Family Sew Fs-550S Servo Motor.

[dikman]

Which is what I said a few posts back.......so it must work.

The parts list shows two grub screws holding the handwheel on, spaced around the wheel. If it still won't budge you could try tapping it GENTLY with a rubber/plastic hammer. Failing that it may need a pulley remover to exert some pull on it. As for the belt guard, in the parts manual it looks like you should still be able to change the belt without having to remove it.

Art, you're a bit of a worry........

[LumpenDoodle2]

See, great minds think alike. ;-()

[MG513]

Which is what I said a few posts back.......so it must work.

The parts list shows two grub screws holding the handwheel on, spaced around the wheel. If it still won't budge you could try tapping it GENTLY with a rubber/plastic hammer. Failing that it may need a pulley remover to exert some pull on it. As for the belt guard, in the parts manual it looks like you should still be able to change the belt without having to remove it.

Art, you're a bit of a worry........

Lol! You could just do what I do. Take a bit string, put it round the two pulleys, just like the belt, then measure its length.

I can guarantee from personal experience, it is idiot proof. :-()

I did do the string test guys. Still came up short:

My string laid flat is measuring about 18 in long, so that's the size belt I'm looking for.

But if I'm taking Toms instruction (correctly) and another member who says he has a 40 inch belt, I'm suppose to times my 18x2 which would equal 36. The old belt from the clutch is about that size and when I placed it its flopping all over because it's too big... Like why would I buy a belt that much bigger when I can see that it's already not gonna work.

Please excuse my ignorance. Never done this stuff before. Getting frustrated cuz now I have to do math to figure this out and I hate math.

Also, I can get the belt in with the thing on there it's just difficult. Seems as I have bigger fish to fry anyway trying to get this thing the correct belt. Thanks everybody. I'm about to take these belts back to autozone

[MG513]

Years ago when I first started repairing sewing machines my neighbor wanted me to look @ his mothers machine.I went there & it was a real old White treadle machine.So I looked it over oiled it,threaded it & started to sew & it started getting tighter,so I oiled it again & then it tied up & wouldn't turn.The she started yelling to him in Italian & he started getting upset w/me saying she thought I ruined her machine.I didn't know what to do so I said let me take it with me & fix it.She didn't like the idea but he convinced her it'll be ok.So I took it to work & told the old mechanic what happened & he just started laughing & thought it was really funny.Then he said that's what happens after years of 3 in 1.It builds up a waxing shellac type of crap in the bearings & when I oiled it it expanded & tied it up.He said take to kerosene & put in the bearings,so I did & it freed up.Took it back & she was smiling when I left.So after that I don't want to think about using 3 n1 on anything.ATF,motor oil,gear lube isn't good for most machines either,if it drips off the machine onto what your sewing it'll stain.It is best to use clear sewing machine oil or mineral oil.Even then if someone has used the wrong oil n the past it might stain for a while until it gets worked out of the machine.

Bob called me this morning and walked me through the issues with the belt.,. I think I'm like 2 inches short! Gonna head back to auto zone for a longer one. Really appreciate every bodies help seriously. Thanks.

Bob here is what I was talking about in that tension assembly! I still haven't tried threading the machine yet I will be doing that when I get back. I'm gonna try and hand fill the bobbin til the new winder gets here. Try and learn how to work this tension

[Art]

Ideally, the belt should set flush with the outer circumference of the pulley. So the belt size is measured around the outside. Make sure you measure around the outside of the pulleys to get the length. You should be able to roll the belt onto the pulley, but sometimes with new belts you can't. You can lift up the sewing end of the head and slip the belt on, or if the motor is in the standard position on a standard table, you can tilt the head back to install the belt. I know I have never removed a balance wheel to install a belt.

Art

[Wizcrafts]

You can lift up the sewing end of the head and slip the belt on, or if the motor is in the standard position on a standard table, you can tilt the head back to install the belt. I know I have never removed a balance wheel to install a belt.

Art

I was about to post the same thing. I always tilt the head back to replace belts, to oil the underside bearings, etc. All industrial sewing machines on standard tables have pivots on the back.

[TinkerTailor]

Here is the easiest way to get belt length:

1:) set adjuster to somewhere around 25% of total travel. This should leave you enough slack to make installing the belt easy but give you plenty of stretch adjustment.

2:) measure outside diameter of both pulleys.

3:) measure the distance from the center of one pulley to the center of the other.

4:) Plug these three numbers into this calculater: http://www.blocklayer.com/Pulley-BeltEng.aspx

5:) Double check with this calculator if needed: http://www3.telus.net/shebang/pulley_calculator.html

6:) Order belt to nearest 1/2 inch if possible. Done. No math needed.

[dikman]

I still prefer my piece of rope . As LumpenDoodle said, it's idiot proof (probably why I like it). No maths, no calculators, don't even need to log onto the computer to use it. Rope of the correct diameter, however, will be better than string as it will fill the pulley grooves.

(The guy at one shop had a measuring device that basically stretched the belt/rope/whatever between two half pulleys, mounted on a ruler. That way he could read off the exact size that I needed).

Anyway, maths makes my brains hurt.....

[Colt W Knight]

I did do the string test guys. Still came up short:

My string laid flat is measuring about 18 in long, so that's the size belt I'm looking for.

But if I'm taking Toms instruction (correctly) and another member who says he has a 40 inch belt, I'm suppose to times my 18x2 which would equal 36. The old belt from the clutch is about that size and when I placed it its flopping all over because it's too big... Like why would I buy a belt that much bigger when I can see that it's already not gonna work.

Please excuse my ignorance. Never done this stuff before. Getting frustrated cuz now I have to do math to figure this out and I hate math.

Also, I can get the belt in with the thing on there it's just difficult. Seems as I have bigger fish to fry anyway trying to get this thing the correct belt. Thanks everybody. I'm about to take these belts back to autozone

Looks like you still have more adjustment on the motor to move that pulley closer to see if the belt you have would fit.

[SARK9]

Something you can try (since you won't be needing the old belt) is: Cut the old belt. Wrap it as tightly as you can in the grooves of both pulleys, then mark the point where the belt's end laps. Measure to that mark. Ask for that belt size.

-DC