Well the original thread got locked before I had a chance to post this, but I felt that it was worth mentioning, because all (?) Hamb vehicles use V belts. Our local Tractor Supply has plenty of V belts. They are in bins or hanging, but they are clearly marked for width and length.........so you can just match one to the belt you have, or buy the length you think you need. Probably a good idea to buy an extra one when you find the right one. They also have Kevlar belts which are much stronger. So maybe this gets deleted, or maybe it could get inserted into the original thread at the end, but thats probably the easiest place to find an assortment of belts these days....
I did a Google thing on how to measure a Vbelt for my valve refacer. Then I did another search to find what I needed. Note, this requires one to cut the belt, measure the length and top width. So long spare belt.
Man....I do a lot of v belt replacement on customer cars. I've never had an issue with having a belt on stock. But I'm out in the country where that stuff is still used.
They actually made/make a tool for measuring belts. I have one hanging in my shop that I haven't used in years....well, I think its still out there. I'd think running a cloth tape measure around the existing pulleys might get awful close.
This belt has a few pulleys, so no just like say crank to WP to Alt. The pulleys in front are 90*s to the drive pully. I tried to measure it when it was out, but tough to get all the slack out, so since it was flaking-whack!
When I need to measure a belt, I put a mark on it with a sharpie, and a mark at one end of my workbench. Align the two marks, then roll the belt along the workbench until the mark again touches the bench. Place a third mark on the bench, then measure the distance between the two marks on the bench.
I use a section of rope and then take it to the parts store (where they have a few feet of open counter space !!!) 6sally6
I ordered a spare for all my vehicles after not being able to find a belt when I needed one on a Sunday in a small town. A good tip is to tape a cheap/spare wrench to your spare belt so that if you ever find yourself needing to replace a belt without tools, you're not stranded.
Most auto parts store still have a belt gauge to measure belts. The problem with rope or string around the pullies is that the belt may sit lower or higher on the pully depending on the width of the belt. Some belts were very thin as the driven part didn't have a lot of resistance to over come. A lot of older cars had much thicker belts and the thinner belts might work, but they have to be shorter. V belts are still used in many vehicles and devices, but not all v belts are created equally. Mower belts may be the length you are looking for, but they are not built to handle most car applications.
Hang on here! Fractional V belts are different pulley groove angle. Most vehicles use auto V pulleys, which have different groove angle. You mix them up and you will have slippage. Now, I don't know if all Vehicles are different. But most later model alt. and wps. are!
Some folks don't know that the belt is NOT suppose to go down into the BOTTOM of the V. When it does.....you get the squeals. 6sally6
Here is what I found........ "The groove angle of an automotive v-belt is a compromise between the force required to pull the belt out of the groove and excessive belt wear due to friction and heat1. Groove angles of 32° to 38° are usually used1. Light-duty v-belts, also known as wedge belts, are designed with a 40° angle to wedge the belt into the groove of the pulley2." I agree that you don't want a belt to touch the bottom of the pulley groove as that would negate the idea that the wedge shape is providing the friction for the pulley to grip the belt. "IF" the RED statement above is correct, it appears that there is some variation in the angle on automotive belts and pulleys. The industrial belts show a 40 degree V , so 1 extra degree on each side from a 38 degree pulley. Given the short height of the belts it would seem to be insignificant in most instances. Probably best to take a pulley with you and put the prospective belt in the V before buying. I found an old belt out in my shop and tried to measure it. Don't have any idea where I got it from. It measured 40 degrees. Looked it up on Amazon and one seller showed it as an automotive belt.....but they also had a Kevlar version and listed it as industrial. #4L410
The V angle required of a pulley (or sheave) changes with the diameter. This is because a belt that's curved into a small radius flexes to make its inside edge thicker. The specs. are in the Machinery's Handbook.
I keep an assortment of used belts that I can try to see if one works. But I also took a couple and cut them once to use to measure belt length. I take the longest one and try putting it around the pulleys and if it overlaps I tape it together there so I can measure it. If it's short I just use a tape measure to check how short and add that to the belt length. Works great every time, and no guessing or calculations required.
In a similar way, I use an extra long belt and use a small pair of vice grips to adjust the length to where I feel it fits best then take the clamped belt to the part store and measure it with the belt measure device
I knew someone who put industrial pulley on alt. He didn't know the difference. 1st start up, squealed like a pig.
Another overthinking thread. I use a strip of masking tape stuck around the outer face of the belt. Peal it off stick it on kitchen work top then measure the length There or only 2 or 3 profiles used for auto belts depending on the era and specified by width so an easy measure. I use cogged belts if the alternator pully is small in diameter. Job done. My B profile cogged belt on a banger.
these have gotten a little pricey but they are a must have. If you have a V belt to replace anyway. I live in a farming community and most of the autoparts have them If I don't have a belt measure I use a piece of rope to wrap the pullies (sorry I cannot spell the proper name). set them in the middle of the adjustment wrap the rope around the pullies and tape it together. I usually get one inch in wither direction and bring the ones I do not want back.
I have to say I never thought I needed a cloth tape measure but I've used it a million times in the garage over the three or four years I've had it so far, it sits right next to the classic Stanley. It's great for measuring bends and curves.
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