How to Troubleshoot Why Dough Sheeter Won't Reverse

Inspect the belts on the sides of the rollers. The belts of a dough sheeter are used to assist in the forward and reverse motion of the machine, so that the dough gradually becomes thinner. If one of the rollers -- or both -- is damaged or worn, it's possible for the dough sheeter to not reverse. The operator of the machine uses a lever or pedal to control the movement of the belts and their speed, but with a damaged belt, the sheeter won't respond to the reverse motion.

Examine the control lever. The lever is located on the dough sheeter by the belts and is what the operator of the machine uses to control the reverse motion. If the lever is defected or broken, it won't be able to communicate the reverse direction to the machine and the sheeter will only move forward. Test the lever by moving it to the right and to the left to see whether the movement of the belts follow the lever's directions. Depending on the machine, moving the lever to the left can move the belt forward or backward, and vice versa for moving the lever to the right.

Look at the control pedal. The control pedal is also used for telling the dough sheeter to move in reverse. If the pedal is broken or loose on the machine, it may not be tight enough to transmit the message to the belts to move in reverse. Turn the machine on, and test the pedal by stepping on it and checking how the sheeter responds.