Looking after your V Belt…it’s more than a piece of rubber.

Many of us look at the V Belt as a fairly low cost piece of rubber that drives the expensive bits on our equipment. If the V belt fails it seems “fair game” to take the blame, being that “it’s only” a piece of rubber.

Over the years I have had many a conversation with customers whom have replaced a broken or worn belt with a new one only to find that the replacement had failed, these conversations usually started along the lines of “that bl***y belt I brought from you wasn’t any good, the flipping thing (or words similar) failed soon after I fitted it!!

I guess its human nature that when were in a hurry and the Belt has broken on our Elevator, Compressor, Lawn Mower or whatever machine, all you want is to find and fit a replacement and get going. But take a minute to ask yourself why the original belt failed in the first place? Was it simply fair wear and tear? Or was there another reason? If you fit a replacement V Belt (no matter what brand) to a worn, dirty, incorrectly tensioned or damaged drive it will fail.

10 tips to help maximize the life of your V belt;

• Improperly tensioned belts are one of the most — if not THE most — common reason for premature belt failure. For optimum life and power transmission always follow the manufacturer’s installation and tensioning procedures.
• Do not use a belt beyond its capacity or for an application other than specified by the equipment manufacturer, if you do premature failure may occur.
• Do not modify a belt, its quality and performance will deteriorate.
• Keep a clean drive. If water, oil, chemicals, or dirt stick to a belt or its pulley the power transmission capacity will decline- always make sure the drive is kept clean.
• Make sure you select the correct belt for your application, Section, Power & Environment make a big difference …if in doubt ask.
• Before replacing a belt, check the drive for alignment, worn or pitted pulleys, worn shafts and bearings.
• Never Force a belt over the pulley with a screwdriver or bar, doing so will cause damage to the belt and result in premature failure.
• Do not put weight on, or bend a belt forcibly to fit it or transport it – doing so will result in defects that will affect the life of the belt.
• If you are storing a belt/belts do so in low humidity and a temperature range of -10C to +40C. Never expose a belt to direct sunlight.
• If the belt is slipping, running hot, or squeaking check the tension.

I hope you have found these tips useful, don’t forget when you need a replacement belt our belt range will suit your budget and were here to help.