alright just got back from the land of the cats..... those six bolts holding the tension arms onto the spring carriage are a butt head.... but they are out.. left one in each side just a little to keep it all in line when i go to pulling on the front sprocket... oh my... think i get some longer bolts so as to put shims in and still have the same thread purchase.... i do understand that it's kinda non adjustable when done but I don't use it that much and it needs to be tightened to use it at all safely so... little compromise i suppose.... i took some pics post them later... my serial number is 4G4637W.... fyi I guess it's pretty old... i've been involved in quite a few forums of cars and trucks and this and and ,,, i must say nobody is as informative as this one .. cool Doug

ok so got the bolts out and pulled on the wheel with chain and no go it wont budge. aren't the wheel hubs on these sliding on the rails w/o stops so if all bolts are loose why can't it be pulled forward? i can move the wheel hub assembly on the rails up and down within the space made via the slide having worn down a bit... any thoughts on this one??? would there be a forward stop of some sort? i did get the cat up in the air on the side I am working on so as to free up the track assembly... i have started to pry my way in between the two bars attached to the spring assy via the three bolts and being a cast portion of the wheel hub assy... i can get a small crack between the two so I can get a shim in there if pounded in one at a time... maybe... ouch...thx... Doug

Not unusual to find that the front idler slide mechanism develops a wear pattern that tends to lock it in position or at least resist forward movement. There is no intended stop.

"Old wrote:

Not unusual to find that the front idler slide mechanism develops a wear pattern that tends to lock it in position or at least resist forward movement. There is no intended stop.

that's good to know except that it does seem to be stuck.... are there other bolts that need to be taken out besides the three bolts in each tensioner arm? I'm going out there again tomorrow and try again to get the wheel hub housing to move forward so as to tighten the track... as I said I but a chain around the hub and pulled it with my p/u but it has not moved enough to get a spacer between the tension arm and the spring housing... maybe a bigger truck???? what would happen if I split the track ???? years ago I had an old diesel mechanic who supposedly was rated #2 in the country tell me that I knew just enough to get myself in trouble... oh oh sounds like I may be getting in trouble again... appreciate the help though... thx Doug

Does the idler move at all? even a giggle? Does it appear to be rusted solid? May be a porta-power job if you can get behind it.

maybe try to pry it up and down? apply loose juice to the sliding surfaces

"Old wrote:

Does the idler move at all? even a giggle? Does it appear to be rusted solid? May be a porta-power job if you can get behind it.

even a hydraulic bottle jack...apply it where you can safely...

"kittylover123" wrote:

even a hydraulic bottle jack...apply it where you can safely...

well it moved... using the chain and my p/u pulling on one side at a time we got a shim started and were able to pound it in acheiving approx. half inch of movement forward... really not too sure why it's so stiff because I can pry the slide up and down which moves the whole idler arm as well ,, may try to get more movement but at least it will be tighter than it was and by applying lots of loose juice and oil maybe it will free up some more ... oh my

"mcbitchman" wrote:

well it moved... using the chain and my p/u pulling on one side at a time we got a shim started and were able to pound it in acheiving approx. half inch of movement forward... really not too sure why it's so stiff because I can pry the slide up and down which moves the whole idler arm as well ,, may try to get more movement but at least it will be tighter than it was and by applying lots of loose juice and oil maybe it will free up some more ... oh my

nice...that's a bit of progress

-just another what if...can you jack up that entire side...take all the weight off everything...just wondering if that will help things move more freely...but finally getting movement is a biggy itself:whoo:

Hi Team,
wonder if the track frame side rails have been bent in somehow and are squeezing tight onto the idler side guides.
The side guides are bolted onto the idler shaft blocks so with the track in place I guess the bolts would be impossible to get at to maybe loosen and ease the crush--these guides are shim adjusted to take out excess side movement of the idler.

Scan below that I have added for interest sake shows some issues with misaligned undercarriage.

Cheers,
Eddie B.