Abstract: Virtually inextensible V drive belts are manufactured from a sleeve of rubber containing substantially longitudinal polymer stability supports by vulcanizing the sleeve on a tubular former and immediately sealing the sleeve and former inside a sleeve member and thereafter while the sleeve is still warm stretching the belt sleeve radially by application of pressure medium between the former and the sleeve. The belt sleeve is then cooled under tension and cut into individual belts.

Abstract: A toothed belt drive which is particularly suitable for use in harvesting machines has belt teeth which are trapezoidal in plan and cross-section perpendicular to the direction of motion of the belt. The belt teeth are alternately oriented with the larger side edge of the base adjacent opposite side edges of the strip-like belt. The belt teeth are adapted to engage in recesses in a belt pulley which are complementarily shaped. The recesses in the belt pulley are laterally open adjacent the wider side edge to enable any foreign matter entering said recesses to be readily ejected therefrom.

Abstract: A belt drive system comprises a drive belt extending between driving and driven shafts. The belt has a flat part, and a rib extending from one surface of the flat part into an annular groove formed in each of the shafts. The grooves are of complementary cross-section to that of the rib, but are wider than the rib so that during operation of the drive system, one side only of the rib engages the adjacent side of the grooves, and the other side of the rib is spaced from the adjacent side of the grooves.