Does anybody out there know a manufacturer who publishes these things?

I have an application for timing belts, but practically all the literature I can find on the web is nothing more than a list of parts, and prices. I need to know how much tension I can put on these things. I would prefer to buy from someone who provides the data.

It used to be so easy to find this stuff in catalogues.

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JHG

Start here:
http://www.gates.com/catalogs/file_display.cfm?fil...\catalogs&requesting=ptcatalog&location_id=2999

Ted

I know this is going to be a shock to all you raised in the internet age, but engineers used to get all their information from printed paper books. They were called "catalogs". And one of the reasons an engineer would choose one manufacturer's catalog over the competition was the application and engineering information, usually in the back.

Believe it or not every engineer had his own library of his favorite catalogs. Larger departments maintained a "catalog library". You knew you were in the presence of an old machine designer by the condition (and sometimes the smell) of his catalogs. So many names come to mind: Browning, Morse, Boston, Tru-Arc, Parker, Shaefer, Vickers, SKF, Torrington, Timken, Dodge, Aero-Quip, Gast, Bimba, Tolo-Matic, Nook, Carr-Lane, and of course the old stand-by: McMaster-Carr.

Talk to a real live person at the timing belt manufacturer, preferably one in applications engineering. They can send you all the information you need.

As a side comment, it absolutely amazes me how often I have to give that same advice: "talk to a live person at the manufacturer". It seems so intuitive to me, so natural, so instinctive. I would never dream of asking a bunch of folks I don't know for design advice on a system for which I know there is at least one live person whose job is tell me everything I need to know about it, and whose job depends on making the product in question a success.

What does that indicate? The modern generation doesn't even consider initiating communication that doesn't include a computer or I-phone screen somewhere in the path? Just the ramblings of an old curmudgeon.

Jboggs,

I remember those days. I had a large cubicle to accommodate my drafting board, and lots of bookshelf space for catalogues. Now, I have a small cubicle, and I rely on the internet for information. The company's website should tell me how the product works.

I am trying to select something. I need a certain tensile force. I need to attach the belt to my equipment. I need pulleys. I should be able to scan the website and see if they have something I can use. The phone call to the vendor is for detailed information on something I have already selected.

So many websites have part numbers, drawings and prices, but no performance information. I would strongly prefer to buy from vendors that do put this up on their websites. Otherwise, it will all go away.

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JHG

hydtools,

Thanks. I had searched the Gates website, but I guess I did not search hard enough. Their old catalogue is up there as a PDF.

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JHG

Download cataloges to your virtual bookshelf for future reference.

Ted

Quote (Jboggs)

Talk to a real live person at the timing belt manufacturer, preferably one in applications engineering. They can send you all the information you need.

Jboggs,

Of course these days the applications engineer at the timing belt manufacturer will e-mail the information to you

Like some others, I'm just old enough to recall when things were done with phone and fax. Personally I mostly prefer the modern electronic catalogs and interactive websites to musty, dog-eared old paper. But after looking thru the online information I still quite often will make a phone call to the company's engineering just to get myself better educated about the product.

You mentioned SKF in your list of old reliables. In my opinion SKF bearings currently has the best technical website bar none. Their website has extensive online bearing analysis tools and calculators that are as good as many you pay for.

Regards,
Terry

I've used both Gates and Goodyear for timing belts.

In both cases, their catalogs are getting hard to find and they would prefer you to download their design software. The formulas and actual ratings are being obfuscated by the use of the software compared to the charts in the older print catalogs.

Additionally, the phone numbers to talk with a live technical assistance are almost impossible to locate on their website so when you find them write them down.

That said, once you get the right resources both companies support questions well. They have just made it difficult to work out designs the traditional way.