Electric Scooter's Belt Falls off the Rear Wheel: Easy Fix – Electric Scooter

Your e-scooter’s belt falls off the rear wheel a lot of times? If your device uses a belt drive and the belt happens to wear out, you will experience such a problem. Durable and maintenance-free they may be, electric scooters can malfunction or sustain damage from overuse and normal wear and tear. Things can go wrong, like a defective battery or motor, faulty throttle, burned or melted wires or anything involving electrical parts and components. But some issues will not be serious as they do not involve electronics, and their damage do not affect the whole moving structure of an e-scooter, like when a drive belt falls off the rear wheel. Belt slippage is something you can handle on your own, and with professional advice, you can easily replace a worn-out drive belt.

Understanding your e-scooter’s drive train

Most buyers seem to pay little or no attention to the drive train when shopping for electric scooters. Little do they know that drive trains play an integral part in an e-scooter’s movement, power, and performance. If they know this, they won’t be surprised why their belt falls off the rear wheel. Some e-scooters are have chain drives, while others have belt drives. The drive train, whether chain- or belt-driven, is the mechanism that move e-scooters. They consist of a sprocket or chain wheel on the electric motor and on the rear wheel, and a belt or chain runs around them. The sprockets move the belt or chain and turns the wheel.

The most quieter electric scooters on the market are belt-driven. Belt drives are practically silent compared to chain drives, but they do have some drawbacks. Belts do not last long, so they need to be replaced more often. E-scooters with belt drive systems are quieter, no doubt about that, but unlike devices with chain drive systems, they do not give people an opportunity to hear a vehicle coming, thus increasing the risk of accident.   

Moreover, belts are not as reliable as chains because they instantly break, rip into shreds, or slip off without warning when they wear out or get a twig or pebble stuck in between their teeth, one reason why an electric scooter’s belt falls off the rear wheel. Chains are durable. They rarely break or slip off if the master link is properly installed, and they even give off warning before they need to be replaced. They can crush any pebble, stone, or twig that gets in between them and the sprocket without causing any damage.

But whether a chain drive is better than a belt drive or the other way around, it is hard to say. It depends on how and where you operate your electric scooter. If you operate over flat terrain or in close proximity to home, it is better to use a belt drive system because it is quieter. And should the belt falls off the rear wheel, you can just kick or push your device back home. If you use your scooter far from home or over uneven or unpaved terrain, you would need a chain drive system.

Why does an e-scooter belt falls off the rear wheel?

There are reasons why your electric scooter’s belt falls off the rear wheel. A stone or twig could have got stuck in between the drive belt and the sprocket, which caused the belt to slip off. Or if you have been overusing your device, the drive belt is starting to wear off. A worn-out belt decreases in width, efficiency, torque, and speed. With a worn-out drive belt, an e-scooter that goes 12 mph will only go as fast as 9 mph. Exposure to water, oil, or grease can also be the reason why your electric scooter’s belt falls off the rear wheel. Some e-scooters have motors which are full of vaporized oil, which build up and collect on the belt and sprockets.

Your e-scooter’s drive belt is just one of the parts that require proper maintenance and replacement. The belt is supposed to last for about two years or normal use. But factors such as rider’s weight, extreme riding activities, and rides in hill areas or steep inclines can cause the belt to wear at an excessive rate, no wonder why belt falls off the rear wheel.

Assume that the drive belt is new, you may not have applied the right tension on the belt during use or the belt itself is misaligned, which is your belt falls off the rear wheel. The drive belt could be loose, thus allowing the teeth to slip off or wear. The heat generated from the improper tension on the belt can also cause the belt falls off the rear wheel or wear at an excessive rate.

Finding the right drive belt size

If worn-out belt falls off the rear wheel, it is time to replace it, but how will you know the right belt for your electric scooter? The information should be evident on your old belt – numbers that indicate the right fit. Drive belts are labeled with a number in a format that usually read “HTD” and then followed by three sets of numbers, for example: HTD-384-3M-12. In this case, the “384” indicates the length of the drive belt, the “3M” measures the space between the teeth, and the “12” indicates the belt’s width. Take note that the measurements are in millimeters. Miss this pies of information or else choose a wrong size belt falls off the rear wheel.

Fitting a new drive belt

Electric scooter drive belts are commonly replaced items like tires, batteries, and brakes. If you need a new belt due to wear and tear, breakage, or preventive maintenance, you should know how to change belts or at least put one back if your belt falls off the rear wheel. As e-scooter owner, you know that the drive belt connects the motor to the rear wheel. You will need to find the adjustment point of the drive train system, and next move the wheel towards other drive source so to create some slack in the belt. You can then slip the drive belt in the reverse order that you took it off. Once you slip the belt over the sprockets, you can adjust the tension with the wheel’s positioning. Some electric scooters will have belt tensioners that will allow you to adjust the drive belt as tight as it needs to be. Align drive belt in such a way that it does not touch the sides of the sprockets or else the belt falls off the rear wheel.

Cleaning the drive belt-drive

As mentioned earlier, water, grease, and oil can cause belt falls off the rear wheel. Remove the belt from the sprockets. Clean the sprockets and surrounding areas with a can of brake cleaner or carburetor, and scuff with sandpaper. Clean both belt and sprockets with soapy water, and allow then to dry. Re-install belt, apply the right tension, and test e-scooter for a ride. The belt falls off the rear wheel not anymore.

Regular maintenance and proper use

To prevent belt falls off the rear wheel, adjust belt before use. You may also need to adjust it after 10-15 minutes of riding.

In many instances, belt falls off the rear wheel or else breaks after extreme stunts. Stop performing extreme stunts if you can or just buy a chain-driven electric scooter.

At regular intervals, you should check your drive belt for any signs of damage. Check for wear on the edges, dry cracks on teeth, or damage that could result in shredding or snapping. It is best to take note of your belt’s size and buy extra belts to come prepared just in case the belt falls off the rear wheel or starts to wear.

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