Recommendation? Grinder belt drift troubleshooting

H

HSC ///

Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
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I’ve owned and used several grinders. With this latest one I have, the problem is that when you feed steel into the belt/platen, the belt wanders. It retracks when you release pressure. This doesn’t happen when grinding a bevel. This only happens when you are profiling or grinding the flat side of the bar.

This grinder uses a gas pressure cylinder. I changed out the cylinder to a heavier one to deal with this problem. Since changing it out belts break at the splice. So I have to go back to the original weight cylinder.

The tension is set with a cam, so not adjustable like a ratchet.

This grinder uses a small tracking wheel about less than 2” diameter with a significant crown.

For comparison my Hardcore grinder has a 6” diameter tracking wheel. It runs flawlessly.

Does anyone know or have experience with tracking wheel designs? Is this tracking wheel too small in diameter or too crowned and causing the belt drift? Or is there something else I should be looking at?

The third last pic is the Hardcore tracking wheel


uk6OKDn.jpg


lGuyqxl.jpg


dged7H3.jpg
 
A proper crown should be a large radius. That smaller tracking wheel looks to be tapered in both directions and is rather severe. I would imagine any side pressure on the belt would cause it to run down one side or the other of that pulley causing it to walk off severely.

The hardcore wheel looks correct.
 
Is it JUST crowned, or is the tracking wheel also adjustable?


Tensioning usually has nothing to do with tracking
 
HSC /// said:
it is adjustable yes
Click to expand...
And it's up top, like "normal" ahead of the platen/wheels? Upstream
You always want tracking in front of the feature that needs the belt running true.
Ideally

Size of the tracking wheel doesn't matter, but like the other posted said the crown looks aggressive and lopsided
 
Last edited:
Crag the Brewer said:
And it's up top, like "normal" ahead of the platen/wheels?
You always want tracking in front of the feature that needs the belt running true.
Ideally

Size of the tracking wheel doesn't matter, but like the other posted said the crown looks aggressive and lopsided
Click to expand...
there is a screw knob that adjusts a hinge plate
the knob is forward and lower than the tracking wheel

qbsAzy0.jpg
 
HSC /// said:
there is a screw knob that adjusts a hinge plate
the know is forward and lower than the tracking wheel
Click to expand...
The crown will try to force the belt to its peak.

Does the crown center line up on your platen where you require it?
 
HSC /// said:
yes it does
everything is fine until you feed the edge of the bar or knife into the platen and then the belt wanders immediately
Click to expand...

Did this always do it, or has something changed, how long have you had this grinder?
 
HSC /// said:
this grinder has always had this condition since I bought it new, about a year + ago
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell without being there seeing it? :/

Stock platen?

If you flip the belts 180 degrees does it do the same thing?
 
Have you tried increasing the belt tension. That usually stops it for me.
If that does not fix it:
First thing is to check that all the arms are tight with no twist, wiggle, or wobble, and that the wheels are parallel/square in all 3 directions and are perfectly aligned front to rear. If any arm is bent or twisted even a little, it will cause tracking issues.
Next, I would turn the tracking wheel in a more even arc.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
It's hard to tell without being there seeing it? :/

Stock platen?

If you flip the belts 180 degrees does it do the same thing?
Click to expand...
yes stock platen
most of the belts I use are uni-directional
on the few belts that are bi directional it makes no difference.
 
HSC /// said:
I’ve owned and used several grinders. With this latest one I have, the problem is that when you feed steel into the belt/platen, the belt wanders. It retracks when you release pressure. This doesn’t happen when grinding a bevel. This only happens when you are profiling or grinding the flat side of the bar.

This grinder uses a gas pressure cylinder. I changed out the cylinder to a heavier one to deal with this problem. Since changing it out belts break at the splice. So I have to go back to the original weight cylinder.

The tension is set with a cam, so not adjustable like a ratchet.

This grinder uses a small tracking wheel about less than 2” diameter with a significant crown.

For comparison my Hardcore grinder has a 6” diameter tracking wheel. It runs flawlessly.

Does anyone know or have experience with tracking wheel designs? Is this tracking wheel too small in diameter or too crowned and causing the belt drift? Or is there something else I should be looking at?

The third last pic is the Hardcore tracking wheel


uk6OKDn.jpg


lGuyqxl.jpg


dged7H3.jpg
Click to expand...

HSC /// said:
there is a screw knob that adjusts a hinge plate
the knob is forward and lower than the tracking wheel

qbsAzy0.jpg
Click to expand...
Try with tracking wheel from other grinder and see what happen .If it is to big to fit try one of idler wheels , no need to have crown . I have no wheels with crown on any of my grinders and they track prefect , all of them. Right belt tension is important ......................
 
HSC /// said:
I’ve owned and used several grinders. With this latest one I have, the problem is that when you feed steel into the belt/platen, the belt wanders. It retracks when you release pressure. This doesn’t happen when grinding a bevel. This only happens when you are profiling or grinding the flat side of the bar.
Click to expand...
When you are profiling belt *eats steel fast * and belt dig in steel .try to move steel faster or lover the pressure . If changing tracking wheel don t help it is tension on belt 100% .
 
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