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FHP Sheaves

883 products

Browning fractional-horsepower sheaves for light-duty V-belt drives on fans, blowers, and small machinery. Fixed-bore and adjustable-pitch designs cover the 3L, 4L, and 5L belt sections.

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Products in this category, with specifications, price, availability and quantity
Catalog #	Brand	Belt Section	Number of Grooves	Outside Diameter (in)	Bore Code	Price	Qty	Stock
AK39X5/8	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	3.75	AWV	$52.05		Available Check Availability
AK44X7/8	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	4.25	AWX	$62.76		Available Check Availability
AK54X7/8	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	5.25	AXB	$116.18	min 10	Available Check Availability
AK54X1	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	5.25	AXB	$91.47		Available Check Availability
AK59X3/4	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	5.75	AXD	$79.54		Available Check Availability
AK66X3/4	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	6.45	AXG	$81.37		Available Check Availability
AK104X 1 3/16	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	10.25	AVY	$103.44		Available Check Availability
BK27X5/8	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	2.7	AYE	$81.76	min 10	Available Check Availability
BK30X5/8	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	3.15	AYG	$43.15		Available Check Availability
BK32X5/8	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	3.35	AYH	$64.10		Available Check Availability
AK66H	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	6.45	H	$74.04		Available Check Availability
AK69H	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	6.75	H	$106.00		Available Check Availability
AK104H	Browning	4L or A, 3L	1	10.25	H	$122.08		Available Check Availability
BK30H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	3.15	H	$63.99		Available Check Availability
BK32H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	3.35	H	$68.08		Available Check Availability
BK40H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	3.95	H	$54.87		Available Check Availability
BK45H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	4.25	H	$70.38		Available Check Availability
BK47H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	4.45	H	$71.91		Available Check Availability
BK50H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	4.75	H	$58.57		Available Check Availability
BK52H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	4.95	H	$61.30		Available Check Availability
BK57H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	5.45	H	$67.73		Available Check Availability
BK60H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	5.75	H	$62.90		Available Check Availability
BK62H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	5.95	H	$66.30		Available Check Availability
BK65H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	6.25	H	$70.70		Available Check Availability
BK67H	Browning	4L or A, 5L or B	1	6.45	H	$72.79		Available Check Availability

About FHP Sheaves

Fractional horsepower sheaves are the small end of the V-belt range, cut for the 3L, 4L and 5L light-duty sections and the A and B sections that share their grooves, in one and two grooves only. The naming is regular. An AK sheave is a cast iron single groove sheave for an A section belt with a finished bore; the same sheave as AKH is bored for an H Split Taper bushing. BK and BKH are the same pair in a combination groove that takes 4L or A and 5L or B belts. Variable pitch types in the same family have a movable flange, so the pitch diameter and with it the drive speed can be trimmed on site by opening the groove a measured number of turns.

Also known as: fractional horsepower sheaves, fhp pulleys, ak sheaves, bk sheaves

Series in this category

Browning FHP sheaves — The AK, AKH, BK, BKH and variable pitch fractional horsepower range, in single and two groove sizes.
V-belt sheaves — The heavier classical and narrow section sheaves, in one to eight grooves, where the drive outgrows a fractional sheave.
Belts — The 3L, 4L and 5L fractional belts these sheaves are grooved for, and the A and B belts that share the grooves.
Split taper bushings — The H and B bushings the AKH and BKH hubs take, ordered separately in the shaft size.

How to choose fhp sheaves

Know what a fractional drive is rated to carry: These are light duty single-belt drives, generally under three horsepower, and fans are the typical application. A single 3L belt on a 4 inch pitch diameter is rated about 0.67 horsepower and a 4L belt on the same diameter about 1.37 horsepower, both at a 1750 rpm input. Above that band the drive belongs on a classical or narrow section sheave instead.
AK or BK, and whether the bore is finished or bushed: AK and AKH sheaves carry a single A section groove; BK and BKH carry a combination groove for 4L or A and 5L or B belts. The plain numbers are finished bore, stocked with bores from 3/8 to 1 7/16 inch. The H numbers are bored for a Split Taper bushing instead, which widens the usable shaft range to about 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch and lets one sheave serve several shafts.
Read the diameter as a datum, not an outside measurement: Fractional sheaves are listed with a datum or pitch diameter for each section they take, and that is the number a ratio is worked out on. Single groove AK diameters run from about 1.8 to 18.0 inches and BK from about 2.2 to 18.4 inches, with the bushed AKH and BKH ranges starting a little larger because the bushing needs hub material around it.
Variable pitch where the fan speed has to be trimmed: The VL, VM and VP types have a threaded movable flange, so the groove can be opened a stated number of turns to reduce the pitch diameter and slow the driven shaft. The listings carry a turns-open figure against the minimum pitch diameter for each section, which is how the adjustment is set repeatably rather than by eye. Single groove VL and VM types cover light duty work up to about 5 horsepower.

Specifications explained

What each fhp sheaves specification means
Specification	What it means
Belt section	The sections the groove takes, listed as 3L, 4L or A, 5L or B, and as combinations such as 4L or A with 5L or B.
Product type	FHP finished bore, FHP bushed, or FHP variable pitch, which is how the sheave mounts and whether its groove is adjustable.
Bore and bore code	The finished bore size in inches and the internal bore code the listing carries for it, such as ARK or ARV.
Keyway size and set screw thread	The keyseat cut in a finished bore and the set screw that retains it, with a tightening torque given in inch-pounds.
Datum diameter and pitch diameter	The effective diameter for each section the sheave takes. Ratio and belt length calculations use these figures.
Turns open for minimum pitch diameter	On a variable pitch sheave, how far the movable flange opens to reach the smallest pitch diameter it will hold.

Common questions

What does AK mean on a sheave?

It reads as a single groove cast iron sheave for an A section belt with a finished bore. The number that follows is a nominal diameter reference and any figure after an x is the bore, so AK64 x 1 is that sheave at the AK64 pitch diameter with a 1 inch bore. Adding an H, as in AK89H, changes the hub to take an H Split Taper bushing instead of a finished bore.

Will a 3L belt run on an AK sheave?

On many of them, and the listings mark which. The AK and BK families are grooved for 4L or A belts, and the tables state where a 3L belt may also be used in the same groove. Where the table does not mark it, the groove is too wide for a 3L belt to seat properly and the belt will ride low and slip.

How do I slow down a fan with a variable pitch sheave?

Open the movable flange. Turning it out widens the groove, the belt rides deeper and the effective pitch diameter falls, which reduces the driven speed if the adjusted sheave is the driving one. The listings state the turns open that correspond to the minimum pitch diameter for each belt section, so the setting is made to a count of turns and can be repeated exactly.

When should I move up from a fractional sheave?

When the drive needs more than a single light-duty belt or more than about three horsepower. Fractional sheaves are stocked in one and two grooves only and are cut for the light 3L, 4L and 5L sections, so a drive needing three or more belts, or one of the narrow 3V, 5V or 8V sections, moves into the V-belt sheave range instead.