The Chopper Compendium

Has anybody made there own chain tensioner.
Pictures?

i remember some on the old bord maybe dan can get em for ya but i think he said it was fragmented so he might need time

Picture from the old board of three tensioners, not sure of the thread it came from. Appears to used a modified
auto drive belt tensioner.

Serpentine belt tensioner from napa for a 1998 GMC Yukon showen. Doubt the plastic belt
pulley would hold up to a chain. The nub on the housing fits a hole to restrain the spring tension
and provide the tension factor.

I had a load of links and picture and variations on the old board. I'll look.

I made this one.

Thanks for the replys.
Jeff L-Can you give me some details ,like what sprocket and bearing did you use?
Thanks, Fred

The sprocket is an industrial ider sprocket from tractor supply.I forget what size, but its same size as 530 chain.The bearing I got in a bin at the steel supply I go to.It was a little bigger than the bore in the sprocket, so I just opened it up to fit.

The Chevy tensioner and the sprocket ( Grainger's ) is the cheapest unless your time is not worth anything ......I have cut the Chevy one down to use on a lot of different cars and bikes....... they polish out nice also.....The junk yards are full of them, I buy them by the 5 gal bucket full...i get the one that are locked up and say I am getting them to melt down and cast stuff. they weight the bucket and charge me the going price of scrap ! i mounted one on my Mower deck , when the stock piece of crap broke ...cuts down on the slippage so the belts don't burn up as fast1

yona wrote: unless your time is not worth anything ..

...Wow dude...that is so far from the point of why you would Make a part rather than buy it.Considering what I make an hour at my job,everthing on my bike I could have probably bought cheaper than make.

Was not my point but what I make an hour is to help feed and care for my family....why cobble up something that can break and leave you on side of the road....? guess I am too old to what to be different...I just like stuff to work....Sorry for butting in ....

My appologies dude....sometimes its not easy to get someone point through a typed sentence.And fyi its not butting in....its called discusion.Different viewpoints are always good.especially when you dont agree with some...it makes you think.

If it is MY time , not out of my work day and not costing me any money then it is FREE !

And if it ends up sold then that is extra money I wasnt expecting !

Other wise the value is the fun I had creating and using what I have made from scrap and labor !

also what else would you do with spare time, for me i'd way rather be out in the shop tinkering away on a project, than sittin on the couch staring at the tube.

Can a fixed tensiorer be used with a swing arm or do I need a spring loaded one?
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z238 ... ral185.jpg
Anyone know what material is pictured in the above address? UHMW?
Thanks for your reply's.

With the movement of the swingarm & chain, Id go with spring loaded tensioner....From what I can see of the weld...Id say Aluminum.