TM1900 Caroni flail, which belts at what tension?

[hunt4570]

On my discbine, like the automotive variety, it's spring loaded'

Yes this one is spring loaded as well, and adjustable

 

[hunt4570]

Leonz over in Flail Mower Nation thread should have your answer. Bunch of Caroni owners over there that should be able to give an answer as well. AgriSupply should have the belt sets & may have a manual for you as well, which should give you that spec.

As I mentioned, I have the original owners manual and it is not in there.

 

[hunt4570]

People at Agri-Supply are great to deal with and will most likely give you the tension spec over the phone plus they have all the replacement parts too.

Yep, I've done a bit of stuff with Agri-supply, and they are always most helpful.

 

[alexpops]

https://www.google.com/search?q=caroni+flail+belt+tension&rlz=1C1DIMA_enUS676US676&oq=caroni+flail+belt+tension&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l3.10783j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Something here should give you what you need

 

[leonz]

So I have a TM1900 Caroni flail, I've had it 6 or 7 years. Seems to go through a lot of belts! I've been using Gates B43 Hi-power ll belts and getting ready to install a new set..again. So my questions are, does everyone use this belt or do you use another, and what tension do you set it at? I have the manual which (kind of) tells you how to do it but nowhere in the manual does it say what the tension/deflection should be. Also, has anyone used a banded belt on this and do you like it and how does it hold up? THANKS

Hello Hunt4570,

When you purchase your V belts you must make sure that all three V belts
have the same identical lot number meaning they were made with the same
batch of rubber and kevlar cord otherwise you will continue to have V belt
problems as they will not tension equally.

You also need to invest in a gates or goodyear V belt tension gauge to obtain
the correct V belt tension.

You can purchase a GATES RUBBER COMPANY V belt tension gauge from amazon
and tension one of the three v belts and all three of them will have the same
tension AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THE SAME LOT NUMBER.

When you visit the parts store you have to be sure to tell the clerk all
three V belts MUST HAVE THE SAME LOT NUMBER.

You could purchase a 3 band V B-43 belt but it would be $500.00-$700.00
depending on which brand you buy.

Its less expensive to buy the correct V-belts with the identical lot number and a
Gates Rubber Company V-belt tension gauge from amazon.

 

[workinonit]

Matching lot numbers on belts is good for the reasons leonz stated but they also need to be matched lengths. Not all belts out of a lot of large industrial belts will be the exact same length. Build drums for belts can and will be out a bit from one end of the drum to the other. All of the belts will be the same batch size but measuring and batching is the only way to get all of your belts identical.

 

[hunt4570]

So I have a belt tension gauge but I cannot find the specs anywhere that tells me what it should be.

Also I found a Gates 3/B43 powerband belt at ZORO for $62.10. I'm probably going to try one of those.

Gates Hi-Power II PowerBand V-Belts, 3/B43 3/B43 | Zoro

Order Gates Hi-Power II PowerBand V-Belts, 3/B43, 3/B43 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

And I've been to 4 parts stores around me and no one has the B43 belt.

 

[alexpops]

You can get B & BX 43's on Amazon as well as from WoodMax (BX 43 runs the hydro pump on the WM-8H). Just not sure you'll get matched sets from either

 

[workinonit]

That power belt looks promising. You said your flail has a spring loaded and adjustable tensioner? That's a bit odd isn't it?

 

[alexpops]

The schematic on AgriSupply makes it look like it's to adjust for spring stretch/belt wear. The bolt shortens the spring length & the spring pulls the idler. I had a Craftsman mower deck with the same set-up, & when it let go the spring & bracket were replaced with a longer spring & heavier pull. No bolt/no adjustment/no more thrown belts, but a tougher pull to get the idler in place when re-attaching the deck. There is also supposedly a shim to align the pullies, that some folks here over the years have complained about ... but that usually shows itself by smoking the belts within the first 20 minutes of operation.