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Post by 3rdrockfromthefun on Jul 16, 2012 2:27:31 GMT -5
yeah I am thinking I just toss the belt, clean the pulleys good and put on a new belt. It is still rolling though, so I'll let it eek out a few more miles. I sometimes use markers in different ways with pulleys and belts. In your case I could draw a single line through the pulley (slice a pie in half line) and lines atop the belt spaced at close enough intervals that you can observe any slippage by watching those lines against the line on the pulley. Then again that may be overcomplicating - I have no idea what belts cost but if they're cheap then just trying a new one is probably less costly in your own time and labor.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
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Post by LarryS on Jul 18, 2012 2:31:22 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2012 6:38:02 GMT -5
If this tumbler was bought used the motor could be an older one. My Lortone is less than two years old and it requires oil. Two or three drops per week. It seems to me like if they changed to ball or roller bearings the hole would no longer be there. Mine does have half round pieces of metal that make a tube on the inside face of the end plate that are very easy to see with a flash light. Seems to me like the company could tell you what is what from the serial number. Jim
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 18, 2012 12:26:13 GMT -5
I think all the tiny motors have those cut outs in the casing. If there isn't a corresponding oil tube going to the motor the oil just falls on the motor windings and other internal components. I suspect they use the same housing for both permanently lubricated and motors with oiled bearings. I saw many motors ruined by oil saturation and some larger motors with grease fittings that were completely filled with grease from everybody in the department giving it a few pumps for good measure. Commercial refrigeration fan coil motors ran 24/7 except when coils were being washed. They generally said "add 2-3 drops of oil every three months". Once the motor was installed they were never relubed and usually lasted 2-3 years. I would not oil a tumbler motor more often than twice a year. Over oiling can be worse than not oiling as the excess usually runs into the windings.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2012 12:54:41 GMT -5
Here it is from the horses mouth. Care and maintenance of tumbler.
Oil motor bearings when beginning operation and once each month after that. Use oil sparingly. (unnecessary on Mod. T & MP-1 Series)
The last photo shows the tubes that direct the oil to the bearings just like mine. Jim
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 18, 2012 13:43:09 GMT -5
I've been reading this thread because one of these days I'd like to get a Lortone QT66 myself. I don't know anything about motors beyond how to plug them in. However, I just went to Lortone's website and looked at the owner's manual for the QT66: www.lortone.com/pdf/QT_Series_PartsList_Instructions.pdfIt says, "The motor is designed for continuous use and does not need oiling or other maintenance. It is normal for the motor to run hot to the touch." Obviously this manual is for new tumblers. I don't know if it applies to older tumblers. Jim, did your quote come from an older QT66 manual?
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Post by 3rdrockfromthefun on Jul 18, 2012 13:54:43 GMT -5
Isn't the general rule of thumb for electric motors and oil: If there is a port labeled with the word 'oil' by it or if there is a port with a cap in it - it is for oil. Open holes can be anything and should not be oiled except by those familiar with the innards of the motor (trained techs) ?
I've never had any trouble with oiling motors that should not be oiled (other than it does not help) but I can see where a motor that runs really hot as the norm might encounter some problems as heat tends to do gummy things to oil.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2012 14:10:01 GMT -5
What I wrote came from a sheet that was provided with my tumbler. It appears to be a generic because this is what is at the top of the sheet: Tumbling Instructions for THUMLER'S TUMBLER. It gives the instructions on how to tumble rocks and at the bottom is the "care and maintenance of tumbler".
Mine is a Model A-R 2. I am not trying to be pushy but the picture of the top of the motor has the tubes exactly like my motor and I would oil it. Jim
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Post by 3rdrockfromthefun on Jul 18, 2012 14:35:34 GMT -5
Sorry, there IS one other exception - if you have a manual from the manufacturer that states where to put oil, then that would also be an oil port whether it looks like one or not. I have had this happen once or twice and I don't like it when they do that. What if a person inherits the motor and not the manual. Anyway, I know the last furnace we had was like that. A small sticker on the motor showed where to put oil and how often but the two spots on the motor were neither labeled nor had capped tubes nor was there anything intuitive about it. That sticker fell off years before the furnace needed replacing. I kept it oiled every year but if that sticker had fallen off before I found it I bet it would have died long before it's day.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2012 14:39:37 GMT -5
I agree but that stamp would probably cost a few pennies more than a sticker and they do not want to spend the money. Jim
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