Identifying Replacement Belts For OEM Products

One of the more common inquiries that our Product Application Engineering Group receives is to identify replacement belts for consumer or commercial products.  This may include belts for outdoor recreational products such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, or scooters.  Commercial products may include consumer or commercial lawn grooming equipment, rotor tillers, trenchers, brush cutters, edgers, blowers, etc. 

Replacement belt identifications and recommendations are managed by the Gates Automotive Aftermarket group.  Their main webpage is:  http://www.gates.com/index.cfm?location_id=783.  There are three primary sources of information available to identify recommended replacement belts:

 1)  Search for replacement belts by part number or application at:       http://www.gates.com/part_locator/index.cfm?location_id=3002

2)  Download application catalogs at:  http://www.gates.com/catalogs/index.cfm?requesting=automotivecatalog&location_id=5326

3)  Download the unique NaviGates mobile app from:  http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=12108&location_id=5327

These tools are readily available at your fingertips, and are some of the most powerful in the industry.  Identifying replacement belts using these tools is usually quicker than calling in for assistance.

It is useful to understand that Gates recommended replacement belts should not be assumed to be exact OEM originals.  Gates work with OEM customers is maintained as confidential, so replacement belt recommendations are generally based on dimensional equivalent belts in standard constructions.  Obtaining replacements from OEM manufacturers is recommended if identical belt performance is desired.

For additional information, feel free to contact Gates Product Application Engineering at 303-744-5800 or ptpasupport@gates.com.