Photos by author.
Vintage hand tools can be enjoyable to collect and use and this Burroughs Belt Tension Gauge, found and bought second-hand some years back, certainly qualifies. Its patent issue date was August 22, 1961, for Allen J. Delehanty assignor to Burroughs Tool & Equipment of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Similar designs have been offered by various companies in the decades since then. This one can be a unique display item and/or used to check belt tension on classic cars and some later models.
Belt tension that is too low can throw the belt off the pulley at high speed, slip enough to cause squealing, wear out prematurely or reduce the efficiency of the accessory it’s operating. A belt that’s too tight can put undue stress on the accessory it’s driving and reduce its service life.
The tool was designed to be easy to use with one hand. Simply depress the plunger with the black ball on it until the small L-bar at the bottom extends far enough to allow it to be slipped under the belt while the top is positioned against the spaced belt engaging members of the tool (belt should not be wider than the L-bar). Release the plunger quickly and the L-bar retracts, compensating for the thickness of the belt while also holding it in place. The belt is also drawn up toward the bottom of the gauge and its tension is measured and read in pounds or newtons on the rotating scale on its face. The pointer to read the scale is the raised rib on the plunger’s housing. There are also color-coded areas on the face to help determine if the belt is too loose or too tight, and it even differentiates between a new belt and a used one. The tension of a belt can be checked in seconds with this tool. Auto manufacturer’s belt tension specifications for drive belts can normally be found in the service manual for the make and model of your car.
Here’s a typical belt tension chart from a service manual. Chart courtesy of General Motors
This tool was made in the USA and it feels quite substantial in my hand. It’s made from thick metal except for the plastic rotating face and plunger knob and it has a heavy spring inside. It still works and looks good displayed on a wall. SPX/OTC currently makes a tool that’s just like this one should you feel the need to buy new.
Have you found any vintage tools that followed you home? Tell us about them.
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