Bowling ball elevating assembly for an automatic pinsetter

In an automatic pinsetter including a rotatable pin elevating ring member and a bowling ball elevating assembly comprising a rotatable ball elevating ring member positioned adjacent the pin elevating ring member, first and second ball lift rods positioned radially interiorly of the ball elevating ring member, a shaft, and a ball wheel belt driven by the shaft and in engagement with the ball elevating ring member for rotating the ball elevating ring member, the improvement comprising:

• a drive shaft pulley driven by the shaft and in engagement with the ball wheel belt, wherein the drive shaft pulley is positioned radially exteriorly of the ball elevating ring member;
• and
• a idler pulley assembly including an idler arm, a tension spring for biasing a remote end of the idler arm away from the ball elevating ring member, and an idler pulley wheel rotatably mounted proximate the remote end of the idler arm and in engagement with the ball wheel belt,
• wherein the drive shaft pulley and the idler pulley wheel are configured, positioned and arranged such that the ball wheel belt does not engage greater than a 90° sector of either the drive shaft pulley or the idler pulley wheel.