chain tensioners

[harley gazz]

hi all have used a yam beval box to run a short length of chain on me trike from front drive sprocket to beval box 32 links then coupled up to a reliant axle nice an short no prop shaft  any ideas on how to make a chain adjuster so as to take up any slack in chain in near future something to push up against the chain ;)cheers gazz

[Manky Monkey]

I've only tried one once, on an early XS650 Yam chop. I started out with a skateboard wheel on a spring loaded arm. That worked O.K -the drive chain cut a groove into it but only 10mm or so into the surface. It was a bit bulky though, so I ended up buying a ready made trail bike one from a local bike shop. That was a hard rubber block on a similar spring loaded arm. Seemed to work well.

[harley gazz]

thanks for the reply i sort of cocked up when putting in bevel just made up a housing for it to be bolted into never thought of adjustment if only i had cut slots in the housing so as to slide beval box backwards and used the slip joint on the prop i would of had my adjustment ? now then just got to keep my eyes peeled for a dustbin lid on a skate board got me adjustable at the ready,hehe

[Manky Monkey]

Yodie's got a Quaffe gearbox on his BMW trike -a horrendously expensive bit of kit that reverses the drive to give him 5 reverse gears! That's mounted on a slotted plate on the frame for just that reason. Couldn't you sandwich a second plate between the existing one & the box, with slots in it so you could adjust it?

[harley gazz]

i dont think i will be able to sandwich owt as the whole thing is all welded in place so as not to get any movement, any problems with drive unit ,and i can unbolt that out , maybe in the near future i could cut it out if it  does not behave  and then refit with adjustment ,yoda must have some cash then to afford one o them quaffe units , they are megga money , tis nice though having a reverse,and 5 speeds  backwards as well ,comes in handy if ya goes down a one way street the wrong way .oh yes done that one

[harley gazz]

right i ave come up with a tensioner, got a piece o flat plate inch an a bit by 2inch long drilled an hole near the end welded this to frame,got some threaded bar heated it up bent it into an (L) shape ,found some strong white solid plastic bar, in garage cut a section outa it on the lathe jus so chain sits in it , then nut, washer,plastic bit and another washer an nut,an a blob of weld so it dont work loose, placed bottom end with 2nuts an washer through hole an another washer,an 2nuts on other side of plate an bobs yer uncle i can move it up an down to take up slack ,but on doing this i saw in back street heroe,s a guy had used flat plate on end with a slot cut in  plate, allen bolt through what looked like a bearing and it was pushing down on chain not up

[Borgy]

i think it should pull up on the bottom, chain run and down on the top chain run, so as to be pulling the chain tension onto the sprocket not away from it

If you see what I mean, diagram can be provided

[harley gazz]

i sees what ya mean borg i thought it a tad strange meself it looks as though ya will push the chain off the spotty rocket eventually err resultin in non movement