Beseler motor 45VXL alignment - need help

[artflic]

I recently bought a Beseler 45V XL with motorized chassis to replace the manual 45V XL I have been using. The elevation motor works fine and the unit will elevate and drop without a head on it. Once I mount a head, it will not elevate. The motor seems ok, but I think the problem is in the alignment. The motor bracket has 4 machine screws holding it to the chassis. The bottom two are pivots and the top two fit into slotted holes to allow pivoting movement to get the gear closer or farther from the gear track. I am thinking my problem is alignment with the motor and gear track, but not sure how to proceed. I have moved the motor/gear into any number of positions, but can't get it to work properly. Anyone have experience with this unit? Thanks, Rob

[philipmorg]

I have this same enlarger, but haven't had the problems you described. I did unintentionally strip the teeth on the elevation motor gear, so I can tell you from experience that alignment of the motor is important, but it seems like you already know that! :-)

Does the gear skip when you try to raise the head, or does the head just not budge?

[George Richards]

I would expect there to be a counterbalance spring somewhere. It will need to be adjusted to counter the weight of the head.

[artflic]

The nylon gears are a little rough, but not worn to the point of skipping. The counterbalance springs on this enlarger cannot be adjusted, they are simply bolted to the chassis on top. However, your comment gives me an idea. Inside the chassis are weight balancing plates designed to counterbalance the springs. I am going to try removing them a bit at a time to see if I can affect the movement. Thanks for the idea. Rob

[Leigh]

If you need replacement nylon gears, there are a couple of good online sources.

McMaster-Carr Supply Co. at www.mcmaster.com has a reasonable selection of common sizes.

Stock Drive Products at www.sdp-si.com has a huge selection, but their menuing system is more difficult to navigate than McM's.

There are many other sources for nylon gears, but these are the two that I use exclusively.

- Leigh