Operation & Maintenance Manual

Belt Drive Troubleshooting

Table B - 1 Belt Drive Troubleshooting

Trouble

Cause

Correction

Belt Slip (sidewalls glazed)

Insufficient tension

Replace belts; increase tension

Drive squeals

Overloaded drive
Arc of contact too short
Heavy starting load

Find cause and correct

Increase distance between hubs
Increase tension

Broken cord caused by prying

Overloaded drive
Impulse loads

Replace belt correctly

Redesign drive
Apply proper tension

Misalignment
Worn sheave grooves
Flat idler sheave

Realign drive
Replace sheave
Align and reposition

Excessive vibration

Check drive design, mounting

Consider banded belts

New belts installed with old

Replace belts with matched set

Sheave grooves worn unevenly

Improper groove angle

Replace sheaves

Shafts not parallel

Align drive

Shock loads

Apply proper tension

Heavy starting load

Apply proper tension

Use compensator starting

Belt pried over sheaves

Foreign object in drive

Replace belt correctly

Determine source of object,
design guard to correct problem

Sheave grooves worn

Sheave diameter too small
Mismatched belts
Drive overloaded
Belt slips
Sheaves misaligned
Oil present
Excessive heat present

Replace sheaves
Redesign drive
Replace with matched set
Redesign drive
Increase tension
Align sheaves
Eliminate oil
Ventilate drive

Belts roll over

Mismatched belts

Belt breaks

Belt wears prematurely

CRSH-OM-0003ENG(OCT-2014)

B-3

Model CT-Series Jaw Crushers

Operation & Maintenance Manual

Maintaining V-Belt Tension

Maintaining V-Belt Tension

1/64 inch per each inch of span length.

Example:
For a 100 inch span, the deflection would be
100/64, or approximately 1-1/2 inches.

V-belt tension must be maintained to provide

proper drive effectiveness. The following method
of tensioning v-belts has been established as an
acceptable and preferred method.

4) Compare the force measurement to the

recommended ranges shown in (Table B - 2)
below for the appropriate belt cross section
type shown in.

Tension-Deflection Method

1) Place a straightedge across the top of both

sheaves. See (Figure B - 4)

5) Tighten or loosen belt to bring it into the

recommended range.

2) Measure the span length.

6) When installing new belts, tighten them to

Initial Installation tension. This tension will
drop during the run-in period.

3) Using a spring scale at right angle to belt at

1/2 of span length, apply a force to the scale
on one of the belts enough to deflect the belt

1
2
3

7
9

8
6

1 - Straightedge

5 - Motor Drive Sheave

2 - Span Length

6 - V-belt

3 - 1/2 Span

7 - Spring Scale

4 - Deflection Measurement - 1/64 Inch for each

Inch of Span Length

8 - Force Measurement
9 - Driven Sheave

Figure B - 4 Tension-Deflection Diagram

CRSH-OM-0003ENG(OCT-2014)

B-4

Model CT-Series Jaw Crushers

Operation & Maintenance Manual

Maintaining V-Belt Tension

Table B - 2 Belt Deflection Forces

Recommended Belt Deflection Force (Pounds)
V-Belt
Cross
Section

Smallest Sheave
Diameter Range
(Inches)

Initial
Installation

- 3.0
3.1 - 4.0
4.1 - 5.0
5.1 -

Retensioning
Maximum

Minimum

3.6
4.2
5.2
6.1

3.1
3.6
4.6
5.3

2.4
2.8
3.5
4.1

- 4.6
4.7 - 5.6
5.7 - 7.0
7.1 -

7.3
8.7
9.3
10.0

6.4
7.5
8.1
8.8

4.9
5.8
6.2
6.8

- 7.0
7.1 - 9.0
9.1 - 12.0
12.1 -

12.5
15.0
18.0
19.5

10.7
13.0
16.3
16.9

8.2
10.0
12.5
13.0

12.0 - 13.0
13.1 - 15.5
15.6 - 22.0

25.5*
30.0*
32.0*

22.1
26.0*
28.0*

17.0
20.0
21.5

18.0 - 22.0
22.1 -

45.0*
52.5*

39.0*
45.5*

30.0*
35.0*

AX

- 3.0
3.1 - 4.0
4.1 - 5.0
5.1 -

5.1
5.5
6.0
6.7

4.4
4.8
5.2
5.9

3.4
3.7
4.0
4.5

BX

- 4.6
4.7 - 5.6
5.7 - 7.0
7.1 - 12.0

10.0
11.0
11.5
10.1

8.7
9.5
9.9
7.8

6.7
7.3
7.6

CX

- 7.0
7.1 - 9.0
9.1 - 12.0
12.1 -

18.0
19.5
20.0
21.0

15.6
16.9
17.6
18.2

12.0
13.0
13.5
14.0

3V

2.65 - 3.35
3.65 - 4.50
4.75 - 6.0
6.5 - 10.6

4.6
5.5
6.4
7.3

4.0
4.8
5.6
6.4

3.1
3.7
4.3
4.9

5V

7.1 - 10.3
10.9 - 11.8
12.5 - 16.0

16.5
19.5
21.0

14.3
16.9
18.2

11.0
13.0
14.0

8V

12.5 - 16.0
17.0 - 20.0
21.2 - 24.4

39.0*
45.0*
51.0*

33.8*
39.0*
44.2*

26.0*
30.0*
34.0*

3VX

2.2 - 2.5
2.65 - 4.75
5.0 - 6.5
6.9 -

4.8
5.7
7.2
8.7

4.2
4.9
6.2
7.5

3.2
3.8
4.8
5.8

5VX

- 5.5
5.9 - 8.0
8.5 - 10.9
11.8 -

15.0
19.0
21.0
22.0

13.0
16.9
18.2
19.5

10.0
13.0
14.0
15.0

* Note: For banded belts, multiply the force in table by

the number of belts in the band.
CRSH-OM-0003ENG(OCT-2014)

B-5

Model CT-Series Jaw Crushers

Operation & Maintenance Manual

Belt Type Cross-Sections

Belt Type Cross-Sections

Backside Idler

A backside idler increases the arc of contact on

both sheaves. However, it forces a backward bend
in the v-belt that can contribute to premature
failure. The idler puts additional stress on the
bottom portion of the belt which will result in
bottom cracking. If a backside idler must be used,
the diameter should be at least 1 - 1/2 times the
diameter of the small sheave. It should also be
located as close as possible to the small sheave.

Figure B - 5 Belt Type Cross-Sections

Figure B - 7 Backside Idler

Belt Idlers

Kiss Idler

A properly designed v-belt drive does not require

and idler to deliver full horsepower if proper belt
tension can be maintained. Idlers should be
avoided if possible because it puts additional
bending stress points on the belt. Due to drive
design parameters, idlers are sometimes used. The
following are general descriptions of the types of
idlers that may be used.

A kiss idler differs from the backside idler because

the kiss idler does not penetrate the belt span and
create a backward bend on the belt. A kiss idler
does not contribute to premature belt failure. Use
of a kiss idler can help control belt vibration and
whip on drives subject to shock and pulsating
loads. If a kiss idler is used, the diameter should
be at least 1 - 1/2 times the diameter of the small
sheave.

Inside Idler

A v-grooved idler located on the inside of the belts

on the slack side of drive would be recommended
over a backside idler. The idler should be located
near the large sheave to minimize reduction of the
arc of contact on the small sheave. The diameter
should be equal to or larger than that of the small
sheave.

Figure B - 8 Kiss Idler

Figure B - 6 Inside Idler

CRSH-OM-0003ENG(OCT-2014)

B-6

Model CT-Series Jaw Crushers