Abstract: The article provides an analysis of the state of technical equipment for cleaning fibrous materials, including raw cotton from fine and coarse litter. The scheme of the drive of the cotton-cleaning unit including belt drives with eccentric tension rollers with elastic elements is presented. The results of experimental studies of a belt drive with variable gear ratio, including a composite eccentric tension roller, used in the drive of a cotton-cleaning unit of installation cotton ginning complex (ICGC), are analyzed. On the basis of full-factor experimental studies, the optimal values of the drive parameters have been determined, which allow obtaining a high cleaning effect.