New non-Ryobi, non- sears source for BT3x drive belts.

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  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20920
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    New non-Ryobi, non- sears source for BT3x drive belts.

    As we know now these belts are made by Bando and hard to find other than from Ryobi and Ryobi parts dealers. They are getting scarce and expensive.

    Member Rick99V made a post in which he appended a quick note about a supplier for the special Bando belts used in the BT3000, BT3100, and the sears clones 22811 and 21893

    $34 per pair (and you need 2 per saw) seems to be a better price than many which are running $20 each.




    I thought it deserved a post all to itself.

    Thanks Rick.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions
  • cray-
    Forum Newbie
    • Nov 2013
    • 31
    • Perth, AUS

    #2
    USD$65.97 for Intl shipping to Aus from that eBay seeker, ouch!

    Do the belts wear out only with use or can they fail due to age? My saw has very little mileage on it but it was sitting around unused for quite a few years before I bought it.
    Michael

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    • LCHIEN
      Internet Fact Checker
      • Dec 2002
      • 20920
      • Katy, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 vintage 1999

      #3
      i have a 1999 BT3000 and its been in 14 summers and winters in my South texas hot garage and the original belts are still fine. So I don't think its temperature alone tha's killing them.

      I do hear of some that have disintegrated and I don't know the cause. They are polyurethane and I don't know the chemicals that attack polyurethane.
      Loring in Katy, TX USA
      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

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      • capncarl
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 3564
        • Leesburg Georgia USA
        • SawStop CTS

        #4
        Has anyone deciphered the belts date code? Belts do have a manufacturer prescribed shelf life, varies 6-8 years, depending on mdf. Per Browning, Gates and Carlisle web sites. That said the belt is aging on your saw in storage, and the belt you buy may be older than the one of your saw. The web sites does not give special storage methods so there does not appear much you can do to stall belt aging. I understand the desire to have a back up belt on hand and it may be the only way to have a belt when they are no longer sold, but maybe there will be a fresh supply on hand for decades. A few bucks more for a fresh belt may be better than installing a 20 year old belt and have it fail quickly.

        Comment

        • cray-
          Forum Newbie
          • Nov 2013
          • 31
          • Perth, AUS

          #5
          Some good info, thanks all. Personally I think I'll wing it. If I could get a pair for $40 then maybe I'd keep a set on the shelf just in case, but for closer to $100 I'll take the risk. I only paid $200 for my completely unused saw.

          They could just as easily sit there and be useless when/if I ever need them. If the time comes and belts are no longer available I'll be sad, but I'll take it as a sign that I should upgrade.
          Michael

          Comment

          • mmcmac
            Forum Newbie
            • Nov 2014
            • 53

            #6
            Originally posted by I saw that!
            Belts may be stored up to six years if properly stored at temperatures less than 85˚F and relative humidity less than 70%.
            One possibility to keep a spare set of belts on hand woud be to make a cardboard tube with a 10.6" circumference to retain the belts in their relaxed round form while in storage. Dropping the belts/retainer in a ziplock bag and the works in the freezer would put the concern out of mind.

            When equipment is stored for prolonged periods of time (over six months), the belt tension should be relaxed so that the belt does not take a set, and the storage environment should meet the 85˚F and 70% or less relative humidity condition. If this is not possible, belts should be removed and stored separately in a proper environment."
            Which brings back the notion of introducing a belt idler such that belt tension could be relieved and moreover proper tension applied independent of belt length accuracy. Going that far though, turning the motor/arbor pulleys to a more common belt profile to escape the captive market for this uncommon belt, isn't too far off.

            While that is probably more involved than most would consider to address this issue, If in a position of replacing the motor with an incompatible mount universal motor it would be a large part of the solution. Actually in that case the idler wouldn't be needed if the motor mounting scheme allowed some freedom for the motor to pivot such that the motor armature to arbor axis distance could be adjusted. Although this approach is possible it may cause the new motor to extend beyond the saw base when the arbor is tilted from 90*. However when mounted in the stand, this should not cause a clearance problem for the new motor housing.

            Comment

            • mmcmac
              Forum Newbie
              • Nov 2014
              • 53

              #7
              Originally posted by I saw that!
              There's no mention of freezing in those docs, although it certainly qualifies as "less than 85°F". I wonder how safe it is for polyurethane/TPU. It seems the formula used for these belts is susceptible to lots of things, including temperature extremes (in both directions perhaps?).
              In-service temperatures for Gates poly timing belts for example is -5*C. However the belt wouldn't be experienceing flex during storage so I can't see embrittlement to be a concern.

              Is there room for an idler?
              I believe so. But that approach would only be productive if an H-section belt in a slightly longer length was more common/inexpensive. Unknown whether that is the case.

              As for machining the pulleys to different diameter(s), you'd need to be careful to ensure blade RPM isn't affected and the v profile is precise.
              A diameter/ratio alteration wasn't the goal, although bringing the speed down slightly would trade off against increased torque.

              These mods are well beyond the capabilities of most owners of this saw, and, IMHO, having a pro machine shop do the work would cost at least the same as (probably more than) several sets of new belts, especially if the shop performed a complete teardown & rebuild.
              Replacement arbor and motor pulleys are one possibility if another belt profile and suitable length was found to be commonly available. The micro v-belt H-section profile isn't all that common although Goodyear does list a 1.6mm 105H belt which apparently is available in a 9-rib format.

              The biggest obstacle to finding a suitable replacement is the #12/front armature bearing.
              Agreed this will require some machine tool work. But assuming the new motor has a shaft of sufficent length, it should be possible to press on a suitable bearing with a 32mm OD. Adapting the bt3000 motor bracket (#9) to the replacement motor ideally would require no more than an intermediate plate.

              All that said, the OEM Ryobi motor can be rewound for a much lower cost than a new (or even used in many cases) one.
              I hadn't seriously considered that route presuming it wound't be cost effective, particularly if rewinding and rebalancing the rotor. I've noticed bt3000s locally being sold where the SMT has gone missing for whatever reason. Admittedly pursuing such low lying fruit may be the least amount of fuss.
              Last edited by mmcmac; 01-15-2015, 06:29 PM.

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