Safety guard

A safety guard for enclosing a flexible drive between an input shaft of a speed reducer and the drive shaft of a motor that is mounted by an assembly to the speed reducer, comprising:

• a pair of mounting strips one of which is mounted on the speed reducer and the other of which is mounted on the assembly, the mounting strips having elongated slots which are arranged generally transverse to a line through the shafts;
• a backplate having elongated openings for receiving the shafts, the openings being elongated along the line through the shafts;
• a pair of mounting tracks secured to the rear of the backplate, the tracks being disposed on each side of and generally parallel to the line through the shafts;
• removable fasteners joining the mounting tracks to the mounting strips;
• and
• a cover removably attached to the backplate and defining therewith an enclosure for the flexible drive.

In combination with a drive motor having a drive shaft rotatably supporting a motor sheave, a driven machine having a driven shaft rotatably supporting a driven sheave, and a flexible drive connecting the drive motor to the driven machine, a safety guard comprising:

• a backplate having elongated openings adapted to receive the drive shaft and the driven shaft, said openings being elongated along a line through the shafts;
• at least one mounting track secured to the rear of the backplate, said mounting track housing a mounting nut slidably positioned within the mounting track;
• at least one mounting strip adapted to be attached to an assemblage of the drive motor and the driven machine, said mounting strip capable of supporting a bolt to be threaded into the nut of the mounting track;
• and
• a cover releasably mounted against the backplate and defining an enclosure for the flexible drive.

A safety guard kit having component parts capable of being assembled and attached to machinery to enclose a flexible drive between a drive shaft and a driven shaft, the kit comprising the combination of:

• mounting strips to be fastened to the machinery;
• a backplate having elongated openings, the openings being elongated along a line through the elongated openings;
• at least one mounting track to be secured to the rear of the backplate;
• and
• a cover releasably mountable against the backplate and defining therewith an enclosure.