Ask Hytrol: How to Replace a Drive Chain on a Center Drive

Welcome to Ask Hytrol. Today we will discuss how to replace the drive chain on a center drive.

You will need the following tools:

• 5/8 wrench
• 11/16 wrench
• 9/16 wrench
• Needle-nose pliers
• Tape measure
• Hex wrench set
• Lockout-tagout equipment

For your safety and others around you, always lockout-tagout all machinery before removing any guarding for repair.  You may now remove the acorn nut on the outside of the chain guard and remove the guard.

Now that the chain, sprockets, and chain take-up assemblies are exposed, loosen the 6-gold grade-eight bolts in the drive take-up assembly three on each side of the drive, but do not completely remove the bolts.

Loosen the two 3/8 jam nuts on the drive take-up bolts one on each side of the drive. Now you should be able to move the motor base plate.

Slide the motor base plate all the way to the back of the adjustment slots toward the drive pulley. Now the old chain is loose enough to remove. Find the master link on the drive chain and remove the outer clip using the needle-nose pliers. Remove and discard the old master link and chain. Inspect the sprockets for any unusual wear and tear replace as needed.

Re-adjust the motor base plate lining the outer flange of the bell housing of the reducer flush to the end of the drive channel. Using the tape measure. Measure around the outside of both sprockets to get a measurement for the replacement chain.

Install the new chain and master link, Tension the chain using the three by eight jam nuts on the take-up bolts on the take-up assembly. Make sure your drive chain has proper tension, where approximately ¼ inch or two percent of sprocket centers has slack.

Once the chain is properly tensioned, tighten the three-by-eight jam nuts on the take-up bolts and the six gold grade-eight bolts in the drive plate. To ensure the drive plate is square in the drive, make sure the take-up bolts on the drive plates measure the same inside to inside. Failure to square the drive plate properly can cause excessive noise and rapid wear on the sprockets and chain.

Check the chain tension again and lubricate if needed. Replace the chain guard and the acorn nut. You may now unlock the machine and put it back into production.

You have now replaced the drive chain on your center drive. Thank you for joining us in this Ask Hytrol.

For more support, contact your local integration partner or our Customer Care team.