Chicago tumbler belts breaking/ New Update

Very Cool Dave-I was just about to exchange mine in hopes that a new unit would have fewer problems-1 month, 3 belts. I was sent 5 free belts from CE-but those are about worthless-the last one I put on broke overnight. Bought some other belts on EBAY-1 lasted a week-the other 3 weeks. I think I'll exchange out the unit and try this trick. Is it the plastic pulley breaking these belts do you suppose?

Thanks for sharing this tip!
KJ

There seems to be alot of heat build up inside the unit from the motor. The belt breakage seems to be a result of the heat more than anything. The cheaper the material, the easier the belts seem to break. I have taken the metal motor cover off of the unit and it seems to help release some of the heat. I've been trying to work out a solution to the fan blade pulley on the motor to get more airflow to reduce the temperatures, but there is just not enough room inside the unit to allow for bigger blades. I was thinking about the small fans in computers and a way to mount it and wire it in the motor compartment. They are small and compact enough and should do the job. This is my next experiment.

I also should have mentioned that the rubber bands that I am using are of a harder compound - not like the regular office type. The softer office types seem to break just like the original belts do. Most of these come out of the package with splits and tears, which will quickly cause the bands to break.
The harder(almost gel-like bands) seem to work the best. I would like to experiment with different widths to see if it makes a difference in longevity. The 1/8" wide bands I'm currently using seem to be working for now, but the pulley width is twice as wide as the bands(hence the doubling or tripling of the bands to fill the space). The 3" lengths seem to be perfect and the bands aren't being stretched too far. So far so good.

I was also thinking about trying various upright vacuum cleaner belts. They are made a little stronger and come in a variety of sizes.

Well I've been running the Chicago Dual 3# for about 1 1/2 months straight (24/7) now and finally broke a rubber band. It was still turning with one band in place but was slipping badly and the second band was fading fast. The last time I recharged the barrels I think I loaded them a little too heavy on the water side. It still seems as if it works better when you use 2 or 3 bands together.
I'm am still, over all, pleased with the results, and it is a whole lot cheaper than trying to fight the problem with the original crappy replacement belts. If all I have to do is change the rubber bands once a month, (instead of every couple of days with the belts) it is still worth it. It only takes about a minute to do.
And, best of all, I am still able to tumble!!
Hope this has worked for all of you as well as it has for me!