The Complete Handbook of Conveyors

This is the book I needed ten years ago when I first had to spec a line for a food packing plant. Chapter 1 alone, explaining how friction and drive force actually interact, saved me from a misapplication I was about to make with a slippery product on an incline. The troubleshooting section is already dog-eared. This is not a fluff business book; it reads like a competent senior engineer standing next to you.

Good solid reference overall. I gave it 4 stars because I wanted more pictures and dimensional diagrams in the installation chapter — describing a take-up assembly with words is fine, but photos would help. That said, the chapter on choosing between belt and chain conveyors is the clearest I've read, and the glossary was useful when I had to talk to a supplier who kept throwing jargon around. Worth the money for a maintenance office.

I run a small automated parcel handling operation, and I bought this on a hunch. I was not prepared for how actionable it is. The daily/weekly maintenance checklists are printed and stuck on our main belt. The explanation of bearing runout and how it causes belt mistracking was the first time a book ever made that click for me. Five stars for actually respecting the reader's time and intelligence.

It's a decent collection of knowledge, but I found the tone a bit too dry and academic in parts. The chapter on brands felt too thin — it mentions names but doesn't really get into pricing specifics, which is what a small business owner wants. The fault-finding section was solid, saved me once on a jammed screw conveyor. If you are an engineer, this is fine. If you are a hobbyist, some sections may be heavier than you need.

I manage a warehouse and I inherited a rig of ancient belt conveyors that nobody had documentation for. This handbook was the only reason I even knew what a snub pulley was. The chapter on leveling was a revelation — we fixed an ongoing tracking problem by re-shimming the stands exactly as the book says. It is the rare technical book that actually lives near the equipment, not in an office. A genuine desk reference.

Sold as a handbook and it earns that name — it's missing the 'pics and videos' modern feel, so it costs a star, but the depth of the technical chapters is excellent. I appreciated the honest section comparing mid-range vs premium components: it made me reconsider buying the cheap brand of idlers. Also, the FAQ section is surprisingly good. Nice to have a book that doesn't treat you like a buyer, but like an engineer.

I bought this to help me decide whether to replace our old line or just re-power it. It gave me enough technical substance to make the case to my boss, so on that score it's fine. However, I felt like the installation chapter jumps level a bit — it goes from basics to quite advanced torque specs very quickly. It has great math, but I could have done with just slightly fewer equations and a couple of clear visuals. A solid B.

There's a specific reason I'm leaving a glowing review: the failure analysis. The chapter on troubleshooting covers what to listen for and what to look for in a running line, not just how to swap parts. I found a stretched chain diagnosis from the book, fixed it in an afternoon, and saved myself at least a day of downtime. I've already recommended it to my counterpart at another plant. One of the few engineering references I genuinely rate.