Hello all, When looking for a 8" or 10" contact wheel for a 2"X72" belt grinder, how wide does the wheel need to be?  These folks have been recommended as a source of contact wheels: 

http://www.sunray-inc.com/index.php?page=wheels-with-bearings

 

They offer the 8" wheel in 2", 2-1/4", or 2-1/2" width - is 2" for the 2" belts correct?  OR does it need to be a tad wider?

 

I'm not a heavy user at all, so I expect the Polyurethane wheels should hold up just fine for me. I've looked at the Grizzly 10" contact wheel, but not sure if there is enough metal there to turn a bearing pocket or not.

 

Thanks to all for guidance and help,

 

Ken H>

 

 

2 inch wheel, 2 inch belt

Thank you Steve - since this is my very first belt grinder I'm sorta flying by the seat of pants here.  

 

Ken H>

You definitely don't want it wider as you don't want to touch the rubber with the metal. In fact many people will adjust the tracking to have a slight bit of the belt hang over the edge for some tasks.

Of course Thomas - once you stated the obvious of not wanting metal to touch the contact wheel, that made the "why" of it clear to me.  Thank you for that.  I guess even a 1.95" wheel wouldn't bad for a 2" belt.

 

Ken H>