After having an HW-19 for about 20 years I just got an Aries Extended. While I have very little time on it one thing that has baffled me is belt tensioning. The motor assembly can be positioned anywhere you want so you could have very light tension or way too much, whereas the HW-19 has a fixed distance so belt tension is constant. Could too much tension be the reason why Gregory_earl had premature failure? My Aries manual says nothing about positioning the motor for proper belt tension. I would assume the Scout is in the same predicament. For reference I have positined my motor so the gap between the motor and the cutout in the plinth is equidistant.
Apparently I'm not the only one having a problem. My dealer says he's had a problem with them too. I e-mailed VPI and Mike said they are working on a new version of this belt and by the time my new one wears out they will send me another.
Also the two belts on the outside of my periphery ring clamp have broken. I contacted Harry via Audio Asylum and he sent me two new ones at no charge. He said it seems to be a west coast or sun related problem possibly linked to ozone.
I only started this thread to see if others experiences have mirrored my own. I love my Scoutmaster and wouldn't trade it for the world. Oh....maybe a Super Scoutmaster :>)
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