How-to

CHECKING BELT TENSION

Belt tension is common problem.  It's easy to check and correct, here are a couple common belt types and how to check the tension. 

POLY CHAIN BELT

depress 1 finger on to the middle of the belt. You should immediately feel resistance and the belt should only move slightly.  This belt is common on the newer heads by FECON, FAE, DENIS CIMAF, etc

V GROOVE BELT

depress 1 finger on to the middle of the belt.  You should be able to move the belt down 1/4" without straining. This belt is common on FECON, FAE, etc

SERPENTINE BELT

depress 1 finger on the front belt(commonly split belts) with out straining you shoule be able to move the outter belt to the bottom of the inner belt.  These belts are about an 1/8" thick so the movement isn't much at all.  These belts are becoming less common but are still in circulation. 

CHECKING BEARINGS

The bearings on the Muclher heads are designed to have a little movement, while the horizontal grinders are not.  Here are some ways to make sure the movement isn't too much.

MULCHER HEADS

Rotate your rotor to where the outer most teeth are in the 12 o'clock postion.  Using a 6' pry bar, place the bar between the tooth and the housing. Pull/push trying to get any movement out of the rotor, there should be at most 3/16". Repeat on opposite side. 

Next place a log, rock, anything strong enough to withstand some force under the elevated head. Wedge your bar between the rotor and object and lift up on the rotor, there should be no movement. 

Finally place your bar between the rotor and housing, from the top. Press down on the bar and there should be no movement here either. 

These are simple ways to check the bearings without having to pull the side covers. 

Many customers have used the bar in the past to push on the sheave's, do NOT do this. More than one have bent the sheave causing an expensive mistake. 

HORIZONTAL GRINDERS

 These require a little more mechanical savvy. Remove the top of your pillow block or plummer block housing, take your feeler guage and check the distance between the roller and race. Most should be within .003"-.004" if you are seeing anything .007" you are running on borrowed time.