pic: Offseason Gearbox

[Knufire]

Originally Posted by rponmalai

Am I correct in assuming that you need a larger pulley to keep the belt from slipping off of the pulley?
The more I hear about this I am starting to lean towards chain drive to run through the tubes. My only draw back is keeping the chain tensioned. What would be the best way to keep the chain tight while it is in the tube?

FRC runs belt some belt very close to it's max load. Both a wider belt and a bigger pulley reduce load on the belt.

If you have the proper center-to-center distance on the chain, it should stay tensioned. 5188 did the calculated center-to-center + 0.018" this past year, and the chain stayed perfectly tensioned all season. This was based on Paul Copioli's recommendation and further coborrated by the testing done in this thread. However, with the chain in tube, remember that a tigher chain is more difficult to install, and there isn't anywhere for the chain to go, so the added distance may not be necessary.