Kity 439 - can anyone help with this?

[dpmstevens]

Hi,
I've got a Kity 439 that I haven't used for a while. Three years ago, for some reason I can't remember, I removed the chain and then reassembled it.

Now I want to use it again, but the chain tensioner sprocket seems loose. There's nothing keeping it in place and it can move to the end of the shaft it's mounted on. When it's like this the chain is very nearly touching one of the other wheels. The last two pictures show it in two positions - pushed back against the bracket and pushed to the opposing end of the shaft. The other two are to show the overall layout in case I've done something stupid when reassembling.

Is this amount of movement right? Should it be tensioned more tightly? There doesn't seem to be any other way to fit it, so I may be worrying about nothing – but I don't want to start it up and have the chain collide with a drive wheel.

Thanks very much to any 439 owners who may have the answer!
Cheers
Dan

 

[Inspector]

I don't have or have ever seen the machine but I am wondering why both sprockets have wear marks around where the shafts are? Is there supposed to be some nuts and or washers on them or is it just that you turned the sprockets around and what used to touch is now on the other side? Would turning them around move the chain further from the gear?

Pete

 

[sawtooth-9]

Agree with Inspector.
The pics are not very clear, but it looks ( on one of the pics ) that there is a thread ?
If so, I suspect there should be a washer and nut ( probably a half nut ) on at least one of the shafts. As Inspector has said, I would look at whether the sprockets are on the correct way around.
Another thing to look at is whether there is a small groove at the end of the shafts - there may be a need for a circlip to locate the sprocket.

 

[rogxwhit]

What holds the main feed roller sprockets in place on their shafts? I can't tell from yr pics. I know it wasn't part of yr question, but it's contextual anyway.

The idler could float on its shaft as a means of self-alignment, and it's ok. But there's a means of possible retention like an annular, spring-tabbed clip that must have a name I'm unaware of, & such a thing could be missing?

I'd be tempted to fire it all up briefly, with a finger near the stop button, & make some assessments.

The Endurance was crushed, but Shackleton & all his crew survived. There's a model there, somewhere.

 

[Fergie 307]

Long time since I rebuilt my one, the earlier type but still the same basic design. I am sure that the tensioner wheel is retained on the shaft, either by a star washer or a circlip. I can have a look when I am back home, but will be a few days as I am on holiday. If you have a manual led the exploded parts drawing show anything on the end of the shaft?

 

[Fergie 307]

Here you go, didn't realise I had this in my downloads. Has to be said it doesn't show a retainer on the end of the shaft, I may have been thinking of the gearwheel. Does show the assembly so you can check if everything is in the correct place. Hope it helps.

 

[Fergie 307]

Other thing to do is to take the tensioner wheel off and look at the shaft. There will be wear marks that will show you whether it is running in the same place relative to the shaft as it was before, they do run fairly close together.

 

[Fergie 307]

Looking again at photo 2, looks like you have very clear round witness marks on the end of each drive sprocket. As I recall the sprockets just screw onto the threaded ends of each roller. I think the witness marks may be where the sprockets butted up against the end of the rollers, in which case you have them fitted the wrong way round. If the sprockets are asymetrical, ie the boss on one side of the sprockets is thicker than the other, then that may be why the chain is now running further out than it should.

 

[Fergie 307]

As per Inspectors earlier comment, which I hadn't read fully. Or of course they may not be witness marks, but just the ends of the centre threaded boss which is pressed into each sprocket. Worth checking though.

 

[kinverkid]

This is a photograph I took from inside my Bestcombi 2000 in 2019 before replacing a belt. Looks like there might be something in the above comments when you compare the two. Sorry I can't go back, physically or memory to help further.