Wildstang 2012: After The Game

[dellagd]

Originally Posted by MICHAELABICK

Poly cord is sold on mcmaster by the name urethane belt. Some teams use the round belt and some use the flat belt. Basically, you buy the polycord and install by cutting the belting to length(a little short so that you get tension on your belts) and weld the two sides together with heat(we have a polycord welding set, but it's really not needed. I've heard of a flame or a soldering iron working well). Our team used the round belt for 2012. We machined pulleys out of ABS to make sure that the belt wouldn't move. Many other teams have similar or the same way of keeping it in place. I've also heard good things about flat belt from teams like 341. Apparently if you wrap your shafts in electrical tape where you want your belts to stay the belts will actually walk back to their places if they get moved.

You can also get small metal pieces that are inserted into each end of the cord to hold it in a loop

[MichaelBick]

Originally Posted by dellagd

You can also get small metal pieces that are inserted into each end of the cord to hold it in a loop

That's for the hollow polycord. Most teams that I know of use the solid cord, and it's honestly not that hard to weld(even without a special belt welder). We actually used a soldering iron before we got our belt welder and the welds held up the whole season. The belt welder makes the welds a bit cleaner however.

[Chris is me]

Hollow is a touch easier to maintain, just since you don't have to re-weld each belt when you're tightening it and it's easier to install a barb in place than it is to re-weld a belt in place. I think I'm sold on flat belting from now on though.

[Wildcats1378]

That's interesting. Electrical tape will stop them from walking? Defiantly will have to invest in some of those! Haha

[rsisk]

Great videos, thanks for sharing.

Video 4 would not play on my mobile (iPad), the rest played fine.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Hollow is a touch easier to maintain, just since you don't have to re-weld each belt when you're tightening it and it's easier to install a barb in place than it is to re-weld a belt in place. I think I'm sold on flat belting from now on though.

Polycord doesn't require maintenance, and welding in place isn't that hard. Granted, our team has used polycord in excess.

We also want to switch to flat belt, but we have so much belt left over from 2009....