BT3000 V Belts -- anything better?

[wobblerlorri]

Well, I just figured out that the reason my trusty BT3000 wouldn't cut thru the T-Nuts ZCTP was that the V belts had perished. Nothing but little strips and rag ends.

Which begs the question -- is there anything out there that is tougher and will last longer than a couple of years that will substitute for the Ryobi V-belts? Setting aside how frustratingly difficult it is to get them on, you'd think they'd last longer than a year or two, wouldn't you?

Any ideas, suggestions, commiserations?

Lorri
Frustrated woodworker

[LCHIEN]

Well, I just figured out that the reason my trusty BT3000 wouldn't cut thru the T-Nuts ZCTP was that the V belts had perished. Nothing but little strips and rag ends.

Which begs the question -- is there anything out there that is tougher and will last longer than a couple of years that will substitute for the Ryobi V-belts? Setting aside how frustratingly difficult it is to get them on, you'd think they'd last longer than a year or two, wouldn't you?

Any ideas, suggestions, commiserations?

Lorri
Frustrated woodworker

Welcome with your first post, sorry it took you an unfortunate event to make you post here.

First of all the BT3000 has been out of production for at least four or five years so your belts, unless replaced recently can't be only 2 years old.

Second the belts are a custom part for the saw. No substitutes.

Third, the destruction of the belts is sometimes a measure that saves the destruction of the motor which costs 10 times more.
If you were trying to cut a ZCTP, its a more than infrequent event that the blade gets caught on the bottom of the ZCTP before it starts to rotate and when the saw is started, it destroys the belts.

All these things are addressed in the BT3 FAQ. use the PM (private message) to send me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.

[Black wallnut]

Welcome to the forum!

In my expierence the belts have a rather long lifespan unless subjected to blade binding, as Loring stated. My saw is a '99 IIRC and still has the factory installed belts. My saw also has gotten plenty of use.

[JimD]

Another thing that destroys belts is having an offcut fall into them - that is how I lost a pair. I use a zero clearance plate most of the time now. When I lost my belts I was putting a raised panel type edge around some drawer fronts. The tapered off-cut fell right into the belts. Mine were not 100% gone, I had about 1/4 of one belt left but it did not last long.

I agree that they are a pain to replace and also that they work fine as long as you do not lock up the blade or be unfortunate enough to have something fall into them. I bought a spare set when I was getting my first replacements thinking I would be doing this again but have had no subsequent issues. It would be just fine with me if I never use the extra set.

Jim

[wobblerlorri]

My BT3000 is about 6 years old. We had to replace the belts a couple of years ago after cutting some really hard oak on it killed the belts.

The belts have invariably felt dry-rotted and not right when they've broken. Same thing with the ones that perished yesterday -- they were friable and very brittle, I could crumble them in my fingers. I have the saw in my garage/workshop, and none of my other tools (a mix of Ryobi and Ridgid) seem to have this issue. I have a Ridgid bandsaw, about 2 years old, and its belt is in fine shape. Is there some lubricating schedule that needs to be followed for the v-belts? That would be a first for me...

[LCHIEN]

i have heard complaints on rare ocassion about belts dry-rotting like you describe, but I don't know what conditions they were kept in. If you are in GA, then I take it its in your garage where its humid and warm most of the year?

But then, I'm in Houston which is warmer and humider I'm sure than GA and I haven't heard of any Texans rotting belts.
Puzzling.

[JimD]

I am in SC and my belts hold up fine. My saw is in an unheated, uncooled basement garage. I wonder what is used to lubricate the height adjustment. Could that be getting on the belts and affect their lifespan?

Jim