Struggling with a Wilton Square Wheel - Need Advice

[Taz]

What about using something like PlastiDip? Not sure how it will hold up, but may prevent slipping? Or a spray on leak sealer or spray on bed liner material?

 

[S obsessed]

How about taking some sandpaper to the wheel crosswise or sandblast it to give it some grip. Low dollar way to see if slipping is the issue. I doubt it would wear the belts enough to cause issues in that way.

 

[Huntsman Knife Co. LLC.]

Thanks, Huntsman Knife. I have found that greater tension helps, but doesn't completely stop the problem. I took a tracking wheel and epoxied a 1/2" strip of fiberglass down the center of the wheel. Then I put it on my lathe and smoothed it all up. I thought that a crown would help the tracking. It has helped some, but not completely. Maybe a rubber drive wheel would be the answer. I wonder where I can get one.

I need to get one as well. There's definitely some power lost with a slippy aluminum drive wheel.

 

[stockremovaldroid]

A little update - I decided to go the VFD and new motor route to upgrade this thing.

Ended up getting this VFD on Amazon:
“VFD Variable Frequency Drive,Single‑Phase 110VAC Input 3‑Phase 220VAC Output Variable Frequency Inverter,Motor Speed Controller,220V 1500W AT5‑1500X, default”
And this motor from AutomationDirect:
“MTRP-002-3BD18
IronHorse MTR premium efficiency AC induction motor, general purpose and inverter rated, 2hp, 3-phase, 208-230/460VAC, 1800rpm, TEFC, NEMA 56C/HC frame, rolled steel, C-face/removable rigid base mount.”

My electrician buddy got it all wired up good and it works great. Never knew how quiet a 2hp motor could be!

That being said, we ran into a little roadblock when we went to remove the pulley wheel from the old motor. We took the two screws out and tried banging on it, pulling it with a crowbar, and even tying one end to a tree and the other to a tow hitch and pulling with a truck. This thing will not budge. Am I missing anything? I could not find any other fasteners holding the wheel on so I came to the conclusion that it must be rust-fused onto the drive shaft. Does anyone have any suggestions here? I’d rather not have to cut the drive shaft off.

https://imgur.com/a/hUFnfN5

 

[Taz]

Try Kroil or another penetrating oil? Or heat the wheel with a torch to see if it will expand a hair?

 

[bladegrinder]

Try Kroil or another penetrating oil? Or heat the wheel with a torch to see if it will expand a hair?

I don’t remember having to much trouble with mine when I switched over to the smaller slow down wheel, but I just went and looked and you should be able to remove it with a large gear puller. If you don’t have one check an auto part store to borrow one.

 

[stockremovaldroid]

I don’t remember having to much trouble with mine when I switched over to the smaller slow down wheel, but I just went and looked and you should be able to remove it with a large gear puller. If you don’t have one check an auto part store to borrow one.

Yours just had the two set screws, right?

 

[bladegrinder]

Yours just had the two set screws, right?

Yes, I just looked at it again and I “think “ what I did was spray it with PB Blaster and used a screwdriver between the wheel and the plate steel behind it and just kept gently prying it as I turned the wheel. There’s a lot of never seize on the shaft now. It’s been quite a few years since I tackled that but I don’t believe it was to bad getting it off.

 

[Mecha]

Try a gear puller.

If the drive wheel is aluminum you can also try to drill a small hole close to and along the motor shaft to ease up the grabbiness.

 

[Drew Riley]

Make sure there's not one more grub screw in any of the holes that you took the originals out. I've had that one bite me in the butt at least once.

 

[stockremovaldroid]

A gear puller did the trick. But ran into another problem; something about how everything lines up now is preventing the belt from gliding over the middle of everything. It is off to the right digging into the enclosure, and adjusting the small wheel is not improving it. I’m wondering if it’s caused by how way the face of the motor was bolted on to the grinder.

 

[A.McPherson]

Make sure that the spindle is square to the face that you bolted the motor to. If it's not square both vertically and horizontally you'll never get it to run right.
You might need to shim it to get it square.

 

[bladegrinder]

You might have your drive wheel to far on the motor shaft.

 

[12345678910]

You might have your drive wheel to far on the motor shaft.

Line up on the center of each wheel, not the edges

 

[bladegrinder]

For reference here is a picture of my drive wheel, and it tracks perfect.