How tight your chain should be

[ImpulseRocket]

Finally someone who agrees with me, wear not stretch. IR gets a huge BRO HUG!

My automotive and motorcycle mechanics training not withstanding, I work as an industrial maintenance/electro-mechanical technician. I am extremely familiar with chain drives lol.

 

[cloakedvillain]

My automotive and motorcycle mechanics training not withstanding, I work as an industrial maintenance/electro-mechanical technician. I am extremely familiar with chain drives lol.

I am actually in an industrial tech program right now. Half way through or so. Today was my first day in my plc class. Sent us home with this trainer and a laptop will all the necessary software: rs linx, rs logic, connected components workshop etc.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

I am actually in an industrial tech program right now. Half way through or so. Today was my first day in my plc class. Sent us home with this trainer and a laptop will all the necessary software: rs linx, rs logic, connected components workshop etc.

PLC stuff is fun. The practical wiring part of it not so much. The only part of the training I hated was relay logic ladder diagram mapping. That stuff can make your brain hurt.

 

[cloakedvillain]

PLC stuff is fun. The practical wiring part of it not so much. The only part of the training I hated was relay logic ladder diagram mapping. That stuff can make your brain hurt.

It is very fun and quick to change unlike relay logic based control circuits.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

It is very fun and quick to change unlike relay logic based control circuits.

If you get good at logic diagrams and PLC programming in particular there are some VERY good paying jobs out there. Just need some experience and a little advanced training. Factory training for different systems, etc.

I am literally in the process of starting a new career as a factory contracted technician for Bluecrest (mail processing machines) in the next couple of weeks. Quite a big pay increase and much better benefits. Just had to cut my teeth for a few years working on their stuff for an independent company for a while.

Basically, a dream job for me.

 

[cloakedvillain]

If you get good at logic diagrams and PLC programming in particular there are some VERY good paying jobs out there. Just need some experience and a little advanced training. Factory training for different systems, etc.

I am literally in the process of starting a new career as a factory contracted technician for Bluecrest (mail processing machines) in the next couple of weeks. Quite a big pay increase and much better benefits. Just had to cut my teeth for a few years working on their stuff for an independent company for a while.

Basically, a dream job for me.

I am actually working at an integrator as a jr. tech. Right now I just assemble the custom panels but after this semester I will be working with the controllers. I enjoy the work and they like the work I do.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

It had nothing to do with the power. It's the suspension geometry. Since the rear axle moves in an arc relative to the swing arm axle, which is also offset from the countershaft center, the chain on a swing arm drive is tightest when all three shaft centers are aligned perfectly. Once it swings past alignment in either direction the chain gets more slack.

Dirt bikes have a lot of suspension travel, so in order to keep the chain tension correct at the tightest point in the travel, the slack spec at full droop is much larger since.the rear sprocket is closer to the countershaft due to the arc of travel.

On my dual sport, they state the slack spec as 15mm at the tightest point of the chain with all three shafts in alignment. At full droop, this makes my chain slack 40mm.

A lot of people also confuse the concept of chain "stretch" with the idea that the metal links of the chain are literally elongating. That is not what is happening. Chain "stretch" is caused by roller bushing and pin wear. The pins move more within the rollers, which allows the distance between the rollers of inner and outer links to get closer or farther apart. The pin center to center on each link is the same. If the pin center to center changes on a single link plate, it has suffered a tensilary failure.

Several things can cause issues such as tooth wear on the sprockets. The most common cause of chain stretch is the holes in the side plates become oblong shaped instead of round.

Though this may only be a fraction of a millimeter. Doesn't seem like much but adds up over the entire length of the chain. When the taut used chain was laid next to a taut new chain of the same number of links the used chain appeared to be longer. Thus people thought the plates had been stretched longer.

For those of us who run no tensioner I've found a 1/4" to 1/2" depression in the middle of the chain to be the perfect setting.