Seems impossible to find quality GT2 20T 5mm Pulleys

I bought two sets of GT2 20T 5mm pulleys (one set was non-teeth). Both sets click when you turn them, if I loosen the screws enough that they do not click then the screws wobble. Is there a known quality manufacturer of our pulleys? This is driving me nuts lol

put a small washer under the screw head, small enough diameter that it doesn't stop movement when tight.

If they were designed to be used the way most people use them, there would be a metal spacer between the inner rings of the bearings that would prevent an axial load (like an overly tight screw) from ruining the bearings. The way most people try to use them, with just a screw standing up like a fence post, guarantees that the screw, or whatever it is screwed into will flex when you tension the belt and if you overtighten the screw, it will cause the bearing to bind or may even damage them (ratcheting as they rotate).

The proper way to use those pulleys is to support the shaft on both sides of the pulley and leave adequate space to prevent the creation of an axial load. If the pulley is 8 mm long, leave 8.1 mm for it between the supports.

An alternative that is usually cheaper and works better is to use stacked, flanged bearings as the pulleys. When you stack the bearings, the inner rings are in contact so when you tighten the screw that is holding them, it can't push the rings inward. There is something called a shoulder screw that is intended to be used as a shaft for a bearing when used this way. The proper way to use them is to support both ends of the shoulder screw on either side of the pulley/bearing, but sometimes you can get away with using them like a fence post depending on sizes and materials involved.

Here are stacked bearings used as pulleys, with the axle supported at both ends by mounting the assembly in an aluminum tube. The large bottom area of the aluminum tube is screwed down to the base with 4 screws. The bolt serving as the axle is 8mm in diameter:



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2018 09:29AM by the_digital_dentist.

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