Frontier Front Axles...

[Silverbullet75]

Hi,
I went riding for about 3 hours yesterday in the 108 degree heat. I had removed the set screws that I added, and I guess all is good. When I got back to where I had parked, I removed the firewall and floor pan and drove around a bit to see what the chains were doing. The sprocket that I was complaining about seemed to be ok... it was in a centered position.
Now, the only complaint I STILL have since day 1 is the chain slap! The darned chains keep slapping against the floor pan! It's SO annoying and embarrassing! Also, I found the source of another annoying noise... every time I turn the handlebars (while driving) it makes a loud "clack"... which turns out to be the front chains that have a lot of slack. When I turn, it does a harsh removal of slack in the chain... making the "clack" sound. So... I'm looking for a good chain tensioner system to add to both the front and middle chains. The rear doesn't give me any problems.
Thanks!

[philipatmaxfour]

Dear mr. Bullet-The Argo Avenger that I got from the factory in june 2007 has tensioners on the front chains. All Avengers since come without. The factory says you don,t need them. These chain tensioners are a bit different than the earlier ones. The teeth are fewer and farther apart,get a stronger bite,but the chain has to be more slack before they automatically click up to the next step. The ones from the idler shaft to the second axle,the adjuster is just behind the gas tank were the last to come into play after about 75 hours. I think Argo needed to keep the adjusters on the Avenger front axles.
Question: did Frontiers ever have adjusters on the front axle chain??? If so maybe you could order them, if not, maybe the Avenger adjusters are the same? (I think so) If your local dealer is not easy to reach,you could call Brandon Price. Hope this helps. Good luck

[Silverbullet75]

That's an interesting idea!
No, Frontiers did not have any chain adjusters on the front.
Can you tell me if the Avengers tensioner is a "top push down" type?
I'm also looking for something for the center axle chains... need a top push down type... something to keep the top of the chain from hitting the bottom of the floor.

Thanks!

[xrover]

Not sure if this was covered in the thread but Argo changed the tensioners for the 07 and up model year (some late 06 may have got them as well). The original tensioners had very small steps on them which did not create enough slack in the chain. The new ones have about 5 steps on them.

As for the initial issue in the thread, the front sprocket is meant to float that way. If you are getting excessive chain slap then I would check
- your tensioners where you have them to see how much wear is on them and replace the pads - if old style then replace with new style
- chain tension (the machine is not old/used enough to have worn chains) which may require removing a link

Good luck.

[philipatmaxfour]

That's an interesting idea!
No, Frontiers did not have any chain adjusters on the front.
Can you tell me if the Avengers tensioner is a "top push down" type?
I'm also looking for something for the center axle chains... need a top push down type... something to keep the top of the chain from hitting the bottom of the floor.

Thanks!

Dear Silverbullet- I will have to pull the floor out and look or I'll say something that isn't true re: the adjusters. About your chains slapping the bottom of the floor. My back chain did that, especially just as I went to turn,sounded terrible, like something was really wrong. Once the chain loosened enough to let the adjuster come into play,wow ,problem solved.That adjuster is a " bottom push up" model for sure,but by pushing up on the bottom part of the chain ,it keeps the top part of the chain tight enough that it can't slap. I loved the movie that you made to show the problem. Worth more than a thousand words! I can take pictures of the adjusters if you need them. Good luck.

[MaxRules]

I always found it important to help out those auto adjusters when they are new. After just a few hours running, you can pull up on the adjuster to tighten it. This will make the chains run quiet. Jack up your vehicle to allow slack in the chain. Pull up on all the adjusters and make them ratchet into the correct tension.