chain slack

[john swenson]

the axles on my max2 are on my subframe and do not come thru the tub. if the holes on my frame where the bearing flanges bolt thru were slotted .. then to take up the slack i could loosen the bolts and slide the front or rear axle away from the center axle . much the same way a rear tire on a motorcycle is pulled back to tighten the chain. if there is any reason this would'nt work it would eliminate the chain tensioners. these are 4'' square bearing flanges with 1/2 '' bolts. what do you think ? johnboy va.

[dirtdobber]

I think that idea is fine but I would add a push/pull bolt for insurance. With only slotted holes I would worry about the axle and bearing slipping if you hit a big bump or something. A push/pull bolt will also help you keep things aligned while tightening.

[john swenson]

right dirtdobber...a motorcycle has those bolts on each axle side. once you loosen the axle nuts, tighten the nuts on the '' pull bolts '' the same on each side. it pulls the wheel back the same so you keep the alignment straight and won't let the wheel slip back forward as you mentioned. i am not sure theres any advantage over tensioners...just always thinking and tinkering. if i do it, i will fabricate plates that also have a slot for the axle , so if i need to change a bearing i can just loosen the flange bolts on both bearings and drop the axle out complete . easier to work on off the machine. j.b.

[tbone9]

Yes but don’t you run tracks? That’s going to change your track tension tremendously.

[john swenson]

tbone...the nice thing about the adair shackle tracks is it's quick and easy to add length . the connecting plates come in 3 different lengths , each about 1'',2'' and 3'' long. i'm not sure i will do the changeover..mostly curious about if it would work . it's always fun looking to improve designs. i think once chains stretch..there's usually not much adjusting needed , right ? thanks, j.b.

[tbone9]

Sounds like you’ve got it figured out. I work with lots of conveyors and head pulleys in industry that have slide setups with push blots a lot heavier applications than a Max so it should work fine. Chains constantly stretch but not as much as the initial wear in. By the way that’s an impressive rig you’ve got there.