Conveyor Pulleys, Drums & Accessories | A&K Machine & Fabrication

Why A&K for Pulleys

The Drive and Direction of Every Belt

Conveyor pulleys are the critical drive and directional components on every belt system. A&K fabricates and machines the full range — from standard head and tail pulleys to specialty snub and takeup configurations — plus the accessory parts that make them work: lagging, locking elements, end disks, and shafting.

We work from your existing pulley, your belt specs, or a clean-sheet design. Standard ANSI sizes for retrofit drop-ins, custom diameters and face widths for new builds, any lagging combination for any belt material.

All CEMA B105.1 classes: Duty (CD), Mine Duty 1.5 (MD), Mine Duty 2.0 (XMD), Super Duty (SD)

Drum diameters from 4" to 60"+ in carbon or 304/316 stainless

Crowned faces (1/8" per ft of face length, CEMA standard) or flat for chain/modular belts

Lagging options: bare steel, rubber (SBR/NR/CR), ceramic-embedded, FRAS/MSHA, FDA white SBR/EPDM

Locking elements: QD, Taper-Lock, XT, Split Taper bushings, plus shrink discs for high-torque service

ISO 1940 G16 dynamic balance standard; G6.3 for high-speed installs

Reverse-engineered drop-in replacements when the OEM is gone

Field-applied cold-bond lagging refits available on existing drums

Stack of machined cast-iron pulleys and sheaves in the A&K shop — A&K Machine & Fabrication, Jacksonville FL

Pulley Types

Every Position on the Conveyor

Drive Pulleys

Lagged head pulleys for the drive position — diamond- or herringbone-grooved rubber, ceramic-tile, or hot-vulcanized SBR matched to your belt and load. Crowned faces (1/8" per ft) for self-centering belt action.

Tail & End Pulleys

Non-driven tail pulleys at the loading end. Standard drum or self-cleaning wing pulley (spiral-wrap above 450 ft/min per CEMA, wing-tail below). Sealed cartridge or greaseable taper-roller bearings.

Snub & Bend Pulleys

Snub pulleys increase belt wrap on the drive pulley (commonly to 220°–240°) for better grip; bend pulleys route the belt around complex paths and take-up loops. Smaller diameters, often un-lagged.

Take-Up & Snub Pulleys

Pulleys that ride inside the take-up frame — typically un-lagged or rubber-lagged. Sized to a 0.5–0.7× drive-pulley diameter and shaft-mounted in take-up bearing housings on slotted frames.

Pulley Shafting

Solid pulley shafts and stub shafts machined from carbon, 4140 alloy, or 304/316 stainless. Keyways per ANSI B17.1, bearing-journal diameters, and shoulder dimensions cut to drawing.

End Discs & Locking Elements

Welded plate end discs (Duty & Mine Duty), turbine end discs (low-stress for large drums), and T-section forged-style discs (Super Duty). QD, Taper-Lock, XT, and Split Taper bushings; shrink discs for high-torque drives.

Bronze-coated sheave/pulley with concentric grooved surface — custom-machined pulley by A&K Machine & Fabrication, Jacksonville FL

Lagging Options

Pick the Right Face for the Belt

Lagging on a drive pulley is the friction interface between motor torque and belt tension. Wrong choice slips, glazes, or wears the belt prematurely — right choice transmits power for years. We spec to durometer, bond method, and compound.

Bare steel: Clean indoor service, low-friction belts. Lowest cost; only acceptable when slip and belt wear are non-issues.
Plain rubber (60 Shore A SBR): General-purpose default. 3/8"–1/2" thickness, herringbone or diamond grooved for water shedding. Coefficient of friction ~0.35 wet, ~0.45 dry.
Ceramic-embedded rubber: Alumina-ceramic tiles vulcanized into the rubber matrix. Smooth ceramic for high-tonnage, dimpled ceramic for slip-prone wet/sticky service. Coefficient of friction ~0.55+ wet.
FRAS / MSHA lagging: Fire-resistant, anti-static SBR for underground mining and combustible-dust environments. Meets MSHA 30 CFR Part 18 and ASTM D 4325.
White FDA SBR / EPDM: Food-grade white compound for dairy, beverage, bakery, and produce conveyors. FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 compliant; NOT polyurethane (PU isn't a typical pulley-lagging compound).
Hot vulcanized (shop): Pre-bonded with adhesive and cured under heat/pressure. Standard bond strength 25+ N/mm peel. The default in our shop.
Cold-bond (field): Self-vulcanizing adhesive applied on-site. Slightly lower peel strength (~16 N/mm), but no need to pull the pulley out — your downtime stays in hours, not days.
Weld-on ceramic pads: Steel-backed ceramic-tile pads welded to existing drums. The retrofit option when re-lagging the full drum isn't practical.

CEMA B105.1 Duty Classes

Match the Pulley to the Tension

The right CEMA Duty Class isn't a marketing tier — it's the engineering spec that ties drum diameter, shell thickness, end disc construction, and shaft size to the belt tension you're seeing. Under-spec'd, the drum fatigues at the end disc weld. Over-spec'd, you're paying twice for steel that isn't earning its keep.

Duty (CD): Light-to-medium tension, welded plate end discs, standard shell thickness. Typical for package-handling and light bulk service up to ~Class B belt tensions.
Mine Duty (MD): 1.5× the rated capacity of Duty class. Heavier shell, reinforced end discs. Standard for aggregate, sand, gravel, and most general bulk-handling installs.
Extra Mine Duty (XMD): 2.0× Duty class capacity. Heavier-still shell and end disc construction. The default for coal, ore, and most quarry primary applications.
Super Duty (SD): 2.5×+ Duty class. T-section forged-style end discs, max shell thickness. Reserved for ultra-high-tension overland and severe taconite/mining service.

What we need to size your pulley to the right class:

Belt width, belt construction (fabric grade or steel-cord rating), and tension rating

Conveyor centerline length and lift profile (horizontal, inclined, declined)

Drive HP and starting torque profile (across-the-line vs VFD soft-start)

Belt wrap angle at the pulley face (180°, 220°, 240°, etc.)

Material being conveyed and load tonnage per hour

Environment — washdown, FRAS/MSHA, FDA, abrasive, corrosive

We don't push you up a class just to inflate the quote. If the calc says Mine Duty, that's what we build. We document the tension and bending-stress calc on every quote.

Our Process

From Worn Drum to New Pulley

Scope

Send us the worn pulley, the belt width & speed, and the load profile. We'll figure out drum diameter, face width, lagging, and shaft sizing.

Quote

Fixed quote with material spec, lagging type, locking element, and real lead time — not a stock 8-week placeholder.

Fabricate

Drum rolled and welded, end disks machined, shaft turned, lagging applied. Concentricity and runout inspected before paint.

Ship or Install

Crated and shipped, or our crew comes to your site and swaps it in during your scheduled outage — alignment and tracking included.

Industries

Who We Supply Pulleys To

Mining & Aggregates Agriculture Food & Beverage Wood, Pulp & Paper Recycling Wastewater Distribution & Warehouse Power & Utilities Marine Pharmaceuticals Airports Construction & Roads

Common Questions

Pulley FAQ

Crowned or flat face — how do I choose?

Crowned faces self-center the belt and are the default for most belt conveyors. Flat is used for specialty cases — wide belts where crowning would cause edge stress, or chain/modular belts that ride on guides instead of friction tracking. If you don't know, crowned is almost certainly right.

What lagging should I use for a wet or muddy environment?

Ceramic-tile lagging is the default for wet conditions — the embedded ceramic tiles maintain friction even when water and slurry get on the drum face. Diamond- or herringbone-grooved rubber is the second choice (the grooves shed water). Bare steel is the wrong answer; it glazes and slips.

Can you re-lag an existing pulley drum instead of replacing the whole thing?

Yes — pulley re-lagging is a regular service. We strip the worn rubber/ceramic, prep the drum surface, and apply new lagging (vulcanized in shop or weld-on tile in the field). Typically about 30-40% of the cost of a new pulley with the same service life ahead of it.

QD, Taper-Lock, XT, Split Taper — what's the difference?

All four are split-cone bushings that wedge a hub onto a shaft when bolts are tightened. Taper-Lock (originally Dodge) is the most common, single-piece tapered sleeve, h7 shaft fit. QD (Dodge "Quick Disconnect") has a flange and uses cap screws, slightly easier removal under load. XT bushings (Dodge) are higher-capacity for heavier-tension drives — through-bolt design. Split Taper (Browning) is interchangeable with Taper-Lock dimensionally but uses different keyway/bolt patterns. Shrink discs are an external clamp for the highest-torque service where bushing slip is the failure mode. We size all five depending on transmitted torque and disassembly access.

How long does ceramic lagging last vs plain rubber?

Plain 60 Shore A SBR rubber typically runs 1–3 years on a hard-working drive pulley in abrasive service. Ceramic-embedded rubber typically runs 5–10 years in the same conditions — the wear face is alumina ceramic (Mohs ~9) instead of vulcanized rubber. The premium is usually 2–3× the cost; pays back fast when downtime is expensive. We spec ceramic on every drive pulley over 50 HP unless the customer asks otherwise.

Wing pulley or spiral-wrap — which for the tail position?

CEMA recommends spiral-wrap pulleys above 450 ft/min belt speed — at speed, wing pulleys vibrate the belt and accelerate edge wear, while spiral-wrap maintains continuous belt contact. Below 450 ft/min, wing-tail pulleys are fine and offer better self-cleaning of carry-back. Send belt speed, and we'll pick.

How fast can you turn around a replacement drive pulley?

Standard sizes with bare-steel or rubber lagging: usually 5-10 business days. Ceramic-lagged or large custom drums: 2-3 weeks (mostly material + outside lagging vendor lead). Call 904-388-7772 with your specs and we'll give you a real answer before you commit.

Other Conveyor Components

Other Parts of the Drive Assembly

Gearbox Shafts

The torque feed to every drive pulley — input/output shafts in carbon, alloy, or stainless with any keyway or spline.

Explore Gearbox Shafts

Take-Up Assemblies

Screw and gravity take-ups — the tensioning system that keeps belt grip on the drive pulley right.

Explore Take-Ups

All Conveyor Components

Back to the full overview — idlers, bearings, scrapers, sprockets, auger flighting, and more.

Back to Overview

Get a Quote

Start Your Project

Send us your details — drawings, dimensions, or just a description. We'll get back to you within 48 hours on most quotes. For faster response or lead time questions on jobs, just call.

Fast Response

We respond to most quote requests within 48 hours. For faster responses or lead time questions on specific jobs, call us directly at 904-388-7772.

We Ship Anywhere

Based in Jacksonville, FL — we ship finished parts and components throughout Florida, the Southeast, and beyond.

Prefer to Call?

Reach us at 904-388-7772, Mon–Fri 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM (closed Sat–Sun).

Drive It. Turn It. Tension It.