Problem motorizing my Maltmill

[dmcmillen]

I have been using my Maltmill with a hand crank and decided I'd like to motorize. I hooked up with a 1/3 hp, 1750 rpm motor, 1-1/2" and 12" sheaves with a 44L belt, which should give me 155 rpm and plenty of torque. I turn on the motor and as soon as I add grain to my hopper, the belt freezes with the motor sheave spinning freely. I have tried adjusting the belt tension but with no luck. Am I missing something here. I have read numerous forums on motorizing a grain mill and I seem to have a pretty typical setup.

Do I need to step up to a 3" sheave which will up my rpm to 380? Or do I need a 1/2 hp motor? The Maltmill website uses a 1/3 hp example and I see plenty of folks using 1/3 hp motors. The only thing I see unusual is a little bit of wobble in the Maltmill shaft. Gaps are ok.

Any suggestions here?

 

[bja]

If the pulley spins and the belt doesn't, the belt's not tight enough.

 

[michaeltrego]

Yep, if the belt is slipping then you'll likely need to increase the space between the motor and the mill to tighten it up.

 

[dmcmillen]

Let me try tightening the belt some more. It's pretty tight right now.

 

[Jayhem]

If the belt is slipping use some belt dressing (made for auto accessory belts) on it. It will make the belt tacky so it won't slip. If you tighten it too much you will prematurely wear out the bearings in your mill shaft.

 

[tootal]

A 1.5" pulley is hard to get any traction with. You need an X type belt. An X type belt has teeth in it which allow it to fold around smaller diameters.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...47F157BAE992C73E42A602CC73F3C52DD&FORM=IQFRBA

It's the top left image.

 

[dmcmillen]

Well, the belt dressing did the trick. Thanks for the idea Jayhem! That's some nasty stuff. Anyone know how long is it supposed to last? It says not to over use. Not sure whether that means with one application or over time.

Tootal - you're right about the 1.5" pulleys. Not much area to grab. I was thinking about going to a 3" before I tried the dressing but that would have jumped my rpm's to 380. Could also have jumped to a 4L belt which is thicker.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

The belt dressing is kind of a crutch, and can get messy, especially when the stickiness of it starts collecting your grain dust, and then it makes the belt slick and glazed, and then it..............

 

[Jayhem]

Well, the belt dressing did the trick. Thanks for the idea Jayhem! That's some nasty stuff. Anyone know how long is it supposed to last? It says not to over use. Not sure whether that means with one application or over time.

I figured it would help. I use it on my car all the time, never have a squealing belt even in the fog and it lasts for several months on a car. Really you could just spray the belt, let it soak for a few hours then wipe off all excess and it should still do the trick without a huge mess.