Chain Slap, a different question.

[AKMoose]

2009 6x6 Frontier has about 50hrs on it. I started hearing the chains slapping under the floor boards. I pulled the cover and discovered that the top of the chain has about 2 1/2 in of travel while the bottom ones are really tight (no travel). Tried pulling the glide block up as suggested in the manual with no effect. I can rotate the spring upward with my hand, but the block seem to be pinned under the bottom chain. The top chain is loose and slapping the frame. I've attached 2 images.

Can anyone tell me how to adjust and/or how it is supposed to be? Proud new Argo owner with "0" Argo/ATV experience. Thanks in advance!!

[thejunkman]

are you running tracks on it ?

[mike bar]

Mine is an older argo so I'm not sure on the chain tension er set up on the new ones but shouldn't there be a nylon guide on top of the chain as well? Maybe someone with the same machine will chime in here soon.

[Roger S]

I will guess that the machine is on the ground when you checked. The wheels on the side you are checking need to be off the ground and the trans in nuetral, so there is no drivetrain tension pulling the chains one way or the other when you check them. This way, the slack that you see in the top can be taken out by the adjuster.

Try that, if no sucess you may have adjuster problems. An argo dealer can be more precise about your problem.

[650ARGOINIOWA]

Did you try ajusting the chain tensioners with the tires off the ground? I have a 2007 Frontier it does the same thing. I think its more the shape of front floor pan. I tried shapping my floor pan after setting in the sun and used a heat gun on it and got it to quit chattering. but it eventually goes back to chattering. The chains ride up on the sprokets enough that you get this chatter. I drove mine(safley) with the front floor pan out and watched what was going on. I shimmed my front floor pan up with a couple boards 3/4" thick from a 1x2 I ripped on the table saw. any thicker makes putting the fire wall a pain to put back in. Good luck

[AKMoose]

Yes, I have supertracks on it. I had it on the ground when checking the adjustment. I'll raise it this weekend and take a look. ArgoinIowa, the odd thing is that this just started happening and getting worse with each run. I would think that if it was a floor pan issue that I would have heard it right from the start. Thanks for the replies/ideas.

[JohnF]

Your axles (and tires) are wound up because the rotational velocity of chains on sprockets does not match tires in tracks (because your tires are not all the same diameter). And, as some are suggesting, this can happen also without tracks when the tires are on the ground. You need the tires to spin free to relieve the stress. I think lifting might help if the offending tire is a center tire. I also think that this windup is the reason some suggest removing the (back on argo) (front on max) chains when running tracks.

Oh yeah, and you can affect tire diameter with tire pressure.

[thejunkman]

well said johnf I spoke to odg the other day about chain wound up but they still want everyone to run all chains with tracks im partners with an Argo dealer and for some reason this year we have been having to replace alot of chain slider blocks due to the chain bieng tight on the bottom where the block is and the top bieng too loose. i see this alot with tracks.

[Roger S]

Looking at chain slack could be the way to tell if tracks/tires are installed/inflated "right". In a perfect (argo) world when driving forward, the front chain would be slack on top, all others would be slack on the bottom where the adjuster can take it out. If the back axle chains are tight on the bottom and slack on top, it's because they're getting "pushed" faster from behind than ones in front are turning. That's what's loading the adjusters. If everything was perfect they don't have any stress unless the machine is in reverse.

[thejunkman]

hey roger S have you tried out the hdi yet?

[Roger S]

Havn't been near one..

[650ARGOINIOWA]

Each time you get in and out of your machine you are putting weight on your floor pan. how far down from the wedge shaped hold downs molded in the side do they set.Mine doesn't rattle or chatter on the frame. mine started all of a sudden to i don't have that much play in my chain with over 375+ hrs on them. I've been trying some tracks out and don't have that much play in my chains. i know i aired all my tires to 5psi and measered the circumference of each tire. Then put them on,the largest tires go on the back, smallest go on the front, and mid sized goes on in the middle. i'm using rubber tracks.I keep my tires aired to 5psi (got one slow leaker) You should have 2-3" of slack in the track when elevated off the ground.the track length should be 189" pin to pin. Good Luck