I found a Sanitaire at the thrift shop about a year ago and used it for a while but got frustrated with it because no matter what I did or what belts I used, the beater bar kept stopping on most any carpet. A while back I ordered parts from Hesco and replaced the fan and pulley/shaft. You can see the difference in the two parts and needless to say, the new one solved the problem...

Now thats got some miles on it!!
I never would have thought a belt pulley would wear down, but DAMN!!

Wow, how incredible; never thought that could happen! Might have to check out the one on the SC899 while I'm at it...

Thats actually pretty common to see. I see some worn even more worn. One guy I worked for at the first job has seen them actually break off. I also see a lot with paper clips wound around them.

I think this happens when people let the belt stretch out, then slip on the pulley. The belt slipping on the pulley would cause wear, especially when the belt is old and has sand worn in to it. Just my theory.

We used to see quite a few Juniors with this problem, they usually came in for the belt coming off all the time.The cause being a worn belt sounds reasonable to me!

Seamus

those outrageous 7amp motors dont help much. 7 amps is TOO MUCH! make it 5 amps, please.

Just use a geared belt.

If only they could figure out a way to put a geared or poly V belt on a Sanitaire. It would be a HUGE improvement.

Greg,
Finally an answer to the problem. I never thought pulley wear would matter that much.

I was shocked to see it too, I've seen several machines that have been used in commercial settings with a lot of sand, etc. (common particularly in the winter with sand and salt on walks, landings and stoops) and you can see the wear and tear on the machine parts from the sand moving through the beater and air-paths. Your theory on the worn/dirty belt would make sense, Reggie, especially given enough time using it this way.

That might explain why I get belt problems on some cleaners. Sometimes, even with a new belt, the belt slips. I've always blamed it on the belt. Unless you have a side by side comparison, like the picture above, you might not catch the problem. Makes sense when you think about it. The pulley is in the dirt stream. I'll have to pay more attention to this. I've got some commercial Sanitaires to go over and I'll check the pulleys when I do.

Good find.

Joe