I have just replaced the Bushes on my Simpson tumble dryer, and am trying to fit a new belt around the drum, but am having extreme difficulty in fitting the belt around the pulleys and the drive shaft of the motor, because the drum appears to have to be in the steel dryer frame in order to connect it to the motor which makes it very hard to get hands in to fit the belt. Am I doing this correctly, or should I somehow connect the belt around the drum last??

Leon W. Brockman, June 2005

Greg's approach worked for me. I used an old polythene skipping rope to make a new belt, has been working for about 6 months now without any dramas. I think I am probably the last person on the planet to have one of these driers, though.

David, March 2022

Hi I have no trouble. First put the belt around the drum,you can see where it has been running.
Then hold the belt in place with sticky tape.
Gently place the drum in position,Then push the belt through the guide wheels and slip on the motor shaft.
Do not forget to remove the sticky tape.
Good luck.
PS Can anyone tell me how to replace the kevlar bearing? Front and back?

Leo Lake, November 2009

These dryers just keep on going don't they?
You may be able to do this with the dryer face down and supported on the corners, but this is how I do it.

With the dryer at a comfortable height and in normal orientation , insert the drum with the belt around it ( belt smooth side out ) inwards and push it towards the front It should be freely rotating (you support the back ) align the belt with the motor pully and hook it over the shaft, you will have to prise apart the two spring loaded tension pulleys to make an omega type route.
Make sure the belt is not skewed to the drum rotation ,if it is, the belt will slip off the when it first runs.
You can check by carefully rotating the drum, adjusting the belt on the drum to stay aligned.
The drum should stay supported like this if you don't knock it around too much
Hold the back panel close to the dryer and clip the wires from the temp sensor back the way they were originally.
Push the back panel in place taking care to align with the back of the drum, ( fan housing and drum will be a snug fit ).
You may need to lift the back panel slightly 2-3cm ( drum will move as well ) to lock the bottom panel cutouts in when it eventually aligns to the screw holes.
Before you tighten all the screws test the rotation by gently turning the drum from the inside.

greg, March 2008

Hi there, I am having the same problem. Did you find an answer to your question??

Michael Edgar, April 2007