Gates Drive belt after 8 months

[dusty]

Let me rephrase that! No reference to NON-AUTOMOTIVE (industrial) belts.

This is one of the frustrations that I have with Shopsmith - they keep secret the vendor part numbers for the parts they use. There is (or has been) a Goodyear belt manufactured by Goodyear and sold by Shopsmith as 504193 and now by Gates as 2260 (4L260).

This belt is just one example. All of the electric motors are others.

When I contacted Emerson regarding my Crafters Station Motor (which I later learned is the Power Station Motor) - Emerson Engineering told me they could not help me because of an agreement they had with Shopsmith not to disclose any technical information.

Shopsmith had discontinued the product (Crafter's Station) and yet support data was still be guarded as proprietary.

[dusty]

Rather than trying to clear up much more confusion over my math and measurements - today, I checked my caliper and found that each 64th of an inch contains .015". For example: 15/64" has a range (expressed in thousandths) of from .024 to .039. While the decimal equivalent chart shows the correct decimal to be 0.234375".

Now to the .014" measurement]huge[/U] quantity of belts when Shopsmith requested re-stocking. Given the financial situation - and being told by engineers that the Gates belt was the equivalent of those they had been buying from Goodyear, Shopsmith opted for the Gates belt. Understandable!

When I first received a Gates belt, I was flabbergasted by the smaller width of the belt and imperfections in it. It had noticeable bulges in the side surfaces, most notedly at the joint. I also noticed the smaller cords, the crowned outside surface and the concave taper of the sides.

The Goodyear belt, stamped with a Shopsmith brand, has larger cords, straight tapered sides and is firmer, (or more solid feeling) The Shopsmith/Goodyear belt when new measures over 1/2". The Gates belt is narrower than 1/2".

My concern was the Gates belt was not especially made for operation in a variable clutch system, and would not last long in that application. However, Nick's reported to us that through his telephone research with engineers, he had found the Gates belt met all requirements for the variable clutches in the Mark V.

So I sliced off the bulges from my first belt and put it on the machine. The rest of the story is that it was getting to only 7/16" wide after an estimated 125 hours. This is a VERY SHORT TIME!!!:( . As said earlier, the Shopsmith/Goodyear belt had about a year on it when I replaced it with the Gates, as a test. I now have 3 good power/drive belts. My plan is to use the current Goodyear/Shopsmith belt until it wears down to 7/16" According to belt history on my machine this should take several years. BTW, the area where the bulges were sliced off are remaining as the widest parts of that belt.

I have been thinking of sending my used Gates belt to Shopsmith for assessment, but as previously reported, maybe Shopsmith has been able to negotiate for more Goodyear belts, containing their Shopsmith name. I do need to give them a telephone call.

I've been laboring under the assumption that Shopsmith drive belts were manufactured by either Goodyear or Gates. I now know that there has been at least one other manufacturer.

I just came across what must be my original drive belt. I also know now why I have kept it. It appears to still be in good enough condition that I have doubts about why I even changed it out.

It was manufactured by Pirelli, an Italian manufacturer of tires. It is marked with the Shopsmith part number 504193 which has now been replaced by 521682.

[charlese]

Good information, Dusty! Thanks! I have been doing a Google search for 1/2" V belts that are 26 1/2" in outside circumference. Have not had any success, as yet. When I get some time (retired you know) I'll search at all local parts houses. Will post here, if I locate one.

[JPG]

Good information, Dusty! Thanks! I have been doing a Google search for 1/2" V belts that are 26 1/2" in outside circumference. Have not had any success, as yet. When I get some time (retired you know) I'll search at all local parts houses. Will post here, if I locate one.

How about "ap24"? http://www.daycoproducts.com/daycoweb.n ... 0Belts.pdf

[charlese]

A call to Shopsmith and their retun call said, "Shopsmith is not using the Gates belt at the present time".

Discussion revealed that many of Shopsmith's suppliers are requesting larger orders from them (SS). This is a continuing problem for Shopsmith.

[bucksaw]

Motor Drive Belt: The Gates TrueFlex 2260 4L260 drive belt shown in the first images on this message thread is a standard industrial belt size made by just about every belt manufacturer. The catch is that the actual dimensions can vary as much as 1/2" in length from manufacturer to manufacturer. To work correctly in a Shopsmith, the belt needs to be very close to the actual Shopsmith size, but there are good alternatives out there. PowerTwist Link belts (35 links) are the best alternative in my view and will last 5+ times longer. If you order a 4L260 and a 4L270 from a belt vendor, one of the 2 would probably work well in a Shopsmith.

Poly-V belts: I've sampled about 10 different belts attempting to find an after market replacement and as near as I can tell, there is no off the shelf that meets the size requirement.

I'm guessing that Shopsmith is not that picky about who makes their belts. They probably submit specs to several vendors and buy from the vendor that meets their quality, quantity, price, and delivery needs. I have no idea what type of belt volume Shopsmith has but if they had to buy 2000 belts to get a decent price they might sit in inventory for a long time before they had to reorder again. The Gates belt is probably an off the shelf replacement that Shopsmith uses between normal belt orders if stock gets low.

[charlese]

Motor Drive Belt: The Gates TrueFlex 2260 4L260 drive belt shown in the first images on this message thread is a standard industrial belt size made by just about every belt manufacturer. The catch is that the actual dimensions can vary as much as 1/2" in length from manufacturer to manufacturer. .....
...... The Gates belt is probably an off the shelf replacement that Shopsmith uses between normal belt orders if stock gets low.

I also found the 1/2" width can vary also. The Trueflex 2260 will do in a pinch, but it is certainly more adaptable to fixed pulleys than a variable clutch application. Both of the Gates 2260s I received had side bulges, making them rough running in the Mark V. Both of them also measured less than 1/2" in diameter.

Concerning the second part of the above quote - Yep! They were probably an off the shelf replacement after Shopsmith's supplier demanded to supply too many of the specified belts. The only time the Gates was substituted for Shopsmith branded belts, in the last 10 years (or longer) was last Summer!

[foxtrapper]

It is plain to me the Gates are inferior for lasting power by at least a year's worth of wear.

I've noticed this in the automotive arena with regards to Gates belts as well. They used to the hot lick, but no more.

[Doc]

I just got an older unit, I assume it's greenie . There is no sn plate and I see some green on the side cover under the Wilkie button below where vent plate would have been. The rest is rust and oxidized paint over aluminum and dirt.
Are all the SS drive belts the same?
I'm going to try a 1/2x26 Kevlar for functionally first. The motor works , so I will go from there to see what else is wrong, after getting past the rust.
Data plate on the motor as best I can see is;
Model 5KC39NG202
GE 110 ac motor 3/4 hp single phase 60cycle
RPM 3450 code J
Ser # UPD-Z
Hope this helps determine the year and model headstock.
Thanks in advance
Doc
Update, it has a upper gilmer belt with tank type tracks on inner of belt. Must be a greenie ???what year?
Orig question, So ,are all of the drive belts the same?

[JPG]

Yes all(except the Mark VII) are the same. They are an odd size(1950's style)
and atypical(now) length.

They are best obtained from SS.

IIRC they are 26 1/2 length, but the kicker is the width. Today's "1/2" belts are sadly smaller which makes the speed range change. The SS belt is larger(17/32 to 9/16).