BT3100 dreaded belt replacement

[Black wallnut]

Welcome mmcmac. The belts that are used in the BTx saws are short. There is not room for a longer belt and idler pulley without totally re-engineering the saw. Why would someone bother?

I'm fairly sure the rest of the information in this thread as far as parts support options is out of date, thus why I am closing the thread.

[mmcmac]

I didn't find 106H in the product catalog, but I found a PDF spec sheet from transtech.se for a Bando made belt that matches the 106H..

Don't know if this has already been pointed out, however specs on the belt
can be found on page #39 here.

I suppose if we BT3X00 owners ever became desperate or destitute, we could contact Bando.

I've been intermittently looking for an excuse to pick up a bt3000 over the past 2 decades
or so, and just found one locally for a song. In any case I'd be somewhat surprised a
106H isn't available from another power transmission component vendor. Even if the 10.6"
length is rare, it may be possible to use a slightly longer belt in conjunction with an
additional bearing idler/tensioner.

I haven't pulled the motor off the ways for closer inspection, however I'm wondering if it
would be feasible to swap (or machine) the current belt shafts to use a more common
cross section belt set.

[John Hunter]

Already checked online and the charge is on my credit card. I will call them after Chrstmas when I get back from visiting the kids and grandkids. What a PITA. Oh well I won't let it spoil my holidays.

[chopnhack]

I stand behind my original statement Well, since you didn't pay for that set, John, wait and see if they want them back. If they do, they will have to pay shipping for them. I am sure they don't want to go through the whole hassle of doing such, so at that point make them an offer :P But do make sure your credit card is ok! ;-)

[John Hunter]

I just recieved another set of belts! The original order that I cancelled! In big bold print on the invoice it states there is a 20% restocking fee on anything returned! I am getting really PO'ed with Gardner. Will call them after the holidays. Nothing like that on the invoice from Motown.

[Brian G]

Has anyone ever tried to locate the belt manufacturer? I tried without any luck, but thought perhaps I just didn't have the wherewithall..

The ID on my belts is "Bando 106H NJ".

I did just now.

Bando USA

I didn't find 106H in the product catalog, but I found a PDF spec sheet from transtech.se for a Bando made belt that matches the 106H:
Polyurethanve v-belt H series PDF.

I suppose if we BT3X00 owners ever became desperate or destitute, we could contact Bando.

[woodturner]

Before we end this thread however, let me see if I have all the players identified correctly; Ryobi Parts website is actually Gardner Inc., and Ryobitoolsoutlet is really Motown... which is also Gardner Inc. So can we just say that Ryobi Parts, Gardner Inc., Ryobitoolsoutlet, and Motown, are all one in the same?

The companies are apparently owned by the same parent company - just like Kmart and Sears are owned by the same company and Ryobi and Ridgid are owned by the same parent company.

The websites are different companies owned by the same holding company, so they essentially operate as different businesses. From the posts in this thread, it's also likey that some of the companies subcontract their parts delivery to other companies. For example, Ryobitoolsoutlet apparently subcontracts their parts delivery to Motown.

Many online vendors subcontract their stock and delivery, the contemporary version of "drop shipping". When I buy auto parts online, for example, they are normally shipped directly from the manufacturer. Many different website companies use the same catalog system to access the manufacturer's inventory in real-time, but they are still separate companies and set their own pricing, which often differs by 200% or more.

[John Hunter]

You have it but just to confuse us even more Gardner Inc and Motown have different physical locations!

Gardner Inc.'s return address on the box is in Columbus Ohio

and

Motown, which is on the invoice and the one I placed the second order with is in Kennesaw, Georgia!

[worknhard]

John I'm glad you got your belts. I hope everything goes back together well and you can start making saw dust again.

Before we end this thread however, let me see if I have all the players identified correctly; Ryobi Parts website is actually Gardner Inc., and Ryobitoolsoutlet is really Motown... which is also Gardner Inc. So can we just say that Ryobi Parts, Gardner Inc., Ryobitoolsoutlet, and Motown, are all one in the same? ...even though each name has a different website and different prices? Not that it makes whole lot of difference, but it does seem a bit odd.

Ron

[John Hunter]

All I can say is to use the http://www.ryobitoolsoutlet.com/ link, best prices and I ordered on Dec. 19th delivery was this morning Dec. 21st.

Just finished putting the belts on, thanks to those that posted articles they really helped, especially using a rachet to turn the shaft while rolling the belts on. Now I still have to put the saw all back together but I am taking a break and will do that tomorrow. These old fingers are just plain tired.

[greenacres2]

This guy http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-V-Belts-OE...item2578c3ddb3 has a lot of BT3x00 parts listed on e-bay. E-mailing him BEFORE a purchase usually results in much better pricing than the e-bay listing. Good guy to work with, and really knows his BT's. (i think his name is Jerry, but i can't find any of my e-mails with him).

earl

[chopnhack]

I cut the shipping invoice open that was taped to the back of the package to find who I should contact to return the belts. Guess what the yellow shipping invoice is from Motown USA even though the return name on the outside of the package is Gardner INC! The invoice is for the correct price, this is not the order I cancelled it seems that Gardner and Motown are the same company!

Wow... talk about fleecing.. and it still came from the same company I have seen something like this before when I was looking for pulls for a kitchen recently. Several companies had similar looking websites, but the prices were vastly different, but IIRC it was the same company with different web outlets!

[John Hunter]

Unbelievable!

Well this is going to be fun, the order that was cancelled from the Gardner INC just arrived. I won't open it and will have to see what I need to do to return it.

I cut the shipping invoice open that was taped to the back of the package to find who I should contact to return the belts. Guess what the yellow shipping invoice is from Motown USA even though the return name on the outside of the package is Gardner INC! The invoice is for the correct price, this is not the order I cancelled it seems that Gardner and Motown are the same company!

[chopnhack]

Well this is going to be fun, the order that was cancelled from the Gardner INC just arrived. I won't open it and will have to see what I need to do to return it.

Sounds like billing and shipping departments run on different schedules

[John Hunter]

Well this is going to be fun, the order that was cancelled from the Gardner INC just arrived. I won't open it and will have to see what I need to do to return it.