belts vs chains

[drmacgyver]

After reading through the posts here: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=61635&start=75
And seeing the findings of the two studies Onloop posted in that thread, I'm starting to consider chains as a better option. I'm hoping people can chime in with their experience, either from mountain or skate/longboards. My belt broke recently (from a shattered flywheel core that left the wheel loose on the axle), so I'm starting to wonder if I should switch to a chain drive for long term efficiency, especially because I'll be replacing my 83mm's with pneumatics.

Also could anyone who's currently or prospectively switching to chains post some info on where to get parts that are compatible? Thanks in advance!

 

[furp]

I am using a HTD 5M 9mm belt on my 5065 single motor pneumatic board but did not yet ride it long enough for the belt to really wear and tear. One thing I noticed after I turned up the power from 50 to 100% is that the belt slips if I go hard on the throttle and uphill. But this could also be due to low tension.

My MTB runs with ISO04B chain which works great even with quite some dust and debris on the unpaved roads. I got the parts from maedler.de but that might not be an potion for you. I know beltingonline.com got ISO 04B as well. Others seem to use #25 chain which might be easier to get by.

Efficiency-wise I think they are close enough to neglect that factor. The cost for sprockets or pulleys is about the same as well, only the belt might be a bit cheaper than the chain (I paid about 11€ for 1m chain and a few cent for links).

I think most of the noise will come from the motor anyway, so the 'silence' of a belt might not be that much better, but I could be wrong there 'cause my MTB got a aluminum motor protection that kind of works as a body of resonance which makes the drive train and motors louder (but the protection is well worth it!).

One thing to consider is that on a chain system, both chain and sprockets wear with time and grinding particles or small imperfections in the alignment while on a belt system, the belt will wear but the pulleys are more likely to last. Don't really know if that is an important factor tho, none of my drivetrains is used up yet.

Belts come in fixed lenghts and some sellers don't have all steps of lenghts, so you might have to look if your supplier offers the right lenght for your motor mount with you new gearing ratio, or go with chain you can cut to fit. Chain can also work with less tension than a belt.

Especially if you are planning to ride some rougher roads, go with chain so you won't have to replace the belts all the time. For really well paved and clean roads, belts will work just fine and might be more silent.

 

[torqueboards]

Chains are definitely better for driving torque - I would think. Haven't tried them yet but don't think there would be much issues with using chains. Anyone have experience using chains and how loud it is?

SDP-SI.com would be good for the motor chain pulley w/ hub.
http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexpro has quite a few selections and are as cheap as sdp-si if not cheaper. Didn't check exactly.

http://www.vexrobotics.com/vexpro/sprockets-and-chain/25-sprockets.html --- We should all use this as a standard fitment. The prices are fairly cheap and in comparison to the major pulley/chain sellers. There are a lot more options to switch settings much easier without having to customize each sprocket/pulley. I've seen it before but credit goes to psychotiller for implementing it which made me change my mind.

I think belts wouldn't an issue if they were 15mm in width -- which is kind of hard if you want a dual rear on 180mm trucks. Also we want a better range of reduction in gearing ratios unfortunately with belts it's tough to do that.

 

[rs4race]

I don't have any problems with my belts. I would think that a chain drive would be more forgiving with debris, setup and alignment, and narrower. It could be better for pneumatic tires, I'm sure your going to be a bit more adventurous with terrain, and i'm sure with switching tires the narrower drive train will help fit everything better.

I would just expect a little more maintenance with periodic lubing of chains, and a bit more noise.

If you really want a good comparison look at the manufactures data sheet for each type of drive. Usually power and speed ratings are based off of the smallest pulley, It should give you a better idea which would be better in your operating range.

 

[onloop]

Here's my two cents..

On 83mm wheels - belt for sure.
On >= 5 inch wheels - chain becomes an option, but I'll still continue using belts for now. Zero maintainece. Very cheap to replace. No lube. Light weight... however to get larger reductions on 4:1 5mm pitch is not feasible (driven pulley to close to ground). Only 3mm can work. Which might not be able to handle the torque unless wide belts are used.. like 15mm wide. But then it might be hard to go dual drive rear. This is the main reason I put a 6mm negative offset in my 5inch rim to allow extra width....

So it that all fails...
Then chain is really the only other option for dual rear drive.

 

[drmacgyver]

Cool, thanks for the feedback guys! I'm thinking I'll just stick with belts, given there doesn't seem to be much difference and I've already go the setup for belts. One thing I will change is the belt width, moving up to 15mm from 10, and move up from a 12t drive pulley to 15. I was getting cogging before, so this setup should be smoother. I'm only running a single 50mm 280kv motor. What ratio do you recommend for pneumatic setup (with a belt)?

 

[makepeace]

you should just scale your RR based on the top speed to keep torque and speed characteristics the same. so work out your speed with your current RR and wheel diameter (Vt=w_motormax*RR*r_wheel) and work back to get your new RR based on new wheel diameter (RR=Vt/(w_motormax*r_newwheel). Either that or predetermine your speed at a reasonable value (depending on your motor setup) and work backwards in the same way to get your RR.

 

[rs4race]

I agree, gear it to come out about the same. I imagine your going to have to bump up the wheel pulley tooth count a quite a bit for pnuematic tires so be careful if your going to bump up the motor pulley also.