Shopsmith Forums

I'm trying to adjust the tension on the new gilmer belt I installed. When the face of the bushing is flush with the housing, there is not enough slot length for me to get a decent screwdriver in there. If I extend it out a bit, like in the picture, I can. It's probably not OK to leave it like this (I can't if I were to put the wing retainers back on). I did try to tap the bushing with a hammer and punch, but didn't get rotation, and did have it go further down into the housing, which was no good.

What are my options? Any smaller a screwdriver and I can't get enough torque. I've run 3-1 oil down the socket the bushing rotates in, but that hasn't helped much.

You loosened the clamping bolt on the ears of the casting right?

You can have it extended like that until you get the position right, then push it in. Does the bushing rotate freely in the hole without the idler bearing?

It slipped in and out easily enough. The bolt's not in at all yet. I'm supposed to make final adjustments with it running so it seems that everything would have to be squared away by then. I did try to push it back in at the position shown in the picture, which was about right, but there was resistance to it going in then.

Did you change the idler assembly? I don't recall from your earlier thread.

I did not change it, only removed it enough to replace the Gilmer belt.

It must have been that tight before or something changed. Do you know if the eccentric rotated freely before you changed the belt? Do you remember the orientation of the slot? If the eccentric bushing by itself is not too tight then inserting the idler in it is expanding the bushing making it tight somehow, but beats me how it happens. Something out of round?

timsch wrote: ↑Sat May 21, 2022 7:39 pm It slipped in and out easily enough. The bolt's not in at all yet. I'm supposed to make final adjustments with it running so it seems that everything would have to be squared away by then. I did try to push it back in at the position shown in the picture, which was about right, but there was resistance to it going in then.

The resistance might have been from the speed control and lower belt, if they were in.(?) Some screwdrivers have features for increased torque, I have a set with a hex where the blade and handle meet. (Snap-On $$$) Some have a square shaft you can get on with an adjustable wrench. I use a 1/4" drive bit style on a socket for PowerPro, which also has to be running for final adjustment and is somewhat resistant to turning.

- David

True; I can remove the lower belt & loosen the speed control.

i also have some screwdrivers with a square shaft, and would use them if they were small enough at the slot. I was also thinking this morning about making a spanner like used with a die grinder with two pins on a U-shaped end, but in this case, I'd only need one pin. Then I could pry on the shaft when rotating.

Most likely it's the lower belt tension, so probably no need to go to the trouble of making the tool.

Got it. Removing the belt and the control arm allowed it to move easily to position.

I've seen instructions to do a final adjustment with the motor running, tightening it until the belt "screams" and then backing it off until it doesn't. I assume this applies to the v-belt replacement of the Gilmer only, not seeing how a Gilmer belt would scream. Let me know if otherwise.

<headsmack direction="up" location="side"/>

Should have been thinking about this with belts on since you were clearly adjusting their tension! Don't recall anything about screaming, it's been close to 30 years since I was working on a machine with a Gilmer belt and I think I just had a couple of pieces of paper from Shopsmith with instructions.