wateka
Well-known member
I replaced my 853 OEM fixed tensioner pulley with a generic spring loaded tensioner pulley I bought off eBay as a part of my rebuild. I added grease and replaced the no-name bearing with a Timken bearing before I used it and thought I was clever for how much money I saved. 25 hours of use later, my hydraulics quit and I checked the belt - totally loose.
Turns out it was the spring. Either the bend of the spring where it meets the casting on the pulley was off somewhat, or the shape of the casting itself was off. Either way, the spring slipped off the support and there went my belt tension.
I’ll keep the spring loaded version as an emergency backup and may try to tack weld it to keep it from slipping.
I’m going back to the OEM fixed tensioner that I rebuilt and now have to fab up a MEL1404 tool to measure the tension manually.
Photos attached - with no tension on the spring, it looks perfect. When I apply tension, that’s where the gap appears. The rusty pic is for comparison and is an OEM spring loaded tensioner off my ToolCat.
Turns out it was the spring. Either the bend of the spring where it meets the casting on the pulley was off somewhat, or the shape of the casting itself was off. Either way, the spring slipped off the support and there went my belt tension.
I’ll keep the spring loaded version as an emergency backup and may try to tack weld it to keep it from slipping.
I’m going back to the OEM fixed tensioner that I rebuilt and now have to fab up a MEL1404 tool to measure the tension manually.
Photos attached - with no tension on the spring, it looks perfect. When I apply tension, that’s where the gap appears. The rusty pic is for comparison and is an OEM spring loaded tensioner off my ToolCat.
