• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Simple Chain Tensioner.

RocksnRoses

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
770
Location
South Australia
Occupation
Owner operater crushing & contracting business
They say 'necessity is the mother of invention'. We have a small screening plant that was built out of scrap, in a hurry to fullfill a particular need. Another contractor needed a small screen to screen gypsum and we needed one to screen soil, so we knocked it up in a hurry a few years ago and it is still working and what's more it is doing the job very well. However, the chain drive that drives the conveyor under the feed hopper was giving me the ****'s, so I made one of these little fellers and it totally eliminated the problem. It is very easy to make, two pieces of flat steel, two bolts and two pieces of mallee, (a small, very hard wood, Australian Eucalypt), the modern version uses hard wearing nylon.

The first photo also shows how the chain wears grooves in the wood until the rollers touch the wood and they just roll around it. It is very hard to keep constant tension on a heay drive roller chain, but this is self compensating, as the chain loosens, it slides a little further down, keeping a constant tension on the chain. It's a bit rough, but it works.


RS 1.jpgRS 2.jpgRS 3.jpgRS 4.jpg

This shows it in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bczx3P-A3jI

RnR.
 

RocksnRoses

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
770
Location
South Australia
Occupation
Owner operater crushing & contracting business
Thank you for the comments everyone, brilliant and awesome might be going a little far, I don't consider myself that clever, but it does work very well, especially if the sprockets and chain are becoming worn and you are trying to keep it going a little longer, before fitting new ones.

RnR.
 

willie59

Administrator
Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
13,407
Location
Knoxville TN
Occupation
Service Manager
Thank you for the comments everyone, brilliant and awesome might be going a little far, I don't consider myself that clever, but it does work very well, especially if the sprockets and chain are becoming worn and you are trying to keep it going a little longer, before fitting new ones.

RnR.


Oh shut up! We know brilliant when we see it! And the video proves it. :D :cool2
 

Blacksmoke07

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2011
Messages
89
Location
PA
Occupation
Heavy Equipment Operator
Niiiiiiice, atleast u dont have to call the dealer for the backordered replacment part....(tensioner atleast)
 

australian pete

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
440
Location
yarramundi.NSW.australia
Occupation
clearing contractor.
They say 'necessity is the mother of invention'. We have a small screening plant that was built out of scrap, in a hurry to fullfill a particular need. Another contractor needed a small screen to screen gypsum and we needed one to screen soil, so we knocked it up in a hurry a few years ago and it is still working and what's more it is doing the job very well. However, the chain drive that drives the conveyor under the feed hopper was giving me the ****'s, so I made one of these little fellers and it totally eliminated the problem. It is very easy to make, two pieces of flat steel, two bolts and two pieces of mallee, (a small, very hard wood, Australian Eucalypt), the modern version uses hard wearing nylon.

The first photo also shows how the chain wears grooves in the wood until the rollers touch the wood and they just roll around it. It is very hard to keep constant tension on a heay drive roller chain, but this is self compensating, as the chain loosens, it slides a little further down, keeping a constant tension on the chain. It's a bit rough, but it works.


View attachment 75382View attachment 75383View attachment 75384View attachment 75385

This shows it in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bczx3P-A3jI

RnR.

hi rocks, did you receive my message ?
 
Top