Ron Baird
03-23-2009, 08:24 PM
I have been testing the new X drive belts for about 4 months now. I am happy to say that they are proving to be much better than the old abrasive belts that come on the machine. I have over 60 hours on the belts and they are still like new. I do not think you will be able to tear them, they are strong and will cause an X-axis stall rather than tear. I have not seen any sign of them tracking to one side or the other or any rollover as the old belts do sometimes. I have not seen any sign of the board slipping on the belt at all.
You have to do some minor alteration to the guide plate to install them but it is easy to do. The new belts are much thicker and run close to the tracking wheel and can interfere with the tracking wheel and cause measurement errors, so make sure you follow the instructions when installing them. Check the tracking wheel for clearance when it is pushed down slightly as it would be when the board is in contact with it. I know they seem pricey but I think they are cheaper in the long run when you consider the shipping and down time to replace the abrasive belts.
I will post more information in the future if I find a longer test period turns up problems but so far there are none. At this point I highly recommend you switch to the new belts next time you need to change them.
I hope this will remove any doubts you may have about the new belts. I will try to answer any questions you have but I will be traveling back to Canada at the end of March so I may be out of touch for a while then.
You have to do some minor alteration to the guide plate to install them but it is easy to do. The new belts are much thicker and run close to the tracking wheel and can interfere with the tracking wheel and cause measurement errors, so make sure you follow the instructions when installing them. Check the tracking wheel for clearance when it is pushed down slightly as it would be when the board is in contact with it. I know they seem pricey but I think they are cheaper in the long run when you consider the shipping and down time to replace the abrasive belts.
I will post more information in the future if I find a longer test period turns up problems but so far there are none. At this point I highly recommend you switch to the new belts next time you need to change them.
I hope this will remove any doubts you may have about the new belts. I will try to answer any questions you have but I will be traveling back to Canada at the end of March so I may be out of touch for a while then.