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How do I Install Belts on a Vermeer Baler?

Anyone who raises cattle and other hay-eating livestock knows the irreplaceable value of a good hay baler. Livestock growers rely heavily on balers to get the hay baled for plenty of winter feed, and balers cannot be breaking down with hay on the ground. Vermeer has been in business for years, and it makes a reliable baler that can produce bigger bales with less horsepower. The company has an array of balers for every farm and ranch need. As with all belt-driven farm equipment, belt maintenance and belt changes are just part of the job.

Square off the belt ends with the belt cutter. Remove any raised texture from the ends of the belts where the belt hooks will be inserted, using the belt skiver. Do not hook belts within a quarter inch from the edge of the belt. This quarter inch outside margin will keep the Vermeer belt guides from tearing out the hooks as the belt passes through.

  • Anyone who raises cattle and other hay-eating livestock knows the irreplaceable value of a good hay baler.
  • Remove any raised texture from the ends of the belts where the belt hooks will be inserted, using the belt skiver.

Put one more hook into the leading or pulling end of the belt, at the splice protector, than at the trailing end. Place the first hook of the trailing end on the inside edge of the outside hook on the leading or pulling end. This will place the outside hook on the leading or pulling end and not on the trailing end of the belt at the splice protector. Use only the hook that Vermeer recommends for your particular baler.

Check to see that the hook legs are exactly parallel. The legs are the shortest side of the hook. Make sure the hooks are completely through the belt and actually fold onto and into the underside of it, and that half of the diameter of the hook is piercing the belt’s underside.

  • Put one more hook into the leading or pulling end of the belt, at the splice protector, than at the trailing end.

Finish off the belt hook clinches with the pressure plate that came with the vise lacer. Avoid using a hammer to finish the clinch on the belt hooks, as a hammer will tear the belt fabric just enough to start a belt splice that will unravel and cause the belt to fail.

Install the belts on the Vermeer baler in the direction the belt will move or travel. The direction of travel refers to how the belt is spliced, which direction it is cut, not the movement direction of the belt itself. Use shears to cut off the corners of the trailing belt once they are installed. This will keep the belt guide from grabbing the sharp corner of the trailing belt as it is pulled toward and by them.

Tip

Keep in mind there are variables too numerous to cover here when evaluating correct belt hook. These include OEM (original equipment manufacturer) standards, the size of Vermeer baler roller, and the thickness and tension of the belts.

Warning

Never clip the corners of the pull or lead belt, since these corners actually keep the belt guides from slipping into the splice joint and damaging it.

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