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Belt Pulley Construction?

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Idaho Boy

01-07-2008 21:08:06




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Hey,y'all...I have a belt pulley for my SMTA that needs to be repaired. Upon starting to dismantle it, I found that it is made of paper and that it had dowel pins with nails driven in to the dowel pins to hold the outer end of the pulley in place! What a surprise! The mounting plate on the inside face is good and the plate/flange/ring on the outer end is good so I was wondering if anyone out there has any experience in building a pulley out of wood? (just to replace the paper) If so, what kind of wood should a person use?..and what kind of finish would be applied to help it withstand snow and rain? Should the surface of the pulley be rough so the belt won't slip as easy? Is there a slight crown on the surface of the pulley?, and if so, why?

I have never used a pulley so I'm curious as to how to adjust tension on the belt? Back the tractor up till it's tight? I have a buzz saw that fits on the tractor so I'm sure it has adjustment on the blade pulley, but how is adjustment made on stationairy equipment. such as a threshing machine, etc. The saw came off an Oliver 60 so I don't think it is a Farmall brand? The table swings up to bring the log in contact with the blade. Anyone have an idea of who may have built such a saw? Sorry, no pictures yet!...too much snow and ice to dig it out until spring! Any replies will be appreciated?

Idaho Boy

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Idaho Boy

01-08-2008 09:01:59




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments sent to this post. Hugh, I found this pulley in a bone yard. I have no idea what it came off from or it's vintage. In fact, the SMTA did not have a pulley drive when I got it. Just thought it would be neat to have one. This tractor is certainly not a "perfect restoration." I thought it would be a fun challenge to try to make a pulley from a section of tree trunk. Think I'll try it. We have mostly pine in our neck of the woods. Guess that will be what I use for the first go at it, although the suggestion of using plywood is also a a good idea. Thanks to all for responding. They are all informative and good comments!
Idaho Boy

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Wardner

01-08-2008 11:17:12




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-08-2008 09:01:59  
third party image

This IH pulley and gearbox was purchased about 8 years ago from a dealer's NOS obsolete stock. It has never run a belt

I would not reproduce a fiber pulley from one piece of wood. In fact, I would not bother to make nor risk injury with a homemade 20 pound bomb that rotates at 1000 RPM. Be thankful that Paper Pullies, Inc is still in business and a good pulley can be purchased for less than $200. Contact them for an exact price.

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agpilot

01-08-2008 06:05:13




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
Hi Idaho Boy: Yes there is a slight crown on a good pully. It is a feature that provides self centering of the belt. Of course there is a limit to the amount of centering. I'll guess on an MTA belt there will be about quarter inch higher in the center. We used a buzz saw all through the 1940's and 50's to cut all out wood for our home and some for others. So I don't agree with Hugh in that it's dangerious to use. I saw a mangled car where a whole family was killed but everyone still uses cars to get around. So I suppose there are accidents with every piece of equipment. That's life. Be careful. In aligning tractor to a threshing machine, use the outer edge of the pully to "sight" a line to the outer edge of the other pully. Both pullies need to be parallel to each other. If you could roll both pullies thru space, they would roll directly into each other. (If you can visualize rolling a pully straight ahead using the outer edge as a guide.) Many can't seem to grasp the concept. Good luck with yours. I have a couple extra I saved from the home place but hope to use them at a threshing show with my 350. agpilot

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Hugh MacKay

01-08-2008 03:46:06




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
Idaho Boy: The paper pulley would have been optional equipment on a SMTA by 1954. Probably always were optional, just that they were very common when the letter series tractors first came into production in 1939. By 1950 one almost had to fight to get one for a new tractor. They gave better belt traction on high hp belt work, however belt work was starting to disappear by the mid 1950s.

My dad bought a new W4 in 42 with a paper pulley. he traded in 1951 for a new H, supposed to be delivered with a new paper pulley. Dealer advised he couldn't get a paper pulley and if he wanted one he best switch the pullies. He did and that is how our 51 H had a paper pulley. Buy 1955, he traded the H for a 300. The 300 came with a 15" diameter steel pulley, and keeping the paper pulley was no longer an issue for dad. He wasn't using his pulley any how, everything was going pto. Belt pullies were clearly on there way out by 1955. I don't ever remember belting that 300 up in 35 years. We bought 3 more new tractors by 1965, and none of them even had a belt pulley.

Your buzz saw was probably built in a local blacksmith shop. I don't ever remember tractor manufacturers offering much in the line of buzz saws. There were a couple, but they just couldn't compete with local blacksmiths. You'd probably be as well off loading it for the scrap dealer first chance you get. Those things required at least 6 men, 10 if you were in big wood. I worked on a few of those crews, my dad had one and used to travel from farm to farm bucking up fire wood.

Suddenly around 1952 the buzz saw business died. Two men with chain saws could buck more wood per hour than than a six man buzz saw crew, and there was no lifting of long sticks. Dad kept his buzz saw a few years, it had fallen into a state of disrepair from lack of use. One spring he pulled it out, was thinking about using it, decided first to sharpen it. He was fileing when a fertilizer salesman drove in. The fertilizer salesman said, "Man don't use that thing, cut it up for scrap." he went on to tell my dad how his father and grand father had been using one, similar state of repair. The arbor came loose from the babbit bearings, flywheel, arbor and saw went flying cutting off his grand father's head. After the salesman left, dad dismantled the saw, saving the arbor, saw blade and flywheel. He hauled the rest to the dump. That was 1952, and that saw, arbor and flywheel stayed in my shed until 1978, and I had a chap come along, silly enough to offer me money for it.

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NDS

01-08-2008 07:18:03




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Hugh MacKay, 01-08-2008 03:46:06  
6 to 10 might be needed for maximum production but we cut hundreds of cords in fortys and fiftys with 3 or 4 we were limited to poles that the 3 or 4 men could lift though. I agree that "buzz saw" is obsulete now but in fiftys in was a real labor saver. As far as safety is concerened the buz saw was dangerous alright if you got careless on the other hand I know of some nasty accidents with chain saws.

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Hugh MacKay

01-08-2008 07:49:51




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to NDS, 01-08-2008 07:18:03  
NDS: No question, chain saws can be dangerous. 1951 was the last year my dad made the rounds with the buzz saw. Even that year quite a few had dropped out in favour of the chain saw. My dad in years past had about a dozen customers, everyone as much as they had time for went from place to place helping neighbors. I remember my dad asking one guy why he went to the chain saw. He said, " simple the chain saw was no more expensive than the buzz saw bill. Three days steady work with the chain saw will buck up a years supply of wood. If I follow the buzz saw, I'm away from home 8-9 days.

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pics

01-08-2008 11:42:14




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Hugh MacKay, 01-08-2008 07:49:51  
If we fast forward 50 years, there is no reason to own a buzzsaw or chainsaw even though I have several of each.

I get my wood from Craigslist's free section located under the 'For Sale' heading. In the spring, summer and fall, there are at least a dozen ads per day that offer free firewood. Most of it it cut to stove length and some is even split and seasoned.

Last year I picked up 8 tons of Anthracite coal and over 3000 gallons of heating oil. Half of the oil cost me $1.00 per gallon; the rest was free. You might say that all of it was free because I charge for tank removals. The oil goes into my diesels. I even got 200 lbs of propane. That will probably go into my diesels as well.

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Hugh MacKay

01-08-2008 15:51:56




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to pics, 01-08-2008 11:42:14  
So your suggesting everyone do this, best not tell the folks that give it away.



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Wardner

01-08-2008 16:47:23




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Hugh MacKay, 01-08-2008 15:51:56  

Here's the kicker. In the winter time, three or four times a week, different people will post ads describing their cold house and freezing young family. They are requesting free oil or firewood. I just have to wonder what they were doing last summer. It was probably too hot to collect wood.

The people who give away the fuel are not being charitable. They just want it to disappear and at no cost to them.

The free section of Craigslist is amazing. It's kinda like Alice's Resturant. "You can get anything you want". Patience pays though.

BTW, it was I that erroneously posted under the name of 'Pics' above.

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Hugh MacKay

01-08-2008 17:01:04




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Wardner, 01-08-2008 16:47:23  
Wardner: I do remember a guy burning green wood. He was asked why anyone would burn green wood when it could be cut ahead and dried. His reply, " Life is to uncertain to cut a wood pile." Then there are those folks that wont patch the roof on a fine day. Doesn't need to be done just then.



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Chris from Wa

01-08-2008 09:55:06




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Hugh MacKay, 01-08-2008 07:49:51  
I worked for the US Forest Service back in the 70's as a faller. We had two old bunk houses, built it the 20's with wood burning furnaces. Every fall I would take a crew into the woods and fall some snags. I would buck while they split and stacked. While they loaded the truck, I would buck enough wood to keep the guys busy while I was gone. I'd take a couple of guys to help me offload and we'd drive the truck back to the compound. We'd offload, head back to the woods and do it all over. We would lay in 15 cords a day, easy. I did almost cut my head off one time with a chain saw when I had a kick-back. Another time I almost drove myself into the ground like a railroad spike with a snag. Both times I was doing something that I shouldn't have been doing. Running saw is risky business and shouldn't be taken lightly.

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moonlite 37

01-08-2008 03:07:59




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
I once saw a drum made for a belt sander made from plywood and i think your pulley could be made this way. You could rig up some kind of a rest and use a wood lathe gouge to smooth it with.



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big jt

01-07-2008 22:19:19




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
Send it to Paper Pulleys as sugested earlier.

One additional suggestion Strip your core and paint the metal. They don't sand blast so your pulley will have the paint on when you get it back. They also don't want you to paint the paper portion as it causes things to separate.

Voice of experience.

jt



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Andy Motteberg

01-07-2008 22:01:19




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
You can have them re-done professionally, but it would most likely be a better deal to just find a good used one off a different tractor, that is if it is not on a "completely restored" tractor. There are also cast iron belt pulleys too.

Andy.



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Bob

01-07-2008 21:37:41




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 Re: Belt Pulley Construction? in reply to Idaho Boy, 01-07-2008 21:08:06  
Check out paperpullies.com.



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