uncle mike Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Anyone having problems with belts flying off their LG power hammer? I've been using this hammer for years. now all of a sudden I can't keep the belt on it! It is an older 50# unit with a crowned wheel. I'm running an industrial "V" belt. 2 belts on the crowned wheel don't want to play nice together, but I've been running a single belt since I got the hammer with no problems. I tried cleaning the wheel and the belt to be sure there was no oil. I tried sanding the circumference of the flywheel lightly for better grip. I always keep the machine well lubed so there is little drag. I'm thinking the alignment is not quite right? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 It could be a number of things. Since you ran it with one belt with no problem are both belts coming off now or only one? If only one since the pulley is crowned the belts should be two different lengths. It could be alignment as you said or it could be that the bearing of the pulley on the LG is has finally become worn and started to wobble,thus throwing off alignment and tension both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Welcome aboard Mike, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many IFI gang live within visiting distance. I have a 50lb. LG that runs happily on one or two v belts. When I changed the motor mount I had to do some tweaking to get the belts tracking. One on each side of the crown seems to be where they play well together. Then I decided it ran fine with one belt so I run it with one and keep the other on a hook. Don't worry, there are plenty of guys here that KNOW LGs, I'm sure you'll be getting knowledgeable info soon. I'll be following for the info. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle mike Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 Thanks guys, Yes Frosty, I set the hammer up originally with 2 belts centered on the crown but as soon as you step on the treadle the flywheel moves to the rear a bit and the belts are no longer centered. The one that is the loosest goes off on walkabout. The hammer seemed to run just fine on 1 belt, so that's what I've been running ever since. Doc, I was wondering about that rear bushing! There's not a lot of play, but if I grab the flywheel and try to tilt it on the shaft, there is a slight movement. The babbit bearings on the shaft are in great shape. It's not like the problem has been gradually getting worse, it just started. And naturally I'm in the middle of a job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Dave Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 A couple of pictures might help in figuring out what the issue/s are, if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 ''The hammer seemed to run just fine on 1 belt'' Yes, they do. No need whatsoever for multiple belts imo unless you get into a bigger hammer......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle mike Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Well, I'm pretty certain that the flywheel bearing is the culprit. I was able to limp through the work I needed by Tweaking the motor out a little with a shim. I basically made the motor match the crooked flywheel. After using it for a few more hours, the whole machine has a nice little wobble to it ( kinda like a girl I knew once, hehe). I'll give Sid a call tomorrow and see if he has a bushing. once I figure out the photo situation, I'll post some. It'll give me a chance to show off my tooling anyway. I'm sure you guys have done fancier stuff, but I'm pleased with it. I had to forge 1" round into 1-3/8" half round to match a colonial era railing. I made the tooling with a fuller on one side to spread the bar sideways and a low crown "flatter" on the other side to smooth it out. Thanks for the help gang B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 One belt good, two bad. One it is in my opinion. When I first got mine I was afraid it might slip on one V belt seeing as it was designed to run on a flat belt. Were that the case I figured I'd turn a primary pully to take a snow machine (that's Snowmobile for you occasional snow guys) belt. Snow machine belts are wide if toothed on the inside but flat otherwise. I figured if I ran it upside down it's behave like a flat belt and be drawn up the crown and self center. Snow machine belts normally run in torque converter drives so they're really strong and wear resistant so running it upside down shouldn't make a difference. All that said mine runs just fine on a single automotive V belt so I'm not messing with it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dks119 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 my 25#LG had a flat belt when i got it and ran for several years before the belt failed. i had an old auto serpentine laying around that was a perfect length. put it on original flat drive wheel and it worked immediately and perfectly now for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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