What side does a belt tensioner go on if the power pulley is on the bottom and driven pulley is above it and they are rotating counterclockwise. Also should it be closer to the power, driven or in the middle? Thanks
The tensioner goes on the slack side; on the right in your case.
So would the top, middle or bottom be better or does it make any difference?
Both pulleys are 7" and 33" apart
Put the tensioner on the side that isn't pulled taut by the power drive (that's the right in your example). It's best to keep the smallest of the two pulleys as fully wrapped as possible, you can achieve that by putting the tensioner near the smaller of the two.
So if they are the same size would the middle be best?
Not exactly the middle, but a few inches one side or the other (two adjacent same-length belt segments can resonate IF they are matched, there's less vibration issue if they're mismatched).
Tensioner goes in the slack side of the belt.
Location is either centered if the pulleys are the same size OR shifted toward the smaller pulley (drive or driven).
If you want a handy tensioner that is automatic just look over any vehicle made after about 1997. Spring loaded and compact. I just used a couple with flat idlers to tension up the belts on one of the local Amish farmers power plant.
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