Misalignment is a major problem when it comes to premature wear and failure of your machines’ V-Belts and sheaves.

Regardless of the severity of the problem or the type – angular or parallel – misalignment will increase wear and fatigue on a belt – possibly destroying it within hours or days. To save yourself time and money down the road, look for these signs of misalignment:

1. Premature belt failure: Misalignment is one of the most common reasons for belts to fail prematurely. By increasing wear and fatigue, misalignment puts undue stress on the belt and may cause it to tear.

2. Excessive vibration: If the belts or sheaves are misaligned, excess machine vibration can be a common symptom, or it could be a sign of a larger issue.

3. Premature and uneven sheave wear: Both angular and parallel misalignment can lead to sheaves wearing prematurely.

4. Belt dust: If you see visual clues of something amiss, such as belt shavings at the foot of the machine, you know to check for significant misalignment.

5. Belts unequally stretched: A misaligned drive may be the culprit. This can overload some belts and result in premature wear. Realigning and resetting the tension again can solve the problem.

6. Unexpected noise: A squealing noise often indicates slippage between the belts and the pulleys. A chirping sound could stem from misalignment of a pulley or drive belt, as well as a host of other issues.

7. Tensile failure: A common indicator of misalignment, tensile failure may be due to uneven cord loading.