TRUE CONVEYOR DRIVE COST
The actual cost of your conveyor drive can vary from the cost shown on your quotation. The erector set approach taken by some manufacturers can add a substantial amount to your purchase price.
The following assembly procedure was extracted from a common manufacturer’s maintenance manual (as shown on their website) and covers the installation of a heavy-duty side drive:
Installation Procedure (Common Manufacturer):
- Run tracking screw in (away from block).
- Remove (2) 5/16 nuts on conveyor bearing plate.
- Remove tracking block.
- Unpack drive package.
- Remove (4) screws holding mounting plate to drive casting.
- Place mounting plate over (2) studs where 5/16 nuts were removed.
- Replace (2) 5/16 nuts and tighten.
- Position shaft key.
- Rotate drive pulley by hand to bring key to 12 o’clock position.
- Rotate input quill on reducer to bring keyway in coupling half to 12 o’clock position.
- Align keyway in coupling with key in pulley shaft and slide drive package onto shaft, bringing it against the mounting plate.
- Insert (2) screws into casting and tighten.
- Insert wrench through hole in casting and tighten set screw in coupling.
- Replace and tighten (2) remaining screws in casting.
- Back tracking screw out until it contacts the mounting plate.
- Determine proper plug and remove 1/4 pipe plug in reducer (review reducer instructions).
- Check to ensure oil is in reducer (fill if required, review reducer instructions).
- Remove 2-piece vent plug from packet and screw brass section into plastic body.
- Install vent assembly into 1/4 pipe tap.
- Unpack motor from the box.
- Pull key out of keyway 1/4” and upset the bottom of keyway 5/16” from the end of the key to prevent key from moving beyond this point.
- Replace key to be flush with the end of the motor shaft.
- Locate packet of anti-seize compound and apply to motor shaft and reducer quill bore.
- Insert motor shaft into reducer quill bore while keeping the key aligned to the keyway.
- Rotate motor to position terminal box in the desired location.
- Insert (4) screws into motor flange and tighten.
NOTE: (2) Procedures were eliminated since they serve no purpose whatsoever. Determine what your labor cost would be to perform these (26) functions and add this to the cost of the drive package and motor. THIS is your TRUE drive cost.
Conveyor Technologies Procedure for Assembling a Heavy-Duty Side Drive:
- Unpack the complete drive assembly.
- Remove coupling spider attached to drive casting and insert it into the coupling half on pulley shaft.
- Insert the drive assembly over pulley shaft while aligning the coupling, and rotate it into position against the bearing plate.
- Install (4) screws through casting and into bearing plate and tighten.
Add this cost to your purchase price to determine your total cost.