SupcoBelt Tension Jack

Great little tool. I was careful with it because I saw some people said it was not robust enough. It made belt tightening a breeze. Definitely the right tool for the job. I know that I won't procrastinate that anymore because it made it so easy. No more breaking a sweat and prying out the alternator with two hands then trying to get the nut tightened with my other two hands.

I should have listened to the other reviewers. Broke within 3 minutes, never even got 1 belt tightened with it. It's mind boggling that the manufacturer hasn't fixed this terrible design flaw yet, it wouldn't even cost them anything to put a MINIMAL weld on it. Mine might as well have been glued on it was so pitiful. I'm not sure how they even made such a small/non-penetrating weld..it looks like the tip of a ballpoint pen. It's like a bad solder job. You're better off using a crow bar or even your bare hands to tension a belt.

If you are wondering why this tool gets a mix of 5 and 1 star reviews, it's because it is a good design, but poorly manufactured. That said, if you are careful to use it as you should, it will last a long time. If you don't, it will snap the first time you use it, but more on that later.The key to using this tool is to carefully align the tool with the center of both pulleys. Any misalignment will snap the saddle (the part that goes into the V-groove of the pulley) off the rod at either end, because they are held on with the flimsiest of welds. It looks like the manufacturing is using a spot welding process, but the surface area of the weld is so tiny in can't handle and off-center pressure.When mine broke because the one of my pulleys drifted as I was tightening the motor of my air compressor, I took the tool apart and did a proper MiG weld between the body and the saddle. There is plenty of room in the saddle to do this, and it worked perfectly after. Now I have a much less pretty, but much more durable tool that should handle the belt tension adjusting needs for both me and my descendants.I would give this tool 5 stars for clever design, and 1 star for manufacturing, so I've averaged it to three. Once you or a buddy welds it correctly, it will be a valued addition to your tool box.

I've had this tool on board my sailboat for years but used it today for the first time. As others have said, it comes with no instructions and it takes a minute to figure out how to use it, and it can come apart as you're maneuvering it into position, but it worked perfectly and saved a potentially bad situation. As I've only used it this one time I cannot comment on its robustness.

I was a bit skeptical after seeing some reviewers talk about it breaking easily but it seemed so perfect for the air compressor belt I was replacing (and there surprisingly doesn’t seem to be much else like it on the market) that I decided to give it a try. I followed the advice of other reviewers to make sure it was centered between the pulleys and cranked it as gently as I could and had no problems at all. It made simple work of a pain-in-the-butt task so I’m very glad I gave it a shot.