So, what's the secret?

[Stuart Nelson]

About 3 yrs ago I changed the belt on my HF 34706 lathe. I remember that it was not the easist thing I've ever done. The Reeves drive made it a bit more difficult. Now that I have my motor running again, I tried to reinstall the belt today. I opened the front pulley wide open by moving the control handle to the highest speed. The back pulley on the motor is closed. Using the same belt I removed three days ago, I can not get the belt on the back pulley. I've tried all the tricks I know, using a screwdriver, working it onto the pulley a bit at the time, etc. What am I missing here?

[Alan Zenreich]

I'm not sure if it's the same procedure as the Jet 1236

You might want to use Google to search for:

replacing the jet 1236 drive belt

There's a page with clear instructions that comes up near the top of the results list.

Ah, it's challenging not being allowed to post a link <vbg>

[Stuart Nelson]

Well, I learned the secret. I knew I had replaced the belt a couple of years ago and could do it again. The secret is to turn the pulleys backwards when attempting to use a screwdriver to guide it on. It is much easier to leverage a screwdriver from the top of the pulley rather than the bottom. Turning backwards allows the leverage to come from the top.