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

• Offset trough idlers being used on reversing conveyors rather than in-line idlers being used

• Out of round or seized rollers giving the belt contact forces asymmetric to the center line

• Poor belt quality with the weave/fabric asymmetric to the center line

• Trough idlers installed back to front with the lead roller not leading

• Mechanical fasteners not installed square

• Conveyor rollers of various diameters installed

• Improper belt splicing

• Transition idlers not installed or unevenly adjusted

• Worn pulley faces

See our other posts for more information on properly tracking a conveyor belt:

1.  4-step belt tracking process to properly align your belt
2. How to properly track a bakery conveyor belt
3. How to diagnose and fix common conveyor belt tracking issues
4. Conveyor belt tracking tips

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