Belt length used
--in
Belt Center Distance Calculator
You've got the belt. This tells you where the motor goes. Type the number off the belt or its length, give it the two pulley diameters, and you get the shaft to shaft distance plus how far the motor base has to travel to install it and to keep it tight.
Belt at run positionMotor travel, install to take-up
Your belt
OR
Your pulleys
Center distance, shaft to shaft
--in
Wrap, motor pulley
--deg
Drive ratio
--:1
Motor pulled in to slip the belt on--
Run position, belt tensioned--
Pushed out, worn belt take-up--
Same belt, and the sizes either side of it
If the center distance above doesn't suit your base, step one size and the motor moves by the amount shown. Each row is a belt we stock, with the center distance it wants on these pulleys.
0 belts
| Belt | Length | Center dist | vs yours | Price |
|---|
Why the base has slots
A V-belt can't be stretched over two pulleys at its running length. You bring the motor in, drop the belt in the grooves, then push the motor out until the belt is tight. Then it seats and stretches a little in the first day, and you push it out again. The three figures above are those three positions: the minimum you need to get the belt on, the run position, and the extra travel you'll want in a few months. If your motor base can't cover that span, you don't have the wrong center distance, you have the wrong belt length.
Reading the belt
Type what's printed on it. A60 and 4L620 are the same 62 inch belt. B60 is 63. BX60 is 63. B60K is a 63 inch Kevlar. 5VX650 is 65.0. If the print is gone, measure the outside with a tape wrapped around the back and type the inches into the length box instead. The calculator takes either.
If the number doesn't land
- Check the pulley diameters. A 14 inch flywheel measured at 13.5 moves the answer by a quarter inch.
- Try the belt one size either way in the table. On a 4L belt that's a one inch step and the motor moves about half an inch.
- If the motor pulley is small and the wrap figure is under 120, the belt will slip regardless of center distance. Fix the pulley, not the base. The pulley calculator will size it.
Starting from a bare drive with no belt yet? Go the other way round with the belt length calculator. The two share the same math, so the answers agree.
Install and take-up allowances are the standard figures for each section and assume a normal adjustable base. Belts stocked are in the belt collection.
More tools from the shop
- V-Belt LengthPulley diameters and center distance to belt length, with the belts we stock near it.
- Pulley Size and RPMSolve pump speed, motor pulley or compressor pulley from the other two.
- Pump-Up TestTime the tank between two pressures and find out if the pump is worn.
- Motor Lifetime CostPremium against standard, purchase plus ten years of power, with the breakeven.
- NEMA Frame ComparisonTwo frames overlaid to scale, with the dimensions and an honest HP check.
- Unit Converterpsi, bar, CFM, l/min, HP, kW and the rest, with a ruler.
- Dryer CFM SizingCorrect dryer capacity for inlet temperature, pressure and ambient.
- Moisture in AirHow much water the compressor pulls in and how much a dryer removes.
- Air Motor SelectionPick a pneumatic motor by torque, speed and power, in SI or imperial.
- Receiver Tank SizeStop short cycling or cover a big tool, with starts per hour for every stock size.
- Pipe SizePressure drop and velocity for every size in the run, and the one that passes.
- All calculatorsThe whole set on one page, with what each one is for.
