Help: Drives

About this section: The DRIVE on a powered conveyor refers to the type powertrain.  Many times the drive name refers to it's relative location on the conveyor.  Thus, an end drive is located on one end of the conveyor. However, a center drive is generally located in the center of a bed section of conveyor. This drive section is normally located in a near the middle section of the conveyor length.  However, the drive section of a conveyor with a center drive can easily be located in other locations if required.

The end drive is a very common powertrain used on belt conveyors that are relatively short in length (less that 100 ft.) and are used for a lighter applications. The diameter of the drive pulley increases as the conveyor length increase. The opposite end of the conveyor, called the tail end, is used for belt take-up. It is good practice to have both end of this conveyor free from obstruction to allow for pulley adjustment. The pulleys are covered with a special material called lagging to increase the pulling capacity of the conveyor. The center drive is a very common powertrain used on belt conveyors or live roller conveyors. This drive is well suited longer lengths where higher total load capacity is required. Due to the amount of belt in contact with the pulley, these units offer more driving capacity.  A  greater amount of belt take-up is included in the center drive assembly.  Since the ends of the conveyor can remain in the same position, this conveyor well suited for application where other equipment is located at either end of the conveyor. The center drive assembly is required on most applications where the conveyors will be operated in both directions.(reversing) Copyright 2004 Hytrol Conveyor Company