OccupantRJ
Well-known member
I am restoring an air compressor I had in use about 20 years ago that has been in storage ever since, to provide a backup compressor for blast cabinet use. I had acquired a 5 hp twin capacitor Baldor motor to replace the original motor on the unit, which I had “borrowed” for another project.
The bolt pattern for this new motor was different from the old one, due to the motor being a bit huskier, so I had to layout and cut some new mounting slots for the base. While I was at it, I decided to incorporate a belt tensioning device to make belt adjustment easier than using blocks and a pry bar while also trying to tighten bolts.
I used a piece of 1/4” thick angle, drilled and tapped to match the motor bolt spacing underneath the mounting platform. This allows tightening of the mounting bolts with only one wrench. A piece of 1/4” steel flat was welded at the end of the platform to provide the pull point for the jack bolts.
The piece of angle under the motor also got two threaded jack bolt holes drilled and tapped horizontally into it, along with getting two nuts welded to the backside to provide more thread engagement for the pulling. A couple of threaded rods with nuts welded onto them provides the jack bolts.
The belt can now be tensioned by loosening the motor mounting bolts slightly, then using the two jack bolts to tension the belt, while at the same time allowing the ability to keep the pulley alignment during the process because of the two pull points.
The rest of the compressor will get a paint bath before it gets installed into position. The sucker is so top heavy that I plan to mount the tank in my compressor room, then assemble the rest of the unit in place.
Maybe this will help someone else with ideas to improve their belt tensioning experiences without having to buy an expensive tensioning base.
The bolt pattern for this new motor was different from the old one, due to the motor being a bit huskier, so I had to layout and cut some new mounting slots for the base. While I was at it, I decided to incorporate a belt tensioning device to make belt adjustment easier than using blocks and a pry bar while also trying to tighten bolts.
I used a piece of 1/4” thick angle, drilled and tapped to match the motor bolt spacing underneath the mounting platform. This allows tightening of the mounting bolts with only one wrench. A piece of 1/4” steel flat was welded at the end of the platform to provide the pull point for the jack bolts.
The piece of angle under the motor also got two threaded jack bolt holes drilled and tapped horizontally into it, along with getting two nuts welded to the backside to provide more thread engagement for the pulling. A couple of threaded rods with nuts welded onto them provides the jack bolts.
The belt can now be tensioned by loosening the motor mounting bolts slightly, then using the two jack bolts to tension the belt, while at the same time allowing the ability to keep the pulley alignment during the process because of the two pull points.
The rest of the compressor will get a paint bath before it gets installed into position. The sucker is so top heavy that I plan to mount the tank in my compressor room, then assemble the rest of the unit in place.
Maybe this will help someone else with ideas to improve their belt tensioning experiences without having to buy an expensive tensioning base.
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