How to Install and Remove a Taper Bush: Step-by-Step Guide
Taper bushes such as 3020, 3030 and 3535 fix pulleys to shafts quickly and securely. Here are the correct installation and removal steps, plus common mistakes.
· 2 min read · Altınbaşak Dişli Sanayi
A taper bush is a tapered hub that, together with a key, locks a pulley or gear firmly onto a shaft. It lets the same pulley be used on different shaft diameters without machining the pulley bore. Codes such as 3020, 3030 and 3535 indicate the bush series: the first two digits give the maximum shaft bore and the last two the bush length, both in tenths of an inch. For example, a 3030 bush takes shafts up to about 3.0 in (75 mm) and is 3.0 in (about 76 mm) long.
Installation steps
- Clean: Clean the tapered surface of the bush, the tapered bore of the pulley and the shaft. These surfaces must be dry and oil-free.
- Fit the bush into the pulley: Line up the half-threaded holes of the bush and pulley.
- Insert the screws: Lightly oil the threads of the grub screws and insert them by hand into the holes threaded on the pulley side.
- Mount on the shaft: Fit the key and slide the pulley and bush together to the required position.
- Tighten alternately: Tighten the screws alternately and evenly to the torque recommended by the manufacturer.
- Seat the bush: Place a drift on the bush face and tap lightly, then re-torque the screws. Repeat until the screws no longer turn.
- Fill the empty hole: Fill the unused removal hole with grease to keep dust and flour out.
Removal steps
- Remove all installation screws.
- Oil one (or two) of the screws and insert it into the removal hole threaded on the bush side.
- As the screw is tightened, the bush is pushed out of the pulley; once loose, the pulley can be taken off the shaft.
Common mistakes
- Oiling the tapered surfaces: the bush slips and the pulley loosens in operation.
- Fully tightening screws one at a time: the bush seats at an angle and the pulley runs out of true.
- Not checking after the first run: re-checking screw torque after a few hours of operation is a good habit.
- Hammering the pulley onto the shaft: this damages both the bush and the bearings.
Altınbaşak stocks 3020, 3030 and 3535 bushes in various bore sizes and supplies them together with bushed pulleys. Just send us the shaft diameter and bush series.
