Belt drive fan

[ChrisRasman]

Bus Grease Monkey is converting a hydraulically driven fan to belt drive. Over on YouTube. It’s a transit bus that the pump’s only other job was to drive an auxiliary A/C compressor. The company did away with the compressor. BGM said the owner had gone through 3 fan motors over the years and wanted it out. Makes me think to mount a big power steering pump, do away with the pump and do what he is doing with the belts. He is not done yet so it’s still up in the air how well it will work.

[chiplamb]

Pusher BB school and transit buses with the rad to the right have a gearbox. MCI/Prevost generally have a gearbox with a driveshaft, more belts, quite complex setups. They also can leak, seize, the shaft u-joints fail et.c. Everything has a weak point. I sort of think the SD hydraulic fan might be the simplest solution to this.

[Randy Dupree]

Originally Posted by ChrisRasman

Bus Grease Monkey is converting a hydraulically driven fan to belt drive. Over on YouTube. It’s a transit bus that the pump’s only other job was to drive an auxiliary A/C compressor. The company did away with the compressor. BGM said the owner had gone through 3 fan motors over the years and wanted it out. Makes me think to mount a big power steering pump, do away with the pump and do what he is doing with the belts. He is not done yet so it’s still up in the air how well it will work.

You already have a power steering pump,a stand alone pump,all by itself,married to the back of the air compressor.
Now all you need to do is add a bunch of belts and pulleys and gear boxes and mounts and move the exhaust out of the way and other easy things!


The hydraulic fan is the best way to go,easy and they don't give much trouble.
Look at all the PTs running around out there that are 40 years old...

[badandy]

Let's also not forget that your bus has variable fan speed, and at full tilt it takes 50hp or more. 50hp through a mess of belts and a gearbox, no thanks. Also, a power steering pump is about 20% of the flow you'd need to spin your fan.