Chain maintenance, Chain slack, Idler chain tension – Great Plains 2510HDP Operator Manual User Manual
Page 116: Chain slack idler chain tension
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1510HDP/2010HDP/2510HDP
Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc.
118-245M
2013-10-21
Chain Maintenance
Inspect and lubricate chains regularly. The slack of new
chains tends to increase during the first few hours of
operation due to seating.
Chain Slack
Check slack within the first 8 hours of operation and
tighten idlers as necessary.
Refer to Figure 118, which, for clarity, greatly exaggerates
slack, and omits the idlers.
1.
Measure the span
for allowable slack:
Locate the longest span of each chain (usually the
span which does not run through the idlers). The
ideal slack is between 2% and 4% of the span.
For example:
A slack of 1cm is appropriate for a 30cm span.
2.
Measure the current slack
:
Acting at a right angle to the chain span at the center
of the span, deflect the chain in both directions with a
force of about 9 lbs (4 kg). The slack is the distance
of the movement.
3.
Adjust the idlers for ideal slack.
Whenever mounting a chain, make sure the clip at the
removable link is oriented to minimize snags.
Refer to Figure 119
Install clip with open end facing away from direction of
chain travel (shown by gray arrows in chain routing
diagrams).
Idler Chain Tension
The meter drive chain at each row has a spring-loaded
idler that requires no adjustment. Over time, however,
chain stretch may result in excess slack.
When engaged, the front idler
should be lower than
rear
idler by dimension
1/4 to 1/2in (6.3 to 12.7mm).
If there is excess slack, remove links from the chain until
the slack is within the recommended limits.
Figure 118
Measuring Chain Slack
27264
2
1
1
Figure 119
Chain Clip Orientation
26482
2
Figure 120
Meter Idler Slack
18421
3
2
1
1
2
3