Gates91107 Krikit V-Belt Tension Gauge, Black

This tool is short and sweet. It just works like it is advertised. It takes a moment to get the hang of it, but once you do it is the simplest thing in the world to use. You just stick your finger on the tool and press on the belt until it "clicks" (thus, the name cricket!). It gives you a fairly accurate reading of what your belt tension is. It's invaluable for both new and used belt installations.Improper belt tension not only risks damaging or throwing a belt, shortening its lifespan and possible stranding you out in the middle of nowhere -but an over-tightened belt can significantly lower the lifespan of belt-driven accessories on your car or truck. Over-tensioning a belt for fear of loosing it or it slipping prematurely can cost you hundreds or more if you ruin the bearings in an expensive alternator or A/C compressor. Even if the bearing you ruin is an idler pulley it still means a possible breakdown or an annoying squealing item that needs to be replaced thousands of miles or years before it is due to be serviced again. It's REALLY embarrassing if it a vehicle you are working on for someone else.For a few bucks, this thing tells you almost exactly the tension you are putting on your belts as you install and tension them for the first time. Some mechanics do this by "feel" but how do you learn this feel? -by making mistakes. Use this tool for a while and maybe you won't need to eventually -but at least you are learning something and aren't feeling around in the dark for what the proper tension should feel like. For as cheap as it is, it should be in every shadetree mechanics toolbox.

My 2003 Toyota Tacoma V6 (5VZFE) had squealing belts on start up, so I picked up this gauge to see where I was at. It indicated my belts were around 50-60lbs and they needed to be between 80-120lbs. I'm not 100% sure of the accuracy of this device, but the reading is pretty consistent between multiple tests.I tensioned my belts between 80 and 90lbs to be on the safe side, since I have nothing else to verify the accuracy of the Krikit with. The belt squeal is gone, and all the belts don't feel overly tight, but noticeably tighter than they were previously.One concern I have is the accuracy across very short spans, but I'm hoping by keeping my adjustments on the low side of my manual's tolerances, it won't reduce the life of my pulley bearings.Overall I think this is a good value, and hopefully far more accurate than guessing the tension by feel.

I tried a few phone apps that purport to measure belt tension by recording the sound when rlthe belt is "plucked" and results from one pluck to the next were inconsistent. This Gates Kriket gives consistent results and is small enough to carry on the bike, if the bike ride is long enough to warrant it.

It gave me a good idea as to if the accessory belts were tight enough, although in some areas it is difficult to put your finger in the little saddle. I just pressed it as best I could.

Great tool to quickly tension belts properly. The old 1/2" or whatever thumb-pressure deflection is pretty arbitrary, and usually leads to poor adjustments, belt dust and prematue wear. I like this gauge.

I believe this tool to be in the ballpark of what is safe and proper for belt adjustment. Its small for the toolbox yet easy to use. I am a DYI mechanic for some jobs such as replacement of belts. Seems like a tool grampa would have,maybe the Egyptians used this tool

I have a Zero Motorcycle, but I imagine this is useful for any bike that has a drive belt. I started out using the Gates App on my phone that used the mic to listen to the belt as you gave it a pluck like a guitar string. Totally inconsistent - I don't think I had the same frequency in 10 measurements, but maybe 8 out of 10 measurements were "in the ball park". Turns out it was WAY too tight and it ended up snapping on me when I was 40 miles from the house. So I ordered this baby after getting trailered to the dealership to have them order and install a new belt. This way I can check my tension periodically and not have to mess with the Gates App. Money well spent. As it says in the headline, it took a few tries to figure out how to consistently get accurate (and repeatable) readings. You're going to want to have the middle of the tester be smack in the middle of your two pulleys and press down on the finger pad until you hear a click and carefully remove the tester without disturbing the reading stick. It's easier to do than describe; it just takes a few practice runs. Happy riding!