Power Twist Link Belts

[finns]

Hello, I was going to order some link belts to replace some I have and some to put on new tools. I think back in the day there were two colors and the green was 3/8" and the red was 1/2". Doing a recent search on the belts brought up a wide variety of link belts in all different colors and sizes. I need to put new belts on my table saw, bandsaw, two drill presses, jointer, and a sander. All tools are Jet. Ya, I'm buying a bunch of this so I would like to make sure I get the right size since this stuff is so expensive. Previously the red was 1/2" and have that on my bandsaw now and it works great. Does everyone just measure the width of the old belt and match that up or exactly how do you pick the right size? Also, would anyone have a source to get the belt at a decent price?
Thanks!

   

[Willyou]

I don't know about the correlation of color to size. To get it right, measure across the width of your pulleys (widest part of the "V") and buy according to that width. For cost, I can only tell you that I have some of the expensive stuff and I also have some of the less costly (same size but different color). I can't tell the difference. Both have been running on my equipment for a bunch of years. I think the link belts are a good choice; smooth and quiet.

[lift mechanic]

Ski lifts use a lot of belts to run the engine room machinery. We had some Power Twist belts for emergencies. Luckly never had to use them. The supplier of the belts always told us never to use them next to each other on the same pulley. Anyone use them on a multi belt machine with any luck?

[Willyou]

That's a point I had never considered. I'm scratching my head trying to reason out the problem. First, at least on my machines, if the belts are properly tightened, I don't see any significant flutter that might cause them to touch. Second, even if they did, they are going the same direction at the same speed; so what?

[kurt18947]

That's a point I had never considered. I'm scratching my head trying to reason out the problem. First, at least on my machines, if the belts are properly tightened, I don't see any significant flutter that might cause them to touch. Second, even if they did, they are going the same direction at the same speed; so what?

Maybe viewed as not a good idea running them on the same pulley because the length might be significantly different. Most equipment that used to call for matched belts no long does because modern manufacturing produces belts of practically identical lengths. The same probably isn't true of link belts. If I were looking for belts that didn't take a set I'd also consider AX (cogged) V belts. They are not supposed to take a set like solid belts will, they are supposed to run quieter than link belts because the 'top' side is smooth so less air disturbance and they're cheaper. Here's the style:

https://www.vbelts4less.com/ax-cogged-v-belts

Having said that, I run 3 link belts on a G1023 saw and have for years. They're not all the same tension but 3 belts on a saw that usually cuts no thicker than 6/4 is not a problem. I've never detected any slippage so haven't seen the need to change them.