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Off-Road.com's SportQuad.com

Publish date: Oct 1, 2005
By: ORC STAFF
Source: ATV at Off-Road.com

How To Protect The Axle Locking Nuts This tip is a labor saving tip.After you have just installed new rear axle bearings,tape up the threads and the locking nuts used to hold everything in place (see illistration below).Use a special heat shrink tape you can buy at any electronics store.Apply it after assembly while the threads are CLEAN,and when you heat it up it shrinks and seals the threads so they won't get rusty,dirty,or damaged. This will enable you to easily loosen the locking nut the next time you need to remove the rear axle.The cost of the tape ($5.00)will easily offset the amount of work and possibly money it will save you. I have seen cases where the threads on the axle got so messed up and rusted from not being protected the lock nut had to be cut off and replaced.

AXLES & BEARINGS Here's a tip for you guys out there that may be a little rough on your quads.Maybe you like yo do a lot of "Muddin". Maybe you do a lot of racing. If you find yourself replacing those rear axle bearings more often than you like .....Consider purchasing an after market bearing holder. One that has much wider bearings or uses four bearings.The wider bearings will last much longer and you won't be replacing bearings as often. The initial cost can be a shock, but if you plan on keeping your machine for a while, it will be worth it.

About How much free play should I have in my chain..... I would first like to give you two reasons chains stretch and need constant adjustment.The first reason is the most common reason chains stretch and the second is not so obvious to most people. #1) The first reason is simply from the counter sprocket pulling the chain. When the drives the rear sprocket the rear sprocket provides resistance. That resistance varys depending on the type of riding you do. The more resistance the chain gets from the rear sprocket, the more the chain stretches. For example if you climb a lot of hills or if you like to do "Burn Outs", things like that put a lot of stress on a quads chain. #2) The second way to stretch a chain and possibly break one is from improper chain adjustment. If you look at the swingarm on an atv with no weight on it, you will notice the swing arm is at a slight angle in relationship to the ground. During the normal operation of an atv the swingarm pivots,such as when you go over bumps. When the swingarm pivots it becomes more parallel to the ground. When this happens,it takes up the slack in the chain and if there isn't enough slack in the chain, the chain becomes too tight and this causes it to stretch or possibly break. The manufactures suggested way of checking the free play in your chain. With the quad at the normal height, with no weight on it,measure the amount of play in the chain.The recommended amount of slack is 1-3/8" to 1-3/4". Pretty simple. Read on.

The problems with chain adjustment for most people start when they neglect the other parts of the drive system,the things most people DON'T think are important. 1) The chain roller. 2) The chain guide. When these two items become worn or are missing ,(as I have seen on many quads) It make it impossible to acheive the correct amount of slack in a chain. These two items give the chain a certain amount of built in slack . When these two items become worn passed their limits ,(see your owners manual for specs) or are missing the amount of slack in the chain (at rest) has to be increased .

The problem with this is as you increase the amount of slack in the chain the greater the risk of the chain "Popping Off" during riding. You don't want that happening. I have seen chains come off and wrap around the counter shaft sprocket. Many times when this happens it can crack the case.

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