fyi, Lots of guys experience significant chain stretch on long/heavily loaded hunting trips. During this time it is not always practical to pull floor pans to babysit chain status. By disabling tensioners, the chains jump links (usually backwards) as the axles attempt to rotate forward under heavy load (climbing, and especially climbing/turning). This happens repeatedly and damages sprocket and main driveshaft damage. It also increases the risk of broken chains dramatically. Running with loose chains is 100X worse than running with a short-term over-tightened chain until you’re able to check it (at camp), quickly knock tensioners loose and reset (if they’ve over ratcheted ), and continue operating with chain tensioners that remain in service. Dealerships have even told my customers to replace the drive gear only to find out the #2 chain was loose, and the sprocket teeth were skipping teeth due to lack of sprocket wrap/tooth contact. All due to disabled tensioners. And of course it didn’t fix the problem. They’ve also told customers that this jumping noise was due to their tracks. When it gets to my shop, we find the real problem. More times than I can count, which is the only reason I’m posting on your video. Disabling tensioners is bad and takes more time to babysit/reset/re-zip tie than leaving them alone. Instead, check them when convenient, quickly knock loose and reset as necessary. Forget the zip ties and the associated risk of failures they cause far in the bush. Some of the newer machines are a real pain to access tensioners to zip tie anyway (#3 axle). But what’s the point. This is intended to be helpful, not to offend. There is a lot of marginal advice given by numerous different folks that ends up getting repeated. If anyone chooses to zip tie (disable) tensioners and is going to make long/hard/extended runs with a loaded machine, they need to babysit their tensioners big time. The risk far outweighs the benefit in my opinion big time, and I’ve run all vintages of these machines on long, loaded trips in remote bush Alaska.
One of my automatic tensioners is tied down because one side of the tensioner goes up to the next step but there is too much chain tension for the other one to rise up so they are both even with each other. It gets stuck like this and the chain stays singing tight. Everything is well lubed and the mechanism works freely with the chain off. It seems like once the chain stretches a bit more the other side would be able to rise up even with the other one and all would be good. The steps are too big if you ask me and this is what causes the trouble. Instead of having say for example 6 steps they should have 10 or twelve smaller steps. Ever run across this ? I dont like to tie down the self tensioner for the reasons you've mentioned.
This is not chain windup. A tight chain (top AND bottom) is extremally desirable . With a chain tight as you describe as being bad, all shock load on your system as steering inputs are given are basically removed, and every part of the driveline lasts longer. Following the inflation and tire placement in the manual, and then driving on flat ground, observing the chain and adding pressure to tires that have the tension on the bottom, and to the next tire if too much tension is is on the top is the best get windup eliminated. Also relegate any tire that has more than an inch of difference in circumference than the others to spare status, and ideally return it under warranty as out of spec. By properly tuning tire size with tire pressure a light tension can be applied to the top and your driveline will last a long time. chains should be replaced when they hit the second to last chain tension setting in the garage, if they get to the last chain tensioner notch in the field, remove a link from the chain to keep it tight, can carry a half link for the mid/front RC50. Thanks for making content! information cant get passed along unless someone has the balls to post a video, keep it up!
fyi,
Lots of guys experience significant chain stretch on long/heavily loaded hunting trips. During this time it is not always practical to pull floor pans to babysit chain status. By disabling tensioners, the chains jump links (usually backwards) as the axles attempt to rotate forward under heavy load (climbing, and especially climbing/turning). This happens repeatedly and damages sprocket and main driveshaft damage. It also increases the risk of broken chains dramatically.
Running with loose chains is 100X worse than running with a short-term over-tightened chain until you’re able to check it (at camp), quickly knock tensioners loose and reset (if they’ve over ratcheted ), and continue operating with chain tensioners that remain in service.
Dealerships have even told my customers to replace the drive gear only to find out the #2 chain was loose, and the sprocket teeth were skipping teeth due to lack of sprocket wrap/tooth contact. All due to disabled tensioners.
And of course it didn’t fix the problem. They’ve also told customers that this jumping noise was due to their tracks. When it gets to my shop, we find the real problem. More times than I can count, which is the only reason I’m posting on your video.
Disabling tensioners is bad and takes more time to babysit/reset/re-zip tie than leaving them alone.
Instead, check them when convenient, quickly knock loose and reset as necessary. Forget the zip ties and the associated risk of failures they cause far in the bush. Some of the newer machines are a real pain to access tensioners to zip tie anyway (#3 axle). But what’s the point.
This is intended to be helpful, not to offend. There is a lot of marginal advice given by numerous different folks that ends up getting repeated.
If anyone chooses to zip tie (disable) tensioners and is going to make long/hard/extended runs with a loaded machine, they need to babysit their tensioners big time. The risk far outweighs the benefit in my opinion big time, and I’ve run all vintages of these machines on long, loaded trips in remote bush Alaska.
Thanks for your input
Is the conquest and aurora run the same type (size chain,sprockets ) ? Or does the conquest come with heavier duty stuff
One of my automatic tensioners is tied down because one side of the tensioner goes up to the next step but there is too much chain tension for the other one to rise up so they are both even with each other. It gets stuck like this and the chain stays singing tight. Everything is well lubed and the mechanism works freely with the chain off.
It seems like once the chain stretches a bit more the other side would be able to rise up even with the other one and all would be good.
The steps are too big if you ask me and this is what causes the trouble. Instead of having say for example 6 steps they should have 10 or twelve smaller steps.
Ever run across this ?
I dont like to tie down the self tensioner for the reasons you've mentioned.
This is not chain windup. A tight chain (top AND bottom) is extremally desirable . With a chain tight as you describe as being bad, all shock load on your system as steering inputs are given are basically removed, and every part of the driveline lasts longer. Following the inflation and tire placement in the manual, and then driving on flat ground, observing the chain and adding pressure to tires that have the tension on the bottom, and to the next tire if too much tension is is on the top is the best get windup eliminated. Also relegate any tire that has more than an inch of difference in circumference than the others to spare status, and ideally return it under warranty as out of spec. By properly tuning tire size with tire pressure a light tension can be applied to the top and your driveline will last a long time. chains should be replaced when they hit the second to last chain tension setting in the garage, if they get to the last chain tensioner notch in the field, remove a link from the chain to keep it tight, can carry a half link for the mid/front RC50.
Thanks for making content! information cant get passed along unless someone has the balls to post a video, keep it up!
Do you tie off all the chain adjusters or just the back ones?
I do them all. Then I check them every 20 hours for slack. Every 10 hours the book wants you to oil the chains.