Smaller V-Belts for WM Super

[steveST]

I've heard of some folks dropping drom a B-57 to a B-56 belt (or an aftermarket Urethane belt) to reduce vibration.
Can anyone report their results with this?
Thanks.

[Bibbyman]

I've used the B57 belts for 9 years now and never had a problem.  I like being able to swap the belts from wheel to wheel,  one side to the other to balance wear.

Some have apparently had problems with tar and sap buildup under the loose belt and causing "lumps". The B56 belts fit tight to the wheel and are less likely to get gunk under them.  Is we saw mostly hardwoods,  we never have this problem.

I think it is Timberwolf that is putting out a lot of info that the B57 belts cause vibration and premature blade failure and maybe other claims.

I've talked to Wood-Mizer tech guys about it.  And they said they carry the B57 and B56 belts - if the customer wants the B56.  They say some customers run the B56 on the drive side in the hopes of reducing slippage (?) and run the B57 belt on the idler side so the "slap" of the belt will reduce sawdust buildup on the belt and blade.

I don't know about Urethane belts.   The Wood-Mizer tech guys say the best belts are made by Goodyear.  

Last time I was in Indy,  I picked up another set of B57 belts to have on hand.  Found they were as cheap from Wood-Mizer as I could find locally.

[SawInIt CA]

I use the B56 belts and I feel that they work much better, never any saw dust build up, less vibration and they last MUCH longer. I do keep some B57 belts in the tool box as the b56 belts are hard to get on...w/o a vise.

[Percy]

Goodyear makes a heavy duty series of belts that are more expensive but seem to work better than the regular ones in my opinion. The goodyear # for a B56 is 85590 and 85600 for the B57. I used the 85590 extensivly and they are a bit longer than the regular belts. A little less tough to put on and once they seat they are just a tad loose.

[woodmills1]

I use B56 belts only  look for either goodyear or made by goodyear, that is some parts store brands are made by goodyear.  I bought a replacement set over a year ago but the old ones are still on.  I also run chain oil deisel mix for lube and the same drive belts are over 500 hours on the machine.

[hawby]

SteveST,

I needed to replace my belts this last weekend. I could only find one B-57... so I ran over to my neighbor, who has a similiar orange machine to see if he had a spare. He told me that he always uses B-56, but since I had a 57, he recommended that I put that on the drive side due to the lack of easy access.
I felt like a three legged cat in a litter box trying to get that 56 on the pulley. It took some time, but it finally went on.
First time I started up, it cared me. The band was so quiet, I thought something was wrong. Now, i don't know if it would have been just as quiet with two B-57s or if the 56 made any of that difference. What I do know is that changing the belts made a HUGE difference in the quality of cutting that the mill did.
I have maybe cut 5-6000 bd ft with my mill over the past year. I learn something new every time I start that baby up.  

hawby