Common Causes of Conveyor Belt Tracking Issues
- Pulleys, belts, or rollers contain material build-up
- Un-level foundation
- Damaged idler frames
- Improper belt storage which results in warping or bowing
- Excessive tensioning of the belt
- Pulleys out of alignment with the conveyor center line
- Self-aligning idlers installed incorrectly or need to be replaced
- Return idler spacing is too wide to track the belt
- Uneven or misaligned pulleys
- Uneven placement of load on the belt or the belt being loaded off center
- Uneven skirting pressure
- Worn pulley faces, pulley lagging unevenly worn, or pulley shaft locking elements worn
- Return idlers improperly installed resulting in the belt not making proper contact with rollers
- Out of round or seized rollers giving the belt contact forces asymmetric to the center line
- Offset trough idlers being used on reversing conveyors rather than in-line idlers being used
- Trough idlers installed back to front with the lead roller not leading
- Poor belt quality with the weave/fabric asymmetric to the center line
- Conveyor rollers of various diameters installed
- Improper belt splicing
- Transition idlers not installed or unevenly adjusted
- Worn pulley faces
- Mechanical fasteners not installed square