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Suggestions for stretching turntable belts?

I have had a great deal of dificulty finding TRUE 35.1" turntable belts (as used by Sota,the Luxman PD 300,B+O 4002/4004,the Empire tables and some older Pioneers.I have gotten them from many sources- PRB,Ebay,etc. and they all seem to measure about 34".Needless to say with a floating subchassis table this will not work as it pulls the platter toward the motor spindle.In some cases it will even jump off!Is there a good technique to uniformly stretch these? I have even painstakingly cut the belt in half length wise with an exacto knife to try to reduce the tension.
donshoemaker
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Don:

I think that there must be a source for these belts, Tim at Turntable Basics, www.turntablebasics.com lists one. He is totally honest and would measure it for you before shipment. You might also contact Keith and Donna Bodinet at SOTA. I really don't think that stretching the belt is the answer.
pbb
1,135 posts
 
I remember buying two belts (or was it three?) from different sources for an AR ETL ONE and not one of them worked properly. I wouldn't be surprised if there is quite a bit of hit or miss with aftermarket belts and can only suggest you try one out from a different source. If SOTA uses that length it may be a good idea to pay whaeever it is SOTA asks to get one. Good luck.
bdgregory
1,580 posts
 
I had similar experience as Pbb - and Tim and Turntable Basics was fantastic. I had an unusual situation - and he ended up sending me multiple belts - he said "send back the ones that you don't need". This is for a $12 belt! I wish I had that level of service for expensive gear.
ncarv
974 posts
 
Possibly:

http://www.kabusa.com
KAB
P.O.BOX 2922
PLAINFIELD, NJ 07062-0922
908-754-1479 PHONE
swampwalker's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
A work around of course is to use your tt "pitch" or fine speed control with a strobe to compensate. Stretching is definitely not the answer. If fact, a good argument can be made that a stretchy material is not appropriate for a tt drive belt.
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