Idler Chain Upper Sprocket Replacement

[Zircon]

Tried your suggestion on Wednesday, ARGOJIM ... no dice! Got belt off, got driven clutch off ... came off real easy ... guess someone used anti-seize. Jacked it up. Took off one idler chain. Ran out of daylight ... came home. Yesterday, Thursday, was stormy ...didn't go out. Went back this afternoon ... after going to NAPA this morning to pick up some Hex head sockets for my 1/2 drive torque wrench and bought two: 5/16 and 3/8. Tried to jack it up farther so I could move the track on the left side to get the other idler chain in position to remove it. Jack broke ... spring!!! The middle of the track was sitting on frozen ground ... so had to try to beat that away with shovel and pry bar (too lazy to walk back to the pickup to get the truck jack). Finally did beat it out of there ... and then it moved like silk ... could move it with a couple of fingers even while I was standing there looking at the idler chain. Got the chain off. Those damn little cotter pins!!! Took off the caliper ... It was the 5/16 hex head socket that was needed. Caught the washers with a magnet on an extendible arm. Slipped my little block of wood between the pads. 1"x2"x 1/4 ". Took the nut off the brake disk(rotor). Disk slipped off real easy! Guess someone had used anti-seize compound again. No pry bars or pullers needed! Had to raise the back end of the power pack so that it would clear the bottom sprocket, though. Was running out of daylight by then, so packed up and came home. A good half days work! Very cold working, though. Fingers just about froze! -11 or -12 degrees Celsius! Will see if I can upload a photo of the brake disk later ... Sprocket worn down to nubs!

Next time I go back, I have to remove the other caliper and brake disk. Then I'll be ready to reassemble everything. Will keep you posted.

*** Put the photos in a new album entitled Repairs In The Field

[ARGOJIM]

Well looking at your pictures the teeth are not worn but are gleaned down to nubs, see why the tension wouldn't work. Luckily for you the cold temperatures are aiding in the disassembly as metal shrinks the colder it is, though unluckily for you yourself.

Glad things are working out for you.

[Zircon]

Finished the job this afternoon and brought baby home.

Here's how I'd rate the parts of the job:

Removing drive belt ... Moderately difficult
Removing clutch ... Easy
Removing calipers ... Easy. Except took off the passenger side first and then raised power pack to remove the brake disk. Then when I went to remove the other caliper, I forgot it was still raised and wondered why the heck it wouldn't come off. When I lowered the power pack, everything was good.
Removing Brake Disks ... Easy ... Raising power pack to get them off was a pain.
Removing Idler Chains ... Simple ... except for the damn tiny cotter pins.
Replacing new brake disks ... Easy
Replacing calipers ... Easy once they were fitted over the new disks
Replacing the new chains ... Now that was a bi*ch! Definitely the hardest part. Not putting the cotter pins in ... but that wasn't exactly fun either. No, getting those new connecting links in ... Not because I couldn't get the ends together ... I made a tool by grounding down a pair of vice grips ... and that worked perfectly! Finding a place to get that link in ... that was the problem. Couldn't do it on the bottom ... tool I made had no room. Half way up ... forget about it! How did I do it? Lined up the ends of the chain with one of the big holes in the brake disk and pushed the link through there.
Replacing clutch ... Easy
Replacing belt ... Easy ... when I sat in and finished pushing it down with my foot. Piece of cakes then.

Hardest part of doing this in the field? Bitterly cold weather. -18C yesterday with the wind chill. And lugging everything in on a toboggan. Needed lots of wood to help jack it up. But I look on the bright side ... no black flies or mosquitoes. :-)

Put a few photos in my album Repairs In The Field if you are interested. Need help doing this anytime? Just let me know. And I certainly have to thank msafi65 for his great suggestions!!!

[ARGOJIM]

Do those lower sprockets before you head off again.

[Zircon]

I was planning on replacing it, ARGOJIM ... Just not right now. It's prime time for backcountry travel in the next two to three weeks. I just uploaded a close-up shot of the lower sprocket on the passenger side. What do you all think? Can it wait awhile?

[Zircon]

Didn't get an answer to the question, but I think I'm going to replace those lower sprockets in the next few weeks. The online manuals don't seem to reference the ArgoAvenger, though ... Conquest, Vanguard,etc ... but no Avenger. I'll have to pull that idler shaft after removing the chains. Not looking forward to this ... but at least it's not 18 below. :-) Has anyone on here done this before? Should I order any parts besides the sprockets ... just in case?

[ARGOJIM]

Just seen your picture for the first time, do them. My suggestion, do all 4 bearings also, you could put all parts in your spare kit just in case, the bearings are the same as 62mm outers. Unfortunately you'll need to do some of what you just did.
Good luck.