RF-30 parts help

[WCraig]

Yes I've loosened all the locks and pulled the motor all the way forward as far as it will go after some serious muscle I got the original belts on but I could not even pry them off I had to loosen the motor to Pivot it forward to be able to even pry the belts off ...

As @C-Bag says, we try hard not to offend new folks (or anyone!) on this forum so forgive me if I'm suggesting something you already know.

You don't want to "pry belts off". They should 'roll' off. By that, I mean you start by lifting the belt on one edge and rolling/guiding it up onto the lip of pulley. Continue rotating the pulley & belt and lifting the belt so it climbs up and over the lip. It will get quite tight but eventually you will get to a point where it 'pops' loose. Be careful of your fingers!!

I usually take belts off towards the larger pulley. Putting a belt back on is the reverse of taking it off but I usually then use the smaller pulley. Again, mind your fingers!!

Could not find a good video showing this process. You can kinda/sorta see what I'm talking about at the 50 second mark in the following video:

Craig

 

[Edward C]

You’re right, that machine looks like new.
There’s gotta be a simple solution to this dilema.
I have a machine just like it and have looked it over to try’n help you.
Above all do not get frustrated & start hammering on it & forcing things.
You will figure it out, these machines are pretty simple & robust.
And accurate & fun to use.
Good luck

No I won't hammer on it I've been a mold maker for 30 years and I'm pretty mechanical adequate but this belt thing is driving me insane I do not know Drive belts I think I'm going to try what they call the narrow series that has the larger cross-section height or high of the V but is narrower top and bottom but I don't know how pliable the belts are I'll have to take some pictures and post of what I am talking about

As @C-Bag says, we try hard not to offend new folks (or anyone!) on this forum so forgive me if I'm suggesting something you already know.

You don't want to "pry belts off". They should 'roll' off. By that, I mean you start by lifting the belt on one edge and rolling/guiding it up onto the lip of pulley. Continue rotating the pulley & belt and lifting the belt so it climbs up and over the lip. It will get quite tight but eventually you will get to a point where it 'pops' loose. Be careful of your fingers!!

I usually take belts off towards the larger pulley. Putting a belt back on is the reverse of taking it off but I usually then use the smaller pulley. Again, mind your fingers!!

Could not find a good video showing this process. You can kinda/sorta see what I'm talking about at the 50 second mark in the following video:

Craig

This is what I'm talking about they just don't seem to be very pliable and take the form of the pulley and these pictures are with enough pressure on it the motor plate with a pry bar to tension the belts that it's about ready to bend the motor plate no more tension can be applied without damage and both these belts are one inch longe than what the Factory calls for but are the B series the same width a factory specs 5/8 in.

 

[RJSakowski]

Hi everyone I am a new member I just purchased a rong fu rf 30 and I am having serious trouble with the drive belts my machine is a 1997 looks like brand new and it came with the belts which I believe to be original and they are the size the parts manual says it takes they will not fit on there to save my life I finally wrestled one on and I had to take the motor off to get the belts off couldn't even pry them off figured that was way too much tension on the bearings on this machine so I purchased new belts the same size they would not go on their neither so I bought belts an inch longer on both ends they seem to go on but they do not seat in the pulleys very good at all and run like crap they don't seem flexible enough to make it around the smaller pulleys on the motor end much less the larger ones what am I missing here what belts does everybody use on the rf-30 that are flexible enough to seat in correctly and make the small bends that are required on the motor end pulleys help it's driving me crazy and I'd really like to get this machine up and running it's an excellent shape looks like it's never even been used thanks for your replies in advance

I have a 40 y.o. RF30 clone so this may not apply to your case.

I run a 32" B belt on the motor and a 42" B belt on the spindle. When I change the belts, I pull the motor forward as far as possible and lock the tensioner so I'm not fighting the tensoner while changing belts. To tighten the belts, I use a lever between the head and the motor mount to tension the belts and lock the tensioner in place. And yes, a cogged belt will give better performance on the motor pulley.

At least on my machine, I could go to an even longer motor belt to make belt changes easier. It would probably require a longer tensioner pin though.

 

[Edward C]

I have a 40 y.o. RF30 clone so this may not apply to your case.

I run a 32" B belt on the motor and a 42" B belt on the spindle. When I change the belts, I pull the motor forward as far as possible and lock the tensioner so I'm not fighting the tensoner while changing belts. To tighten the belts, I use a lever between the head and the motor mount to tension the belts and lock the tensioner in place. And yes, a cogged belt will give better performance on the motor pulley.

At least on my machine, I could go to an even longer motor belt to make belt changes easier. It would probably require a longer tensioner pin though.

The pictures I posted is with the belts 1 inch longer on each belt I just don't conform to the pulley don't know if I should try a clogged series belt or what they call the narrow series or the V belts but either way I'm not going to quit trying I paid $1,100 for this machine with a little bit of tooling and a very crappy Vice that I've already replaced I will probably hopefully eventually figure it out as long as my parts store wall keep ordering belts for me I've returned 6 already hopefully they're good sports and let me try a few more they don't even have them they have special ordered them for me and it takes a day or two to even get them in just to have me return them and obviously I am not done yet a lot of BS for two belts that are supposed to work but if this is my biggest problem I have with this machine I'll wind up being a happy camper in the end

 

[RJSakowski]

On my machine I could lengthen the motor belt by several inches from what I have now. I have no idea what the original length was as the manual doesn't say and the original belts are long gone. This would eliminate your changing problem. I would also the motor belt first and then the spindle belt. The motor belt will be harder to set due to the relatively smaller motor pulleys.

The motor pulley diameters are well below good design practices but I use a conventional belt and, aside from excessive wear, don't have any problems. If I needed to replace the belt, would switch to a cogged belt for the motor.

 

[RJSakowski]

On another note, Asian belt designation is not the same as US. in my experience. My Grizzly G0602 came with undersized belts and I called their customer service stating the problem and asking for new belts which were longer based on the nominal sizes. The replacement belts were U.S. but still too short. Measuring the original belts, they are actually 1" longer than the nominal sizes.

If your belts were replaced based on the nominal sizes in the user manual, this may be the cause of your problem.

 

[Edward C]

On another note, Asian belt designation is not the same as US. in my experience. My Grizzly G0602 came with undersized belts and I called their customer service stating the problem and asking for new belts which were longer based on the nominal sizes. The replacement belts were U.S. but still too short. Measuring the original belts, they are actually 1" longer than the nominal sizes.

If your belts were replaced based on the nominal sizes in the user manual, this may be the cause of your problem.

I have that same wave also but was able to figure out the belt belt problem with it if you look at my pictures I posted on the upper thread the belt just seems too wide to seed in the polls correctly and the belt seems too stiff to make that tight of a band around the motor pulley even contemplating switching to a half inch belt and see if it's just way too small I don't have one to shove in the pulley to see if it would fit or was also contemplating the narrow series belts but they have a wider cross-section and I'm wondering if it would hit the bottom of the pulley and not contact the v's of the Poetry properly I'll figure it out long as my part store keeps ordering belts for me and let me take them back

 

[RJSakowski]

I wouldn't switch to an A belt. It will be riding on the flat which is highly undesirable. I will also be incapable of transmitting the full power of the motor. Change to a cogged belt for the motor and increase its length by two or three inches to allow clearance for belt changes. Don't go by what the manual says. Take your belts into your parts house and have them measure them and size up accordingly.

 

[WCraig]

I'm not saying mine is "right", but it is easy to pinch the belt together on my Craftex machine when the lock is released:



(It is the same between the motor and idler as the idler to spindle.)

Again on mine, I only push the motor out by about an inch to tension the belt. I was always taught that v-belts don't need to be guitar-string tight. When a load is applied, the v-belt automatically gets pulled down into the wedge-shaped pulley and provides appropriate friction. Besides, if something goes horribly wrong, it is better that the belts slip!



Again just for reference, the belts on my Craftex are a B-34 and B-42.

HTH,

Craig

 

[Manual Mac]

My machine takes a B33 motor & B40 spindle belt. Grizzly G1007, June’2004 machine.
Grizzly site says it should be B33 & B42.
With B42 belt wouldn’t tighten was way too long. Go figure.
I guess my point is these belt sizes are all over the place for the RF30/31 machines.
I’m with RJSakowski, stay with B belt.
You don’t know anything about V belts?
Welcome to my world, only with me it’s wiring.
Only thing I know for sure about wiring is when a person lets the Magic Smoke out, it’s a bad thing.
You’ll figure it out, Cheers,MM