Time to tighten my belt

[Opener]

Much to my shame, the last time I checked the drive belt (Barrus Shire, single alternator) I found what resembled a piece of dirty black string rather than a belt. My only excuse is that it manifested no problems.

Belt size remained visible but little else!!

Reports 10x965 but I've initially been unable to source that exact size - I'll keep looking. Managed to get a slightly longer belt of the same profile. Enough adjustment on the alternator to keep an appropriate tension on the belt.

What is the hive mind view on using an oversized/longer belt? Obviously the angle between engine and alternator is marginally greater, the belt cross-section is the same but, apart from that, I can't see that it should be a problem (until I can source the nominal size).

Cheers 😁

[Alan de Enfield]

The only down side is that as it stretches you'll have less adjustment than normal (as you have already used some of it), buy a spare as per original or a spare of the 'new one' as you may not have long before it goes beyond your adjustment limit

[cuthound]

22 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

The only down side is that as it stretches you'll have less adjustment than normal (as you have already used some of it), buy a spare as per original or a spare of the 'new one' as you may not have long before it goes beyond your adjustment limit

 

Indeed, when I got my boat, the belt in use and the two spares were in my opinion too long.

 

I bought a cogged belt of the same section but 20mm shorter.

 

Whilst this is harder to fit (it needed easing over the crank pulley) it can stretch and still leave room for further adjustments. 

[Cheshire cat]

How do you manage to buy a belt at all without a car registration number?

[Tony Brooks]

9 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

How do you manage to buy a belt at all without a car registration number?

 

If you have the size you go to a motor factors and any worth their salt will give you the correct one. If you take the old belt to an old established on or a good one they will have a measuring device.

 

One place you do not got is Halfrauds or other large retail places like A1 motor stores - if they are still in existence.

[Opener]

10 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

How do you manage to buy a belt at all without a car registration number?

Seemple!! When shopkeeper asks for my registration number, I give it to him/her. Flumoxes them cos it only has six digits. Endless hours of fun 😁.

Better still when they try to resolve the confusion by asking for make and model ......

[Opener]

3 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

If you have the size you go to a motor factors and any worth their salt will give you the correct one. If you take the old belt to an old established on or a good one they will have a measuring device.

 

One place you do not got is Halfrauds or other large retail places like A1 motor stores - if they are still in existence.

Did two tours of a branch of Halfrauds recently without tracking down a single belt. Apparently they don't stock them any more "cos there are too many different sizes".

Interesting business model 🙄.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

31 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

How do you manage to buy a belt at all without a car registration number?

If a part is small enough to carry, I will always put it on the shop counter and say I’d like one of these, but new.  
 

I think I did that at Halfords with an old fan belt and it worked ok. The belt had numbers on which made sense to someone. 
 

[MtB]

The way to buy vee belts by size rather than by car registration number is by going to an industrial bearing factor. The various bearing companies have trade counters on industrial estates all over the country and keep a wide variety of vee belts in stock. 

 

The one that always springs to mind is "Bearing Boys", but there are lots of others.

 

https://www.bearingboys.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by MtB
Speeling

[David Mack]

4 hours ago, MtB said:

The one that always springs to mind is "Bearing Boys", but there are lots of others.

 

https://www.bearingboys.co.uk/

Who can supply you a Z section vee belt 10mm wide with a pitch length of 962mm or 970mm. Close enough?

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Who can supply you a Z section vee belt

 

 

Isn't that an oxymoron? 

[BEngo]

Pedant ON.

 

If it is Z Section, then it is a Vee belt.  If it is SPZ Section  then it is a Wedge belt.

The way to tell the difference is the thickness.   Vee  belts are thinner (6mm for Z Section) than Wedge belts (8mm thick in SPZ).  The included angle of the sides of the belt is the same, at 40 deg. The maximum width of both sorts is also the same (10mm for Z/SPZ).

 

Also available in Y, A, B, C and D Sections or as  SPA, SPB, SPC Sections 

 

If there are grooves across the belt on the inside it is called a  cogged belt. These are better at going round smaller pulleys.   Normally only the SP series are available as cogged belts.

 

There are  also Imperial Dimensioned Vee/Wedge belts,, but they are mainly used by  'Merkins  and their stuff.

 

Pedant OFF.

 

N

Edited July 27, 2022 by BEngo
Width. Imperial.

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, BEngo said:

Pedant ON.

 

If it is Z Section, then it is a Vee belt.  If it is SPZ Section  then it is a Wedge belt.

The way to tell the difference is the thickness.   Vee  belts are thinner (6mm for Z Section) than Wedge belts (8mm thick in SPZ).  The included angle of the sides of the belt is the same, at 40 deg. The maximum width of both sorts is also the same (10mm for Z/SPZ).

 

Also available in Y, A, B, C and D Sections or as  SPA, SPB, SPC Sections 

 

If there are grooves across the belt on the inside it is called a  cogged belt. These are better at going round smaller pulleys.   Normally only the SP series are available as cogged belts.

 

There are  also Imperial Dimensioned Vee/Wedge belts,, but they are mainly used by  'Merkins  and their stuff.

 

Pedant OFF.

 

N

Well if that educational post is you in pedant mode, have a greenie and keep doing it! 

[MtB]

6 hours ago, BEngo said:

If it is Z Section, then it is a Vee belt.

 

So just to clarify, why isn't it called a V section?

 

And what sort of cross section might a Zed belt have? (Were there such a thing.) 

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, MtB said:

And what sort of cross section might a Zed belt have?

 

 

In the 60's we used to have a Z-Bed (is that similar ?) just in case anyone came to stay - it lived folded up with a cloth draped over and a plant pot standing on the 'headboard'.

 

 

Summat like this ...............

 

 

[BEngo]

23 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

So just to clarify, why isn't it called a V section?

 

And what sort of cross section might a Zed belt have? (Were there such a thing.) 

Wel, a V section belt would presumably be smaller than even a Y Section,  and therefore far too small for my old eyes anyway.

 

A Zed belt would be like one of them snake belts with red and yellow stripes wot we wore when the world was cooling  down and Pontius was still learning to fly.  Only the fastener would be the z shape, not the s shape.

 

Or not, depending on the local space/time/Merlot/malt continuum.

 

N

[MtB]

24 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

In the 60's we used to have a Z-Bed (is that similar ?) just in case anyone came to stay - it lived folded up with a cloth draped over and a plant pot standing on the 'headboard'.

 

 

Summat like this ...............

 

 

 

Bloody hell Alan, my grandparents had two of them! 

 

Similar carpet, too! 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

12 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Bloody hell Alan, my grandparents had two of them! 

 

Similar carpet, too! 

 

 

 

My parents had Tartan wallpaper on the chimney breast, and a carpet very similat to the picture above - tastes change somewhat as the years pass.

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

My parents had Tartan wallpaper on the chimney breast, and a carpet very similat to the picture above - tastes change somewhat as the years pass.

 

 

Gwarn, own up, it's YOUR zed bed and carpet really.....

 

 

[David Mack]

4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

In the 60's we used to have a Z-Bed (is that similar ?) just in case anyone came to stay - it lived folded up with a cloth draped over and a plant pot standing on the 'headboard'.

 

 

Summat like this ...............

 

 

We have one identical to that. Even the mattress fabric is the same!

[ditchcrawler]

 up in our spare room

[David Mack]

4 hours ago, MtB said:

 

So just to clarify, why isn't it called a V section?

 

And what sort of cross section might a Zed belt have? (Were there such a thing.) 

The Bearing Boys can help again.

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, David Mack said:

The Bearing Boys can help again.

 

 

Just when we all thought going to Bearing Boys would make it simpler!!