Patent ID: 8684871

Claim:
A belt positioner for either installing or removing a flexible belt relative to a grooved periphery of a pulley having a pulley shaft defining a rotational axis of the pulley, wherein the belt positioner comprises: a belt guiding ramp extendible across the grooved periphery of the pulley, the belt guiding ramp including a belt-bearing slanting surface which enables the belt to be moved either into or out of engagement with the grooved periphery when the pulley is rotated about the rotational axis thereof; a handle extending laterally relative to the grooved periphery of the pulley generally in a direction of the rotational axis thereof to provide a gripping surface immediately adjacent the ramp, wherein the handle facilitates the installation or removal of the ramp relative to the grooved periphery of the pulley until the belt bears against the slanting surface of the ramp; and a pulley flange engaging mechanism comprising a groove extending across the positioner for receiving a pulley flange bordering the grooved periphery, and a shoulder bordering the groove for bearing against a side face of the pulley flange, wherein the shoulder is configured such that in use the shoulder extends along the side face of the pulley flange towards, but does not extend to, the rotational axis defined by the pulley shaft thereby allowing the pulley shaft to be engaged by a tool generally in a direction of the rotational axis thereof, and wherein the pulley flange engaging mechanism allows the belt positioner to be moved from one position to another relative to the pulley flange when the belt is disengaged from the slanting surface of the ramp, but positionally locks the belt positioner to the pulley flange when the belt bears against the slanting surface of the ramp.