| 6 Checks Before Attempting to Track or Train Your Conveyor Belt
- Follow all safety regulations for guarding requirements.
- Adjustments must only be made by qualified personal and only when the conveyor is turned off and isolated.
- Head and tail pulleys are clean, free of build-up, square to each other and square to the conveyor frame or truss.
- Carry and return idlers and free and rotating, no build-up of dirt or clay on the idlers.
- The belt has been spliced square to the ends and perpendicular to the conveyor.
- The structure is not bent or twisted, no misalignment.
| Then Determine these 3 Questions
1.
The splice is ok?
2.
The structure is not bent?
3.
Your idlers and pulleys are all ok?
| Address Where the Belt is Running Off
Is it the carry side (trough)?
Is it the return side (flat)?
If the conveyor belt is running off at the head or tail pulley area?
Is the conveyor belt running off along the length of the conveyor?
| A Belt Should Always be Tracked Empty on the Initial Attempt
This is done by adjusting the return idlers. Once the belt is tracked empty the material can be added and the belt can be tracked full on the carry side (trough).
Both methods for training and tracking a belt are the same for the carry and for the return. Your idlers should be in frames that have slotted holes. This allows you to move the frame forward and backwards in the slots and this will in turn train/track the belt.
| As Easy as Riding a Bike
It’s like riding the bike. You turn the handle bars and the bike goes in that direction. The same applies for the belt. For example; the belt is running off to the left hand side when you look in the same direction as the belt travels. You want it to go to the right. You simply move the idler frame forward on the left hand side, or back on the right hand side and the belt will go to the right.
When training the belt it’s important to do it in small stages. Start at the location you notice the belt is first starting to drift/run off to one side. Start with the idler frame just before this point. Then move to the next frame in the direction the belt is travelling. Whether it’s the carry or the return the same principle is applied. Adjust a couple of the frames and then re-run the belt to see if it starts to move in the direction you require. This process will take some time, so be patient and allow the belt time to naturally move.
| Never Use the Head and Tail Pulleys to Track the Conveyor Belt
The head and tail pulleys should always be square to each other and the truss frame. The adjusters on the take up are for belt tension, not belt tracking.
For full details and a more detailed guide on belt tracking, contact your local Striker rep or dealer.