Usually, two drive gears are always used with Flat-Flex®, which are then always placed in the odd meshes. Deflection pulleys support the outer edge of the belt. This arrangement facilitates sprocket alignment and allows the use of connector clips for installation and belt repair.
Flat-Flex XT uses a different arrangement. A sprocket is used in each of the XT (small) meshes across the full width of the belt. Gears should have an even gap on either side of the Z bend.
Proper clearance must be present between each sprocket and the adjacent Z-bend. This cannot be stressed enough. Belt life is drastically reduced if the Z-bends come into contact with any part of the equipment.
Wire Belt recommends using only original Wire Belt sprockets and pulleys with the Flat-Flex belt. Commercially available gears can cause the belt to be over-tightened and the gears to jump, causing premature failure of the system.