What's the group consensus on link v-belts?

What do people generally think about using link v-belts to drive their South Bend lathes? Seems like a good solution because it's designed to be clipped together to whatever length you need, plus they are supposed to grip very well.

Any thoughts?

Fenner Drives PowerTwist Plus V-Belts

T

xplodee said:

What do people generally think about using link v-belts to drive their South Bend lathes? Seems like a good solution because it's designed to be clipped together to whatever length you need, plus they are supposed to grip very well.

Any thoughts?

Fenner Drives PowerTwist Plus V-Belts

T

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I've used one on my 10k v-belt drive for years, it is quiet, transmits power well, doesn't develop a "set" in it. About the only downside I see is it is a little harder to change speeds because of limited clearance between the cover and headstock. But I can live with that, and would never go back to a standard belt.

Mike

I use them whenever I need to replace a belt. My conventional lathe is about due for new belts so I'll be putting them in there. I have them on the drill presses and the difference in power is profound. They drive like crazy. Expensive though.
Jordy

Do they track straight enough to use in place of a flat belt? I wonder if it could be used instead of the serpentine belt fix for a 10L.

Worthless in older auto applications. Constantly stretch so much that links have to be removed. Never seem to stabilize as to length. I really believe that if you could put up with the damn things long enough, you would end up with one very long link, hooked to itself.

Herb Kephart

You would not be able to use it as a substitute for a flat belt.

I have one on my <insert name of lathe not to be mentioned here - but if Ayn Rand shrugged over a lathe, this would be it>.

Have absolutely no complaints about it. Haven't had to adjust for stretch. It may transmit less power, as it's not rubber and it has less surface contact than a V belt, but my lathe can't use much more power anyway.

Steve

I broke a V belt on a Sunday morning and replaced it with a Power Twist belt that I had laying around for years.
This was supposed to be temporary til Monday morning when I could get to a auto supply.
Worked well, no stretch that I could discern.I haven't bothered to buy a new V belt.
mike

I have had one on my 10K for about 4.5 years. Removed one link within the first month to tighten it up as the belt settled in.
Never had any problems and would recommend them. I guess they are not for everyone based upon some comments. Everyone has their own opinions.
I haven't had any problems changing speeds on a rear drive lathe. I am using an A sized belt. A B size would be tight for clearance.
The initial run in period you will have some flakes coming off that need to be wiped down/off. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to guide the tabs and lock them.
Follow the instructions for measuring. You will probable have to remove a link or two after a week or two.
If it is slipping you don't have your tension correct or your pulleys are really oily.

I put one on my Sheldon lathe almost two years ago. I had been babying the old belt because I had a big job in house and the belt was on its last legs and it would have meant tearing the machine down to change belts. Did some research and went with the Fenner belt; it was tough to actually cut the old belt when replacing because there was no going back. With the link belt it could be changed without a tear down.

I was pleasantly surprised by and pleased with the new belt's performance. I may have had to tighten the belt after a few hours use, but have not had to do anything to it since. Its a little noisy in reverse, but no real problems to speak of. BIG improvement over the belt I had.

Personally I hate them. I carry them on my service truck as an emergency belt incase I don't have the correct one for rooftop units and exhaust fans. I always make it a point to go back and replace them. They may be O.K. for a lathe, but on something like an exhaust they are a dog. They stretch, they're noisy at high RPMs, and especially in exhausts if they're exposed to heat for any length of time they crack and disintegrate. Just my experience with them.

Herb in Delco said:

Worthless in older auto applications. Constantly stretch so much that links have to be removed. Never seem to stabilize as to length. I really believe that if you could put up with the damn things long enough, you would end up with one very long link, hooked to itself.

Herb Kephart

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Have never had this issue with my fenner drive belt....

As you might've guessed by the previous comments. Some people like them some people don't.
If used as intended they work good, sewing machines and other light-duty applications, places where using a standard belt is not feasible. Fractional HP applications Only. Pulley size does make a difference, these Belts should not be used on Pulley's Smaller than 3" diameter. The belt will not last using it long-term at high speeds. The belt should work fine on your South Bend lathe, If your motor is less than 1.5 hp and less than 1000 RPM.

This type belt is also susceptible to being over tighten, properly tensioned they will last a long time. If you put too much tension on these belts, they will stretch and be unusable. And no they are not a substitute for the flat belt.

The main reason most people don't like them is because they have used them for the wrong application or expected too much from them. Using them in the right application, and properly tensioned, they can last for years.

My opinion is, This is more of a convenience issue. These belts are great in emergencies or for light duty applications. But if you can use a standard belt on it you should.

Stay safe and have fun.

Joe.

Try them on a surface grinder. You won't go back. No thump or vibration. Well balanced. They aren't worth a damn on a direct drive SG.

promacjoe said:

As you might've guessed by the previous comments. Some people like them some people don't.
If used as intended they work good, sewing machines and other light-duty applications, places where using a standard belt is not feasible. Fractional HP applications Only. Pulley size does make a difference, these Belts should not be used on Pulley's Smaller than 3" diameter. The belt will not last using it long-term at high speeds. The belt should work fine on your South Bend lathe, If your motor is less than 1.5 hp and less than 1000 RPM.

This type belt is also susceptible to being over tighten, properly tensioned they will last a long time. If you put too much tension on these belts, they will stretch and be unusable. And no they are not a substitute for the flat belt.

The main reason most people don't like them is because they have used them for the wrong application or expected too much from them. Using them in the right application, and properly tensioned, they can last for years.

My opinion is, This is more of a convenience issue. These belts are great in emergencies or for light duty applications. But if you can use a standard belt on it you should.

Stay safe and have fun.

Joe.

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Not trying to be an ass here but these things are marketed as the cats meow of belts and should be the only one you use. They're simply not in my experience and they are marketed for high torque use. Just look here:
http://www.mm-intercom.si/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ACCU-LINK-katalog.pdf


Which is kind of funny because Browning makers of the grip twist brand specifically market it for emergency use and recommends replacement with a regular belt. Just look here :
http://www.emersonindustrial.com/en...ons/Other/Belt Drive Monthly's/Form_9786E.pdf

Again we're talking semantics here and as far as the OP question they're probably fine for the lathe yet I just don't like them and will always use a standard belt when possible.

Did you actually read my post, Or did you just not understand it.
Let me see if I can make things clear.
I neither endorsed or condemned these belts. Using them on the proper application, These belts can last for years. All the beltsthat I saw in your two example PDFs Were fractional horsepower belts. "3L,4L,5L,,. None of them were made or intended for high-speed, high torque, high horsepower use. And you must remember torque is not the same as horsepower. These belts grip best on a 3" Diameter pulley or larger. Smaller pulleys can tend to wear these belts out quicker, and requires a higher belt tension. I have used these belts on sewing machines and other fractional horsepower applications and they have lasted for years.
But I would never use them to replace a belt on your car or tractor. I just don't think they would last very long.

Things like this can be placed in the natural selection category. People won't buy garbage for very long, and if it didn't work very good for the application that it was intended for, There would be lawsuits, and the company would go out of business. That hasn't happened. This type of belt has been on the market for many years, Longer than I have been alive. And they will probably be on the market for many more years.

So you can like them or hate them. It really doesn't matter to me. But they work well for the intended application. And if you have had bad luck with them, You are probably not using them correctly or in the right application.

Stay safe and have fun.

Joe.

I've used three types of link belts, the red Fenner, the green Jason, and one with a rivet as part of the link.

- The red Fenners are the smoothest, but also pricey. What seems like a crazy amount of stretch at the beginning is the links seating themselves. You might have to take out three links early on, one link a bit later, then have them stabilize. Fenner wants them run in the right direction, but they'll still perform OK in occasional reversal (for example, in a drill press). Best price -- and still not cheap -- is probably a 25' or so roll.

- The green Jason belts are cheaper and stiffer. Best price is at Harbor Freight with a discount coupon.

- The rivet type is sold at McMaster and other distributors, runs pretty smooth after a while, and doesn't stretch as much as the Fenner. It's also the most expensive. I had one on a table saw for two decades -- and am pretty sure it's still running for its current owner. It reduced vibration in that application.

Given the cost, it would be foolish for an OEM to put a link belt on most equipment. However, given the convenience, they're a great time saver for a small shop -- and especially useful for things like lathes where a belt replacement might require removing bearings. Where time = money they earn their keep.

Their vibration-isolation characteristics (better with the Fenner than the Jason) also make them ideal with a motor rotor or pulley that might not be balanced. I used to have a large stock of conventional v-belts to use as I swapped motors and pulleys around. No longer -- the link belts work well for most applications under a couple HP. I've even used them in a matched double pulley setup on a bandsaw; though wouldn't consider them economical (wear too fast, cost too much, stretch too much, etc.) for something like triple pulley compressor duty.

mc_n_g said:

I have had one on my 10K for about 4.5 years. Removed one link within the first month to tighten it up as the belt settled in.
Never had any problems and would recommend them. I guess they are not for everyone based upon some comments. Everyone has their own opinions.
I haven't had any problems changing speeds on a rear drive lathe. I am using an A sized belt. A B size would be tight for clearance......

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That's true, I'm using a B size and while it does work, it is a little more effort to change speeds compared to the standard v-belt or an A-size Fenner power twist. But it has worked so well for at least the 10 years I have used it, I may never need to change it. And as I stated earlier, it runs with much less, in fact almost no detectable vibration compared to the old standard v-belt. Also, it has not stretched appreciably during the time it has been in use, other than the first week or two of run-in.

Obviously, on a 10k lathe it is running well within its design envelope.

Mike