chain wind up

[trainguy438]

i am in the middle of making tracks for an 04 big foot with an 18horse vanguard motor. how do i prevent chain wind up? if i unhook my rear chains and run the rest at normal tension will that work? what other things should i look for while running/building tracks? i am using 15inch snowmobile tracks and 2inch flat bar for the guilds. thanx again guys for all the advice along the way!

[Obsessed]

You can try unhooking some of the drive chains, but it will probably cause the tires to slip in side of the track s when you are under a heavy load or in the mud. The best thing to do is to size the tires and make sure that they are in the right order to minimize the damage caused by the chain windup...you will also need to switch the tires to a smaller size to allow enough fender clearance. You might also need to add wheel spacers to keep the tracks from rubbing on the back side of the fenders or offset the wheel guides on the track to move them outward from the center of the machine.
Good luck:-)

[trainguy438]

when you say to size the tires do you mean to keep them the same diameter side to side?

[Obsessed]

Not exactly...when you size the tires on a 6x6 argo (because of the newer style chain tensioners and the placement and configuration of the drive train components) you stager the tires in a pattern of smallest in front and largest in the back...this will put the stretch on the top of the chain loops (and off of the self adjusting chain tensioners) when rolling in a forward direction and should be done whether or not you run tracks...will save a lot of wear and tear on the chain and tensioners...

To figure out size, just take the tires off and inflate them to a common preasure and then measure around the center of each tire and write it on the inside of the rim for future use...your original 25x12x9's should average about 78-79" each but could vary as much as 6 or 7 inches and thats what causes chain windup

Let me know if you need additional help or if this doesnt make sence

Have fun

[trainguy438]

it does make sense and I'm glad i asked! i learn something about this thing every day. i appreciate all the advice i can get. i want to keep this buggy in premo condition. any idea on how long of a track i will need with 22" tires? how hard are the tracks to put on? Thanx again!

[Ratman]

You can get detailed info on correct tire pressure, size placement ect from a Argo dealer

[Rock Doctor]

My understanding is that removing the rear chains does help on the 8x8's, but not so much on the 6x6's. Personally, I don't do it. I have noticed that chain windup is a bigger issue with rubber tracks than plastic (I have both).
Make sure your guides are very smooth, it doesn't take much to slash a tire sidewall.

Are your guides just running along the edges of the track, or are they running across the width of the track with a guide on each side?


RD

[trainguy438]

i am planing on using 2" flat bar for the guides. going to put a 2" lip to bolt threw and a small bend at the top to keep it away from the tire. unless someone has a better idea of what to use?

[Obsessed]

In a perfect world...track length on you 6x6 bigfoot with 22" tires would be 173" long...

[ve1sar]

Hi All,
I installed Argo brand rubber tracks on my 97 Conquest last winter and I have to date had no issues with Chain Windup. I have read different logs during to last year regarding this and and from what I have read the Argos with the problem seem to have the newer style rachet type chain tensioners. These tensioners tigthen and don't release. Why not change the tensioners on the back set of chains to the old style as in say a 97 argo and see what happens.This may let the chains slip. My Argo tensioner has a set of arms on a rod with plastic blocks for slids for the chain to run on and a spring to keep the tensioner tight. I don't know if this is a cure for the problem but if it works in may be an inexpensive cure.
Paul