Hello guys, first, sorry for the large number and options, but is the only way to gather the data to conclusively identify the main causes of belt wear
PLEASE READ BEFORE VOTING
First, for this study i’m only interested in completely failure where the belt ruptures and are no long a continuously belt like the picture bellow
AND DO NOT CONSIDER BELT BREAKING DUE TO DEBRIS
My theory is that the internal fibers loose strenght due to high average load and if the interface with the rubber is weakened due to water and excessive bending due to the use of a idler
unfortunately i can’t test all the variables by myself, so for that i ask for everyone help
The main variables for this analyse :
-Single / dual drive
-Less than 5% hills / more than 5 % hill
-Always on dry pavement / wet at any time
-Idler pulley / No idler pulley
if possible also comment or your personal experience
Thanks
Dual Drive
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / dry / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / dry / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / dry / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / dry / with idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / wet / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / wet / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / wet / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / less than 5% / wet / with idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / dry / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / dry / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / dry / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / dry / with idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / wet / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / wet / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / wet / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - dual drive / more than 5% / wet / with idler
0voters
Single Drive
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / dry / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / dry / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / dry / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / dry / with idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / wet / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / wet / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / wet / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / less than 5% / wet / with idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / dry / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / dry / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / dry / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / dry / with idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / wet / no idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / wet / no idler
more than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / wet / with idler
less than 200 km / 125 mi - single drive / more than 5% / wet / with idler
currently i use a single drive with a 12/36 gearing and an 19mm idler pulley, my belt lasted approximately 100km
it ruptured a day after i rode my board practically under water, and when it ruptured i was slow and barely applying throttle, lots of times if ruptured just after it got wet
before the 19mm idler i was using an 13mm one and was breaking belts much more quicker
since this is my commute vehicle this is getting to expensive to buy belts
my next board will be a dual drive to ease the stress on the drive train
Here is my experience:
Dual drive
15/36 aluminum pulleys
No idler
9mm belts
Tension loose
More than 125mi
More than 50% riding hills
Dry conditions
I have gotten a lot of small rocks stuck in my belts
I have never had a belt break.
I could be wrong but I think that running the belts a little loose is key to prolonging the life of both motor bearings and belts.
I believe it also reduces motor heat and increases range.
I tough that too, and it seen to help, what i don’t get is how people with bosted boards that use a 3M belt with a 17/50 gearing that has to be very tight to no skip manage to make the belts last more than 500km
Another thing that could influence is the 12 teeth motor pulley, the radius is to small and crack the glass fiber. i use that so i can keep the wheel pulley farthest from the ground to avoid the lots of rocks that i have to deal
Im pretty sure the problem is the 12t pulley. At that size the bending of the belt in both directions because of the idler make the belts wear and break also the 3:1 ratio means more tension on the belt with relatively few teeth in mesh.
With 14t 36t no idler. 9mm belt. M belts last at least a couple months everyday riding 15miles/day with 10%+ hills. That’s averaging nearly 1000 miles!
I agree with @Namasaki … a little loose…I have enough tension so that it looks taught … but if you push it with ur finger it kinda bounces … I also check by holding the motor and then trying to spin the wheel … it should engage nicely on all teeth but kinda gets slack on one side…only a little …
That’s how I have my belt…and that’s been on since last year and it looks fine…broke a belt once…because of a big rock
I plan to test that, unfortunately the pulleys are pretty expensive so it will take a while since i have to build my next board, more than 36 teeth on the wheel and i practically touch the ground, and less reduction and i can’t climb the hills on my comute
Maybe the idler don’t have a big influence, most of the time the radius is greater than the idle bearing because it’s on the relaxed side of the belt
i think the next step is to try 12/36 without the idler
And what about boosted? maybe a 3M belt can flex more sicne its thinner
yea 36t htd5 is the biggest that will fit on 80mm. you need 90/97+ for a 40T/44t
on 14t/36t I can go still get up most hills. some slow down on longer ones.
gearing can only get you so far tho. with a 190kv 6355 or 200kv 5065 on 8s and 80mm wheels I was crawling up any hill but topped out at 20mph.
I think your setup is just being pushed a bit too hard in one direction. ie not efficient.
i tried 12/36 wit no idler but between the m3 set screws and no keyway, either the teeth would skip, or the pulley would spin on the shaft.
I agree, my next board will have better cells so i can increase the current a lot, i’m pretty limited right now with a 230kv motor on 10S, high gearing is the only way
It will be a dual 5055 190kv on 10S, speed is not my goal, i limit my VESC to 30km/h anyway
Mechanically my board it’s pretty solid, appart from the belts,no problem with the pulley, and pretty efficient too, even almost all the time full throttle i average less than 9Wh/km with hills anda heavy back pack (90 kg total)
I personally like 15mm with no idler. You can run them loose and still get all the braking power you need. I would also venture to say 15mm belts have less drag than 9mm belts for the same amount of stopping power (meaning no belt slip). The key is having 6 teeth in mesh. Also steel motor pulleys are a must because the smallest amount of wear in the teeth means less belt grip.
@Titoxd10001 i’m already running 15mm and hardened steel pulleys, the aluminium one was gone within a month, and with the idler pulley teeth in mesh is not a problem
@Michaelinvegas yes, i had belts breaking from rocks and you can clearly see where the puncture was made, but definitely not too tight, a have a generous amount of slack, if you want i can make a video
Here the picture of the teeth, they look pretty intact, this is from another belt
