Reason for belt being to one side of pulley

Sporty belts ALWAYS run to the right, unless you back them up.

Big VTwins run to the left.

It's a safety feature to keep the belt out of the rim/hub area if it breaks.

I'm just here for the beer.

SubDude said:

How do people learn about this stuff

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IIRC, it's in the manual.

I'm just here for the beer.

Thanks, Alan S, and I'm happy to believe. Just not finding that note in section 2, or 6 of the manual. I'll keep looking, and becoming familiar with the manual.
Meanwhile, what does llRC mean?

The reason is alignment. And with that said, flat or cogged belts on stub shafts (bearing on one side of pully/sprocket only) will run away from the bearing. As the load increases and engine, bearings, and chassis flex, the movement will be greatest on the unsupported side of the shaft. This is 1935 FFA stuff.

If you look at an old flat belt drive on a tractor, the stub shaft support always protrudes more than halfway through the pully. This helps to minimize the tendency of the belt to run off of the pully. They also used pulleys that were tapered so as to be slightly smaller in the center of the drive surface. Harley just lets the belt move, and uses fences to keep it on the sprocket.


And Alan is correct about which way they move on different scooters.

Thermodyne said:

This is 1935 FFA stuff.

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4 years off FFA and I don't remember that. Then again, there's a lot I don't remember.

Thermodyne said:

And Alan is correct about which way they move on different scooters.

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I remembered the what, just not the why.

I'm just here for the beer.

I totally get it, Therm, great explanation. When I considered how belts as in belt sanders are adjusted, it caused me to believe there was an alignment issue.
Spent a lot of time trying to adjust it out before finally just giving up!

Alan S said:

4 years off FFA and I don't remember that. Then again, there's a lot I don't remember.

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You took FFA before WW2???


I'm thinking that by the time you were there, 1000 rpm PTO was all the rage.


How bout backing up a steerable wagon, did youens get to learn how to do that? That's a real skill when it comes to tractor driving.

Thermodyne said:

How bout backing up a steerable wagon, did youens get to learn how to do that? That's a real skill when it comes to tractor driving.

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I've watched my dad back a wagon like a pro.

I can back trailers of all sizes. Wagons look like a cluster ****.

I'm just here for the beer.

Alan S said:

I've watched my dad back a wagon like a pro.

I can back trailers of all sizes. Wagons look like a cluster ****.

I'm just here for the beer.

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Try backing a flat bed or a log trailer what fun.