The 5-Step Flexco Lacing Checklist: What I Learned From a $3,200 Mistake

I'm a maintenance supervisor handling bulk material handling orders for about 6 years now. I've personally made (and documented) 4 significant mistakes with conveyor belt lacing, totaling roughly $4,700 in wasted budget and downtime. The worst one? A $3,200 order that ended up in the scrap pile because I skipped a step I thought was optional.

This checklist is what I use now. If you're dealing with Flexco products—especially the Flexco 01314 lacing tool or any of their lacing systems like Alligator or Quick-Fit—this is for you. It's about 5 steps, and honestly, step 4 is the one most people mess up.

When to Use This Checklist

This is for anyone who's about to install a new belt splice using Flexco mechanical fasteners. Maybe you're a plant manager, a maintenance tech, or a contractor. If you've got a roll of belt, a Flexco lacing tool, and a box of fasteners—use this before you cut anything.

It's not for vulcanized splices or for belts with extreme temperature specs (like over 250°F). For that, you'll want Flexco's engineered solutions team. But for standard conveyor belts in mining, aggregate, or industrial settings? This checklist works.

Step 1: Get the Right Splicing System for Your Belt

I don't have hard data on industry-wide delamination rates from wrong fastener selection, but based on our 5 years of orders, my sense is that about 12% of first-time splice failures come from using the wrong system.

Before you even touch the lacing tool, confirm these three things:

• Belt thickness: Flexco makes systems rated for different thicknesses. For example, the Flexco 01314 tool is for their 190E fasteners, which handle belts from 7/16" to 11/16" thick. If your belt is 3/4", you need a different system.
• Pulley diameter: Smaller pulleys need a more flexible splice. The Alligator system works for pulleys as small as 2" diameter. The 190E needs at least 7".
• Operating tension: Check the belt's rated tension (PIW—pounds per inch of width). Match it to the fastener's maximum. Oversizing is safer than undersizing.

Quick check: I keep a printed table from Flexco's catalog in my toolbox. If I'm unsure, I call their tech line. It's free, and it's saved me more than once.

Step 2: Use the Right Lacing Tool—and Calibrate It

This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised. The Flexco 01314 is a manual lacing tool for the 190E system. It's good for low-volume jobs or field repairs. But if you're doing more than 10 splices a year, consider the Flexco FSK or a hydraulic press. The 01314 works, but it's slow, and if you're not consistent with your hammer strikes, you'll get uneven fastener placement.

The mistake I made in my first year (2017): I used a 01314 tool that hadn't been cleaned. The anvil was dirty, and the fasteners didn't seat evenly. Result? A splice that looked fine but pulled apart after 2 weeks. Cost: $890 in redo plus a 3-day production delay. Now I clean the tool with a wire brush before every use.

Checklist item: Before you start, inspect the tool. Is the anvil clean? Are the dies aligned? If you're using a hydraulic tool, check the pressure gauge. I've seen guys use a 50-ton press on fasteners rated for 20 tons—that crushes the rivets.

Step 3: Prepare the Belt End Correctly

You can have the perfect tool and the right fasteners, but if the belt end isn't square, you're cooked.

• Square cut: Use a belt cutter or a square. I use a carpenter's square. Mark a line perpendicular to the belt edge. Cut with a straightedge and a utility knife. For thicker belts, a saw works. I've seen guys just eyeball it—that never ends well.
• Clean the rubber: For mechanical fasteners to grip, the belt fabric needs to be exposed. Strip the rubber cover off the top and bottom for about 1.5 inches from the cut edge. Flexco makes a belt skiver for this. I use a hand scraper and a heat gun on stubborn rubber. It's tedious, but it's worth it.
• Deburr the edges: Any frayed fabric or rubber bumps will prevent the fastener from sitting flush. File them down.

What I learned the hard way: In September 2022, I had a job where the belt was 5/8" thick, and I skipped the skiving step. I just cleaned the rubber surface. The fasteners went on, but they didn't grip the fabric. The splice failed after 3 weeks. That was the $3,200 mistake I mentioned—270 feet of belt ruined. The boss was not happy. Now I have a rule: if the belt has a rubber cover, you skive it.

Step 4: Position the Fasteners With Precision (This Is the Tricky One)

Most people get the fasteners on the belt. The problem is they don't check alignment before driving them. With a tool like the Flexco 01314, you place the fastener strip on the belt, then hammer it. But if the strip is even 1/8" off center, the entire splice is crooked.

Here's what I do now:

1. Mark the centerline: On the belt end, measure and mark the center. Do the same on the fastener strip. Align them.
2. Clamp it: Use a C-clamp or vise grip to hold the fastener strip in place. Even a small shift during hammering ruins the alignment.
3. Drive from the center out: Start hammering in the middle, then work your way to the ends. This distributes the stress evenly. If you start from one end, you'll get a curved splice.
4. Check every 3 fasteners: Look at the alignment. Use a ruler or just eyeball it. If it's off, stop and adjust. It's easier to fix 3 fasteners than 30.

A note on the 01314: This tool has a guide pin that aligns with the fastener holes. Make sure it's fully seated before each strike. I missed this once, and the pin bent. Replacing it cost $15 and 20 minutes. Not catastrophic, but it delayed us on a rush job.

Step 5: Inspect and Test the Splice

You're not done until you've checked the splice under tension. I've seen perfect-looking splices fail immediately because the fasteners weren't fully closed or the anvil wasn't set.

• Visual check: Look for gaps between the fastener and the belt. If you see a space wider than 1/32", that fastener isn't fully seated.
• Feel check: Run your fingers along the splice (wear gloves). It should be smooth. Any sharp edges mean a fastener is protruding and will wear out prematurely.
• Test under load: Start the conveyor at low speed. Let it run for 10 minutes. Then stop and inspect. Look for heat marks, misalignment, or loose rivets.

I wish I had tracked the number of splices I've inspected after a test run. What I can say anecdotally is that about 1 in 20 needs adjustment. Usually it's a single fastener that wasn't fully closed. A few taps with a hammer and it's fine.

Common Mistakes and Things to Keep in Mind

Here are a few additional things I've picked up over the years:

• Don't overtighten the bolts on the lacing tool. The Flexco 01314 manual says to hand-tighten only. I used a wrench once and stripped the thread. Replacement took a week.
• Store fasteners in a dry place. Moisture can cause the rivets to corrode, especially in mining environments. I keep an opened box in a sealed plastic bin.
• Small orders matter. When I was starting out, the vendors who treated my $200 orders seriously are the ones I still use for $20,000 orders. Flexco has been good with small orders, at least in my experience. I've ordered a handful of fastener strips for a field repair, and they shipped fast. To be fair, if you order a $50 item, don't expect overnight shipping unless you pay for it. But the service has been solid.
• Rush fees are usually worth it. For deadline-critical projects, I've paid the extra 20% for expedited shipping. It's cheaper than a production delay.

One last thing: if you're dealing with high-tension belts (over 400 PIW), consider a vulcanized splice instead of mechanical fasteners. Mechanical is great for field repairs and standard applications, but for high-tension, vulcanizing is more reliable. I've seen guys put mechanical fasteners on a 600 PIW belt, and it was a disaster. The fasteners ripped out after a month.

This checklist isn't perfect—no procedure is. But it's saved me from repeating my own mistakes. Use it, adapt it, and feel free to add your own steps based on what you see in your plant.