Snow trac or snowmaster belt change?

Hi

How do you change a belt on the variator? It is out and off of transmission but cannot figure out how to change the belt. Help.

Greg7510 said:

Hi

How do you change a belt on the variator? It is out and off of transmission but cannot figure out how to change the belt. Help.

Click to expand...

(Right, left refer to as sitting in drivers seat)
The following may help, but I suggest you check the doc section for the pdf of your operator manual which gives full directions
Remove the air inlet horn
Release the lock on the Right Variator nut on top.
Remove nut and washer(s)
Remove top sheave
place belt in Left variator
lay belt on bottom sheave of righ variatorr
replace top sheave of right variator
install washer(s) nut and lock You might need to work the belt in position to allow the nut to get into place. If you cant get the nut fully into position you will need to loosen the belt adjustment first.
adjust belt tension
install air horn
drive a short distance and check tension.
have fun

CT

I think many Trac's have had folks who did not have the manual work on them, and all sorts of things go wrong..

Get the manual up and print it out. You must make sure you understand that there are two nuts you adjust for belt tension, and the lower one is hard to get at, till you make a special wrench that is... They must be moved the same amount each time as you adjust tension of the belt.

In mine someone had loosened the wrong nut to adjust the belt tension. They loosened one of the spring tensioner packs, adjusted one time only at the factory.... The machine would not turn to the left as this move on some one's part broke the factory staking that should have held it. As time went on it loosened itself and I lost the ability to turn left...

Take time to understand the manual and how this thing really works. A wrong move here changing the belt could effect how "on center" the steering is. In other words, straight ahead will no longer be exactly in the center of the range of motion of your steering wheel. Or worse a broken ST25 in the steering if the belt is too tight. What belt did you get, the Goodyear? Wash it before you install in soap and hot water to get the parting compound off, and make sure everything on the sheeves are greese and oil free... Belt dust will not stick to variator sheeves and parts afer the washing of the belt. Better traction that way....

Take some time now, and reap the rewards this Feb at The Big Powder Horn..

Regards, Kirk

it's a surprise should be more available.

be advised as you tighten the belt adjustment nuts you are loosening the belt and as you loosen the nuts you tighten the belt. if you don't think it through right you can break the st 25 link by adjusting the belt, been there done that. which is mine has a pretty tig weld around it now .

I decided to order a new belt today. I've never taken mine off either so is is helpful. I'm hoping it will improve my steering a bit. I found one after about 10 minutes shopping online at NRIparts.com and it was $15! I had to call and double check. Of course shipping was also $15 but still seems cheap. It's the Goodyear 2926V646 one. Unfortunately they said it was the last one in stock. I found a range of about $193-$15 for that belt. Mostly in the $75 range though. Just FYI.
I've been out in mine already this year. Not much snow but enough for a shake down run. I broke the upper guide wheel bolts again so I brought it to the welder today and had them reinforced the area and hit a few other welds in the cab.
It's ready to go again. Snow on the way this weekend.

just don't put on a lighter belt than what you have.
hope to see you at our meets
jim

Thanks Jimvt, it should be the one that's recommended for replacement. I think it's the same one I have on there. I don't have the original factory one since that was replaced by the PO. I think mine might be getting worn too narrow.
I will for sure be at mt. Hood for the April event and I'm going to try and make it to Leavenworth as well.
Looking forward to meeting you all.

the belts that we get now are not the correct angle of cut as factory but they work fine .
the low hp on them could be the reason or maybe they just break in.
jim

Remove the three bolts at the top of the RH variator tower. Pull the center hub up and out of the top sheeve, off of the splined shaft it rides on... (loose belt first)

From there, you should be able to remove the top sheeve and the bearing and housing. The belt is now free to be removed and replace. Reverse order of removale and put it together..

Wash the belt first in hot soapy water, and it will work better/longer.

Regards, Kirk

I just thought I'd mention that I received my new $15 ($30 with shipping) variator belt and it is the correct one.
I've never taken apart the variator but it was super simple. Mine only needed the one larger bolt removed to get the pulley off. I think it's a newer version, without the three other bolts as described above.

Anyway, my machine was not turning so well to the right but with this new belt installed it's turning great in both directions. My old belt was exactly 1.5" wide and had worn down over time. That was why it wouldn't turn well to the right.

Easy job to do. Has anyone here experienced a worn out belt? I know they don't break but they do wear out. I wondered if anyone else has measured the width of their belt if they are having steering problems?

Mid 50's today at the ski area and melting what little snow we have!

I can imagine one could break on mine it broke the cords inside and would stretch it did turn better one way than the other

Hello, this is the first time I am writing in this forum, I am the owner of a snow trac st4 from 1960 and I need to replace the pulley belt.

The characteristics of the Gates 2926v646 are: length 1664 mm. x width 46 mm. x height 13 mm. ....... it's right?

I have some doubts for the height measurement, is 13 mm correct.?

thank you

yep, that's the current replacement belt. it is much thinner than the oem one.

Ohh thanks for confirming, may I ask what the thickness of the original belt was? does it work well anyway or does it wear quickly?

I don't remember the original, it around 25mm . the new one seems to work as well. Some belts need to be cleaned if they have preservative on them.

Thank you so much Cidertom.
Where do you live?

Benton County, Oregon, USA,

there seems to be some beautiful landscapes!!

thank you for all and nice to meet you

if the belt is extremely loose after replacement from not being seated in the sheaves be careful when you start. it is almost the same as turning the steering and not moving. i know of one person that broke the variator after changing the belt.

Thank you Jim

Good evening guys, I wanted to confirm that I bought a GATES belt, it should arrive in the first week of January .... and then I will have to install it ..... hopefully good.
I take this opportunity to send you a photo of my snow-trac.
Hello everyone and thanks

That's an awesome looking Snow-Trac. What part of the world do you live in

Hi, i live in the north of Italy, in Verona Town.

Washington State USA.