V Belt help please for Grizzley 12 inch Jointer G0834

[Jordan Lane]

I have a G0834 jointer that is dialed in but has some vibration to it, I think I tracked the problem down to the twin V belts. I am having problems locating replacement belts that are quality belts plus the size is difficult to determine. The manual states A 1194 belts but what is on the machine are A 1372 LI 1402 LD. No idea what the numbers mean and i have not been able to cross reference these number on any website so far. I would love to put a powertwist belt on it but i am fairly certain the belts are metric. Anyone had success finding belts like this or have a resource i could go to? Any help would be appreciated. I have not called Grizzley for i am fearful the replacement belts would be crap as well. thanks in advance!!!

[Brian Runau]

Jordan: Measure across the larger face width and height of the belt for the profile dimensions. Also use a string and wrap it around the circumference of the belt end to end to get the length, then lay it flat and measure it. See example below. This is just for A-E belts. Are there identifying part #'s on the pulley's? This could help you determine the profile and model of the belt. In the industrial belt world I worked with Bando, they are a tier 1 automotive supplier. Opti belt is another good quality belt. Kaman Industrial, Applied Industrial, Motion Industries or most of the independent industrial supplier should be able to get these or something comparable.

A-1372 could be an A section belt with the length expressed in MM. 1372 would be 54", no idea what the LI 1402 LD would call out.

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-V-Belt-54-inch-Industrial-Transmission/dp/B07PDYNGWY

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[John C Bush]

I have the Griz 0690X 12"er and it had mild vibration issues out of the box. Not bad but I used link belts to replace the originals anyway. In reality I think if I just tightened the original belts
it would have been fine but I wanted to try the segmented belts--they work great>

[Bill Dufour]

Harbor fright has a decent link belt in stock.
Sewing shops have cloth tape measures.

Or measure the pulley belt center diameters and calculate 1/2 the circumferences and add in twice the center to center distance.
Bill D

[Dwayne Watt]

Do not put link belts on a dual v-belt pulley system nor buy two "regular" v-belts to install on your jointer. V-belts must be matched sets when used on multiple belt sheaves. It is not unusual to experience vibration on Grizzly machines due to poor quality v-belts. I would wager that when you closely inspect the current belts that you will see a variation in width around the length of the belt. That variation causes vibration as does bad sheaves (pulleys) but it is not likely that your sheaves are bad. Good belts do not vibrate to any degree when properly tensioned. Bad belts will have vibration regardless of tension.

[Brian Runau]

Do not put link belts on a dual v-belt pulley system nor buy two "regular" v-belts to install on your jointer. V-belts must be matched sets when used on multiple belt sheaves. It is not unusual to experience vibration on Grizzly machines due to poor quality v-belts. I would wager that when you closely inspect the current belts that you will see a variation in width around the length of the belt. That variation causes vibration as does bad sheaves (pulleys) but it is not likely that your sheaves are bad. Good belts do not vibrate to any degree when properly tensioned. Bad belts will have vibration regardless of tension.

I think matched sets used to be the case when manufacturing tolerances on belts were poor, but I think with today's manufacturing technology it is not much of an issue. Worked with Bando and Opti belt over the years as a Product Manager for an industrial distribution cooperative, and this was my general understanding. There still may be some instances where you need to do this, speed etc.... Brian

[Jordan Lane]

Dwayne you are on point with the variable width around the length of the belt...is one of the main reasons i suspected the belts in the first place. Finding a matched set will be a chore to say the least if link belts are not advised ...Thank you

[Mike Kees]

Brian just explained that the "matched set" is not necessary anymore. If you buy two of the same size belts from a quality manufacturer you will be good to go. I deal with motion industries for belts . Personally I am done with using link belts for anything but a temporary fix until I get to town to get a real belt.

[Bill Dufour]

I do know the matched belts thing is no longer required as long as you buy two identical belts made by the same maker at the same store at the same time. Lot to lot my very too much.
It is still possible to buy matched sets but those are speical order and cost a lot more. probaly over $100 extra for a simple standard production belt.
Bill D.

[Charles Coolidge]

Switch to link belts. I have been switching to link belts for years specifically to reduce vibration. Measuring the vibration before/after with a test indicator, link belts work. The Harbor Freight link belts last I checked are made in eastern Europe by the way.

As for multiple link belts I don't see an issue, they will be the same length. In fact I'm running triple link belts on my PM15HH planer right now. The factory triple V belts were a joke, she's running smooth now with the triple link belts.

[Jordan Lane]

Thanks Charles I think my belts are metric Link Belts will be a tad wider i'm afraid ....my belts measure 12 mm at the widest point but the widths are all over the place...still cant find anywhere that will cross reference the sizes i have.Are your planer belts metric or imperial ?

[glenn bradley]

I know there are folks who poo-poo them but I have link belts on my jointer and have since day one. They have never required adjustment (I just went through a full setup when moving into the new shop a few months ago) since they went on in 2008-ish.

[Charles Coolidge]

Thanks Charles I think my belts are metric Link Belts will be a tad wider i'm afraid ....my belts measure 12 mm at the widest point but the widths are all over the place...still cant find anywhere that will cross reference the sizes i have.Are your planer belts metric or imperial ?

As most all the machines in my shop came from Taiwan/China they came with metric belts. Don't overthink it, I'd just use a 4L (1/2 inch) that's pretty close to 12mm and that's assuming the 12mm belt was made to spec right. The only machine that didn't use a 4L is this new PM 15HH planer, it required the smaller 3L (3/8 inch) link belts.

[Edward Weber]

I prefer the link belts, less vibration and less wear

[Ronald Blue]

Get what is called "banded" V-belts. Here is a link that shows them and also might help you find what you need. We used these on large high horsepower applications. 200 horsepower diesel driving hydraulic pumps with cycling load. Not the "A" series of course but the principle is the same. They eliminate the concerns with them not being matched. Any decent farm supply store or auto parts store should have a belt gauge to size your belt. Or just measure it up yourself.

https://www.vbeltsupply.com/banded-conventional-wrapped-belts/a-section-banded-v-belts

[Mike Kees]

I needed a metric belt for a Minimax SC2 a few years ago. It was narrow and smaller than an A series. Got it at my local NAPA. Take one of your old belts in, they can cross reference if needed or simply measure it.

[Alex Zeller]

I've never had a lot of luck with no name v belts. They feel very hard to flex and like to retain their memory from when they sat previously. I've used link belts but if they slip the links melt pretty easy. I'va had good luck with Browning V belts so that's usually the brand I buy.

[Curt Harms]

I think matched sets used to be the case when manufacturing tolerances on belts were poor, but I think with today's manufacturing technology it is not much of an issue. Worked with Bando and Opti belt over the years as a Product Manager for an industrial distribution cooperative, and this was my general understanding. There still may be some instances where you need to do this, speed etc.... Brian

No longer needing matched sets for most applications is what I've heard as well. Belt manufacturing has evolved to the point that there is virtually no variation in length anymore. If I were in need of a new V belt I'd look at the (AX?) notched V belts. Supposedly they don't take a set like solid V belts can so no vibration. I do have one place where the link belts are handy. My drill press is an Asian Delta radial drill press. There is no belt tensioning mechanism so it's useful to be able to adjust the belt length one link at a time.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Why two belts to begin with?

[Curt Harms]

Why two belts to begin with?

A couple possibilities come to mind. One is that older less well engineered belts were capable of transmitting less power. The second is simply over-engineering; if one is good, two is better. Unisaws have 3 V belts, they probably don't need them.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Unisaws have 3 V belts, they probably don't need them.When the Unisaw came out in 1937, only cotton core belts were available. Due to hassle of changing belts, three was a safety factor. If one broke, the saw could run on. I doubt anyone here remembers a belt actually breaking. As to quality of belts, look at belt on a car. Used to have a belt for each accessory. Now one drives everything.

[Brian Runau]

It's all about design horse power with It's service factor, then center distance with the speed ratio you need to get to the driven sheave design rpm. Smaller diameter sheaves fit in a smaller space, but also tend to have a smaller max hp rating, so you go to multiple grooves in order to add hp capacity to the drive. There are established tables, now software to do this. Dodge was my go to book for drive design.