Front chains...

[Kris W]

Quick question for those of you experienced with changing chains, im wrestling with the idea of ordering all my chains from Argo, The front right chain under the battery looks like it would be tough to get at... of all my chains the front are stretched the least, obviously due to their being so small in comparison to the rest... They are tight on the top and sag some below. Is it worth the trouble to change the front two Chains when I do the rest if they are not as bad as the rest? & if I have to change them, what's the best way to get out the one under the battery? Does the plate or "tray" that the battery sits on pull out ?

[curtisbyrne]

if you are chainging the(front chains) they are easy to remove if worn you dont even need a chain puller.i got two new front chains and they are just too tight for me to put on idk why. the battery tray does not move so just take your time and you will get it!

[Toys4Me]

If your going through all the trouble to change the rest I would do them and you wont have to worry about them. My argo doesn't have the battery in the front so the front chains were not bad to replace.

[Rock Doctor]

Hi Kris
I would suggest buying rolls of chain and breaking it yourself, it will more than likely be better chain, and will cost about half of the price.
The Battery Trays in my Argo's are removable, although it does not look like it at first glance. Remove the Battery, get your fingers under the battery Tray and pop the bottom up out of the Tray (It's a thin metal plate that just fits into the Tray frame). With the plate out, you can access the 2 bolts that hold the Battery Tray frame in place.
Your Battery Tray may be different, my machines are Conquests.

RD

[curtisbyrne]

i didnt think they were removable? i never looked at it becuase thats what i thought but maybe your right

[JohnF]

The idea that the wear is less on a shorter chain is an illusion. The pitch change and the erosion of the sprockets will be the same.

[curtisbyrne]

Really? Becuase the chain I find is still good even tho it's worn but I guess it will have premature wear on the sprocket?

[JohnF]

Really?

Yep.

Becuase the chain I find is still good even tho it's worn...

How are you determining that it is still good? <that's the illusion part>

... but I guess it will have premature wear on the sprocket?

Not premature if you you ran worn out chain.

[ARGOJIM]

Kris try this, jack up the front of the machine so all tires but rears are off the ground. Next mark all 4 tires in a straight line and rotate the front tire noting the amount of difference in tire rotation from 1 to 4, they should turn in unison so that is how much wear there is in chains/sprockets.

[ve1sar]

Hi, here some info about the front chains. I had 97 Argo Conquest and it became time to replace all the chains. I purchased Argo brand chain cut to length. I know I could have bought in bulk rolls but I didn't want the work of cutting the chains. Getting back to the front chains I found out that these chains will stretch enough that the bottom part of the chain will lie on the floor because there are no tensioner to hold the chain up.. The chains wore a hole right through the floor to the skid plate. So keep an eye on the front chains. The easy way to fasten the chain ends is to put the chain around the sprockets fasten the ends with a large plastic tie rap to hold the chain so you can work on the ends next close up the other side of the chain away from the tie with a set of vice grips ground to the shape of the chain barrel and close until you can start the chain connector in half way. Now remove the tie rap and do the same as the other end so you can slide the connector through. Don't forget the center chain spacers if you have double chain. Put the connector through the right side of the chain away from the frame to make it easier to put the connector plate and lock in place. You may also have to use two sets of vice grips. Hope this info helps. This is still not going to be easy unless you have long arms LOL. Paul

[Buzz]

Helpful to use bailing wire or daisy-chained zip ties through one chain end. Make it long enough so you have an easy-to-grab handle to control the end of the chain around the front sprocket. There isn't much clearance here, and frequently the last link wants to come off the sprocket (because of gravity) and bunch up and not continue the direction you need. It happens when rolling the front sprocket either direction. When it's time to put the master link in, I prefer to bring both chain ends onto the idler axle to help hold them. If you have someone handy to turn tire #2 forward, and tire #1 backward it will bring all of your slack to the top where you are working. The sprocket technique works well because you only need to get the master link started, then you can roll everything and finish installing the master link all the way. Once in a while, the chain tension will flex the master link pins apart slightly, and you need to squeeze them together to get the chain plate holes to fit easily. Hope this helps someone. Fronts can be the only real tricky ones as there isn't a lot of slack in the chain to begin with (machines w/o front tensioners).
Some machines have additional clearance around the front sprocket and it's much easier getting the new chain started too😀

[msafi65]

When all I'm doing is a chain replacement I break the old chain at the master and link the new chain to it. Keeping tension on both pull the new one in. Also never seen an Argo battery box in front of the firewall that wasn't removable from the factory. I've seen home built ones welded in.

[Kris W]

WooHoo ! Just got Back from the Argo dealer, with a box of shiny new drive chains !! I will start replacing them tomorow. im excited ! I Considered buying rolls of chain and breaking it and creating my own chains, however after pricing rolls of "good chain" ,plus master links, plus shipping, etc. Plus the time factor . (Trying to get the old man out fishing before snow flies) I just didn't think it was worth the amount of money I would've saved. If i had a newer machine, with a single strand chain I could've sourced it from a lot more convenient places.

[curtisbyrne]

good job,get those chains on and have fun. dont forget to jack up the vehicle and turn the wheels a bit to get the torque out of them. be patient because this stuff is know to drive you crazy haha get it drive you

[Kris W]

Any tips for easily removing the little clips on the master links ?