Flat belts needed a lot of friction to handle the hp and torque of bigger tractors. The paper pulleys absorbed the belt dressing and provided greater grip than steel pulleys. John Deere used a steel pulley that had many small grooves cut into the face to increase the surface area of the pulley. It’s kind of like the flat serpentine belts we see used on most autos today where they get more surface area than your normal v-belt. .
Just a FYI.....Belt pulleys aren't flat, there's a hump in the middle.....Cool project.
Thanks for your comment. It does have a hump built into the middle
The hump in the middle is called a crown I believe.
Why were the original ones made out of paper? Anyone know?
I don't know. Hopefully somebody else can chime in and let us all know
Maybe some cost reduction ?.
paper grips the belt better than steel
Flat belts needed a lot of friction to handle the hp and torque of bigger tractors. The paper pulleys absorbed the belt dressing and provided greater grip than steel pulleys. John Deere used a steel pulley that had many small grooves cut into the face to increase the surface area of the pulley. It’s kind of like the flat serpentine belts we see used on most autos today where they get more surface area than your normal v-belt. .