Fzx in Action - Dryer Belt Replacement

The dryer drum quit turning and it wasn't drying my clothes.  Since I figured that hanging them out to dry in sub-freezing temps wasn't going to work, I popped off the little inspection door and took a gander inside.  I could hear the motor whirring so I was looking for a broken belt.

Those belts are fiber-reinforced

and operate much like a Gates Belt Drive on a bicycle

or the belt drive between the engine and transmission of a Harley Davidson EXCEPT that the dryer belt doesn't have teeth - it's a friction drive.

There was also an idler pulley on the dryer belt to maintain tension just like the lower pulley on the Harley above.

YouTube is great for this kind of thing and showed me how to disassemble the dryer and replace the belt.

The tension, provided by the tensioner pulley, is enough to keep the wet-clothing-filled drum rotating with only belt-to-drum friction.  And while the rear of the drum is supported by little wheels, the front is just running on a metal hoop frame covered with felt.  I was surprised that this simple system could run well - many have faithfully dried clothing for decades with just a few replacement parts.