causes the belt to flex backwards, after having flexed "forwards" as it goes around the pulleys. As a result, the belt is constantly flexing back and forth, at about 3,000 times a minute, which has an effect that's similar to bending a piece of metal back and forth... it creases and weakens it. This becomes accelerated as the belt is larger, because the tensioner pushes further downward, making the backwards flex even more.

Having a tensioner inside the belt, pulling out, then, is a more natural way for the belt to flex. And using a V-idler on a V- shaped belt poses no problems on a belt's cogs, if it has cogs.

It's true that a serpentine belt, like some used on automobiles and some on riding lawnmowers, however, can flex backwards without noticeably- increased wear / reduced lifespan. But they're specifically designed for that.