Fabric adhesion improvement for EPDM based low cost timing belt

A method of making a toothed belt comprising:

• Forming a body having a length, laterally spaced sides, and inside and an outside, and defining a plurality of teeth spaced in a lengthwise direction on one of the inside or the outside of the body, said body defining at least in part by a rubber composition comprising at least an ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) and a diene rubber and 0 to 30% by weight, based upon the weight of the rubber, of a salt of an {acute over (α)},β-unsaturated organic acid,
• applying a cloth layer on the teeth on one of the inside or outside of the body, said cloth layer being treated with a solution of resorcin-formalin-latex solution containing 0 to 30 % by weight, based upon the weight of the solution, of a salt of an {acute over (α)},β-unsaturated organic acid, wherein when the amount of said {acute over (α)},β-unsaturated organic acid will be 0% in said solution when it is present in said rubber, will be 0% in said rubber when it is present in said solution, and will be 0% in said rubber and said solution when the latex in said solution is a carboxylated ethylene-alpha-olefin elastomeric composition, and
• bonding said cloth layer to said body.