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"Power Twist" replacement V-belts

SparWeb

SparWeb

Active Member
What's the word on "Power Twist" replacement belts?
It would be so much simpler to replace lathe belts.

I haven't tried one yet, but there's one belt on my lathe starting to show threads.
 
Not sure what your talking about. Link Belts? Post an image to a "Power Twist" belt.

...Never mind.... I googled "Power Twist". Ya, those things are great! Adjustable for stretch, run smoother. Put one on my lathe and love it. @Hruul put me on to these....
 
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Had one on my Hartford Mill. I liked it but didn't get the left over links for it and couldn't buy more so after I changed the pulley ratios, I replaced it with a standard v-belt.
 
Possible downsides:

• much, much more expensive than a standard v-belt
• stretch more than standard belts but, as noted, you can take links out
• more abrasive--may wear out pot metal pulleys much faster
• some designs are not intended to be run in reverse

Things I don't know (but would like to):

• does a link belt transmit power better or worse than a standard belt?
• how does the life span of a link belt compare to a standard belt? Seems to me that a standard belt is likely to far outlast a link belt but maybe I'm wrong.

Some people claim they are quieter but I find mine noisier than a standard belt. Yes, I own one despite the drawbacks!

Craig
 
I kept one in my boat for the Mercrusier engine. Easier to install than taking a whole pile of parts off the engine to replace the belt.
Had the boat for 12 years never used it, but it was there for emergency's. Peace of mind
 
Another big plus is the belt won't take a "set". If you leave a standard V belt under tension to long the curve around the pulley can become inherent and you will get a "thump thump thump" from the belt when running.
I also found them a bit noisier than a standard belt but the adjustability is so nice to have.
When I bought V belts for my milling machine, one brand were to short and the other brand was to long so I bought a set of each, mixed a long with a short and now have two sets that work well.
 
Thank you everyone for the feedback.
The "Power-Twist" is the recommended replacement in the Grizzly lathe owner's manual, otherwise I would have asked about link-belts in general.
The question about reversing is a good one. It didn't occur to me until now that link-belts have a forward bias.
I might be able to infer, from the recommendation in the lathe owner's manual, that some link-belts are fine in reverse.

Now that you mention the permanent set in the v-belt, that's also happened to the belts on my lathe, too. I forgot to mention it before. Not aware of it affecting the speed or making noise, but it's a sign of belt wear and tear.
 
Here is what I've found, slight power loss, reduced vibration transmission (this is what causes the power loss). Yes they are direction dominate, but so far in reverse not have had issues. Wear seems to better than v belts, no issues on pulleys (generally if there is its misalignment).

I prefer them and they are almost all my machines.
 
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