Danuser MD5 post driver

[CX3]

I have an older yellow danuser free fall post driver. It's the one with the little rubber wheel that lifts the pounding weight. Well the rubber is shot and they want 320 for a new one. The way my mind thinks is I could wrap some good rubber belting around it and use an epoxy to glue it down. Clamped tight with hose clamps until dry. Tell me why this won't work or..... a better idea? I really don't mind buying the part but I really think I can fix it??

[CX3]

Well in case anyone ever searches it......i bought some 1/4" thick rubber discs from sloan.com.   They were for a grain bin auger. Anyhow the discs were 6"diameter which was just what I needed. I punched a center hole with a chassis punch on an iron worker. You could use any hydraulic punch for that matter.

I then stacked all the rubber discs and clamped them tight. I marked the holes with the hub from the original friction drive. Drill press was a good choice here. Drill them 1/2" because the rubber closes after the bit is removed.

I then took all the discs and replaced them on the hub.

OEM parts cost was actually $385. I bought the discs online and had some time in them for about $159.  Worked like a champ.