adjustment questions??

[moose]

hey everyone,
i finally had the chance to get out and try my 'new' 6x6 prairie bobcat and let me tell you it was more fun than i thought it would be, too bad i've been missing out all these years. but after being out a couple hours i have a couple questions i am hoping i can get some help with.
the first is this. when i accelerate it sounds like everything is vibrating real bad. i'm thinking maybe the chains. how tight should the chains be on a machine like this. most of them feel tight when i pull on one side and the other seems loose. is this normal?
second it seemed like the steering became less responsive as i went. also it seemed like i had to push harder on the levers to climb any steeper hills. does anybody know why this might be or is this normal?
any insight would be greatly appreciated as i am new to all of this and i just wnat to make sure i take care of everything properly.

[Mike]

Good to hear you are having so much fun with your 6 wheeler! On the chains, it is normal for one side to be tighter than the other when you are sitting on the ground. One side is pulling and the other side is slack.

When you check or adjust the tension, the tires should be off the ground. You can do one side at a time with a jack. This takes off the tension. Once you have it up in the air, there should be 1/2" of deflection in the chain. That's 1/4" up and 1/4" down from the rest position.

[moose]

hey thanks i wouldn't have thought of lifting it off the ground, good to know.
cheers