Help with special V-belt or tire for pulley?

[AndrewLyons]

I found some old pulleys 19" in outer diameter. I'm having a hard time finding the right type of belt/tire as the groove is 1" wide and about 1" deep, with a curve. See pic.

Anyone have insight where to look?



 

 

[JoshNZ]

It's not a road bike or scooter wheel is it?

[VooDooChikin04]

Does resemble a bike or scooter wheel but I've also come across pulleys like that from newer clothes washing machines. 

You could double up belts, one smaller profile to fill the depth and then a larger one to fit the bill.   

I'd go to the parts store like an AutoZone or oriellys and just have at it in the belt racks.  You could also have the sides taken down a bit at a machine shop. 

Will be curious what these came from. 

[Southside]

A word of caution.  Not knowing the source of the wheel and it's construction I would be very leery about using it in a high speed and high lateral torque application like a sawmill.  It just could turn into one nasty fragmentation grenade if things go wrong.    

[AndrewLyons]

Thanks, I think I’ll take it to the store. I’m leaning on doubling up with a smaller v belt and a wider but thinner tire on top.

As to where they came from, they had wheel guards on them, and the owner thought that they were used to help spool steel cabling. The wheel has A-205 keyed in the side but I haven’t been able to find any info on that.

The number one thing I’m after is safety. What’s the biggest concern? Would making a more sturdy support help? I plan on new bearings for it, etc...

[VooDooChikin04]

Being white, they first appeared to be plastic or composite of some sort.  What are they made of?

[AndrewLyons]

Ah! Sorry about that. They were very rusty when I got them... I spent a couple days de rusting them and coated the one pulley with white paint. I believe they are an aluminum or steel

[VooDooChikin04]

If aluminum they would be fairly light and aluminum oxide is kind of whitish gray.  If they were red rusty then they are iron/steel.  In that case they are safer than plastic/composite.  But like mentioned previously, they may not have been build for the speeds youll need to run, so this is definitely an "at your own risk" type of deal. I would seek out an engine builder and have them balanced if they were mine,  can you add a few more pictures of the wheels? as well as the centers.

[ACman]

They do make belts that wide problem might be finding one short enough to fit that pulley. 

[Den-Den]

"As to where they came from, they had wheel guards on them, and the owner thought that they were used to help spool steel cabling.

That explains the unusual shape of the groove.  They never had a belt running in them, but are shaped for the steel cable.  I don't think you will find a belt that will run in that groove.

[Magicman]

(Aluminum doesn't rust)  I wonder if it's constructed/balanced for high speed?  If you could find a belt it would take some serious tracking to keep the blade teeth from contacting the belt or wheel.

Personally I would opt for wheels designed for the application.

[VooDooChikin04]

@Magicman  Rust isn't the proper term, no.  But aluminum sure does oxidize..in the same fashion as iron/steel will oxidize.

[Magicman]

I'll stand by what I said.  I am certainly aware of what aluminum does, but "rust" indicates that the wheel is made of iron/steel, not aluminum.  The intent of my reply was to help/assist AndrewLyons in determining what the wheel was made of, which in this instance is very important, not to be argumentative about a definition.  Also notice that my "rust" remark was in ( ).