Extend V-Belt Life On Older Supervacs
Sent by Dan Gillett of Gillett Services:Here is a great way to extend the life of V-belts, and ease the chore of adjusting the tension on the older sweepers where the auxiliary engine is mounted directly above the fan shaft:
As you can see in the drawing, all that is needed is a couple of short pieces of angle iron. One is welded to the engine mounting bracket and one is used as a pivot arm.
At a local machine and factory supply house I was able to get an idler puller with the proper size and shape V's to accommodate the belt. This had permanent lube bearings with a 1/2" shaft that was simply fastened to the angle with a 1/2" bolt.
Finally, a short piece of angle was welded to the fan housing with a threaded eye bolt attached to allow adjustment.
I have used this on three different machines and it has greatly extended belt life by providing a simple way to keep the belt properly adjusted.
Editor's Note: Although this should work fine, keep in mind that it does add an additional wear item into the system.
Have an idea that would be helpful to others in the industry? Please let us know what it is.
