Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hello everyone.

Does anyone know of a good site on the internet that sells v-belts and ships to Canada?

Edward

Look up some bearing supply outfits in your area.  They usually sell v-belts at much lower prices than OPE service shops and carry a pretty good supply.  If they don't have what you need, they're usually pretty good at directing you where to look.

Try,

                         MowerPartsWorld.com

Gave me great service!!

                                    Fred

It was my understanding that regular v-belt don't work to well on a snow blower since the loads are pretty high and the "working conditions" somewhat cold and wet.

I remember the parts guy at the local L&G saying that snowblower belt have a layer of Kevlar and that they don't stretch the just get worn out from the inside and it looks like stretching.

Has anyone used regular belts or is it a matter of getting a belt designed for snow blowing from a third party source?

V belts used on high horse power electric motors in outdoor air conditioning units have to withstand some serious loading for periods of time far longer than an average work out with a snow thrower.  I have a buddy who owns an air conditioning/heating company. It was he who pointed me toward the bearing supply companies to get v-belts.  If you have the number of the belt on your machine, they can usually match it.  I've used them on other machines (roto tiller) and they seem stout enough to me. 

nibbler wrote:

I tried a automotive v-belt lasted 45 minutes before it smoked and died

edchow wrote:
Not surprising. V-belts are not commodity parts. I would expect many auger belts to fail in short order if they are not the OEM application specific. There are many specifications that can be had with V-belts. Various compounds, nylon tensile cords, Aramid tensile cords, fiberglass tensile cords, polyester tensile cords, cord placement relative to pitch line, twist, diameter, cord count, raw edge, covered, clutch covered, section, top/bottom skim coat, laminated, profiled, ground, molded, corner cut, cogged, and the list goes on.

Generally the off-the-shelf multi-purpose belts are of the highest specification due to their diverse possible usages. High temp compounds, Aramid cords, etc. The problem is usually the size and cover. In some applications if you use a standard length belt (when the application calls for an in-between size) it may not be be able to be adjusted to specification (auger brake may not function, improper idler tension, etc.). Also, on the higher performance machines the cover that is usually found on the general purpose belts will not be aggressive enough to power the auger drive. Ariens uses raw edge laminated belts for this reason (again with a very high level of specification). I believe a few other OEM's do this as well.

That said, regardless of price, I would recommend using OEM auger belts only. Just keep it adjusted (and follow the run-in procedure) so you don't have to fork out that princely sum regularly. Most auger belts fail due to lack of maintenance.

Lastly, traction drive belts are a bit more forgiving. These belts should usually last the life of the unit unless they are very old. They do not transmit a lot of power due to the torque reduction to the axle (hence most are 3L section with less costly polyester tensile cords). For the same reason, covered belts will usually work just as well (unless the OEM spec is cogged).  Cogged belts are used when the driver size is smaller than what is recommended for a particular belt section (it helps the belt wrap around the smaller diameter without too much section flex). Although some OEM's use cogs on the auger clutch, I recommend against it. It's hard to have effective belt fingers and they are prone to cracking at the cogs in this application.

There are still some application sensitive traction belts so in some instances an OEM belt is still the better option (but again, you should never really need a new one). The 926,XXX series Ariens units require a covered belt and the 939,XXX use a unique stretch fit belt that would not be able to be replaced with a standard belt (a really slick application, no idler, fewer moving parts, lasts forever).

PK

That was most informative Snowmann.  Thank you.

So, would you recommend that even if a bearing outfit can numerically match the OEM belt, not to use their product?   

borat wrote:
Along with the power transmission product suppliers, even Gates and Dayco have their "equivalent"  cross reference. These X-references are done with an automotive type criteria. That is, if they are close in length (close in automotive terms is sometimes not close for other apps) and the section is close (4L and HA for example), they classify the belt as equivalent in a X-reference. Not really a quality comparison.

It may get someone by in a pinch. I've done it before. If one cannot wait to order a belt, and a snowstorm is brewing, it sure beats a shovel and a heart attack. Also, for some of the older machines that no longer have product support or service parts, this is the only option there is (trial and error with off the shelf belts that is).

PK

Thanks again Snowmann. 

Another valuable lesson learned.

Best of the season to you.