Has anyone ever changed a belt on a 397 coal loader? Is it difficult? I won a 397, and the original belt is backwards. Thanks for the help.
JIM,
It is pretty easy to change. I have two of em a new one and an old one, just watch out for the tension spring that holds the shaker to the base, catches on and is easy removed with needle nose pliers. Keep all screws together and watch how it comes apart, there are a few clasps that hold it together, not to tough. Good luck.
laz57
Laz,
Thanks for the reply. How do I remove the cam that is opposite the coupling end of the shaft? It is preventing me from removing the conveyor beam from the tray Thanks again.
Jim,
Removing the cams without damaging anything can be a real challenge. I have had success soaking the troublesome cam/shaft in Penetrating Oil. It can take a few days. Then I put a pair of pliers on the inside of the cam and tapped it off gently. You don't want to bend the shaft.
It might be possible to apply a little heat to the cam/shaft assembly, but be careful not to melt the plastic tray. A helper would be a virtual necessity in such an operation.
If all else fails, you can cut the shaft (with a Dremel tool equipped with a cut-off wheel, perhaps) and then buy a new shaft and cams. Or, if you are really good, you might be able to cut the cam away from the shaft, but the cams are quite hard. I have never tried to cut one.
Assuming you manage to slide the cam off, be absolutely certain to have marked its exact position relative to the opposite cam. It is essential to get it back EXACTLY as it was.
If you have to buy a new cam, always buy two at a time. There have been serious but subtle manufacturing differences in different batches of cams and they must match exactly.
bf,
Thanks for the reply. I haven't received the loader yet, but I have been reading Ray Plummer's book, as well as the service manual. The loader doesn't appear to have any rust. I am kicking myself for waiting a few too many seconds to buy a loader last Friday on ebay for $19.99. Here is a link to the loader I did manage to win:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lionel-Coal-Loader-397_W0QQitemZ160133697677QQihZ006QQcategoryZ481QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
jimtrumpie,
There are tools that make flaring the rivets easy, but I don't have one. I managed to do an acceptable job by temporarily sticking a ball-bearing onto the jaws of large pliers and squeezing it down. I began the flaring process by slightly spreading the open-end of the rivet with a center punch. As this must be done with the rivet/shield assembly snugly in place and backed up by an anvil of some sort, a helper is virtually essential for this step -- in my experience, anyway.
If "original appearance" is not an issue, you could attach the shield with an adhesive (such as double-sided tape or some type of "contact" adhesive) or use tiny screws and nuts.
You might be tempted to leave the plastic deflector off altogether, but this approach does not work at all well except perhaps at very low belt speeds.
Thanks for the reply. I like the ball bearing idea, I just have to find one around here. Do you think a steel BB would work?
jim,
Possibly. To some extent success depends on the diameter of the ball. As I recall, I ruined a couple of rivets before I found something that worked perfectly, but then did three sets with good results. I temporarily affixed the ball to the pliers by nearly submerging it in a dollop of the blue putty-like product (Blu Tack, Sticky Tack, Fun Tack) sold in craft, hardware and office supply stores) and used the flat portion of a small sledge-hammer as backup.
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