Got schooled by a logging crew foreman in Oregon last month

Was out near Coos Bay fixing a snapped serpentine belt on a skidder. Dude walks over, watches me for a minute, and says 'You're gonna burn up the new one too if you don't check the idler pulley first.' He was right, the bearing was totally shot and had a wobble you could feel. I swapped the pulley, put the new belt on, and it's been running smooth for weeks now. Anyone else have a simple fix they missed that cost them a comeback?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_hayes13d ago

Honestly that wobble sounds pretty minor, tbh. Seen way worse bearings run for months without eating a belt.

kaid4713d ago

Maybe it's just me but a wobble is a wobble. That bearing was already on its way out and would have taken the new belt with it. Letting it run for months is how you get stuck in the woods with a shredded belt and no spare. The foreman saved him a trip back out there for sure.

eva_adams685d ago

Yeah, but a tiny wobble doesn't always mean instant failure. I've seen bearings with more play than that go another season. Sometimes you just get the belt on and keep an eye on it, order the part for next time. Not every little shake is a death sentence.