Is this chain:
This is on my skid steer, which stopped driving correctly over a week ago, getting stuck with one drive wheel spinning freely and a broken chain. I bought the replacement chain, cut it to length, and got it looped around the sprockets, but I cannot for the life of me get it to connect.
It took me ages to get the chain tensioner to loosen, which was the real problem. Eventually it did, but even after loosening it as much as I could get, I still can’t get the chain ends to connect.
I’ve tried various approaches using a few different tools to hold the ends toward each other. The issue is clearance – there’s only room on one side of the chain.
That gives me an idea, actually. I could try aligning the links with one tool and then separately inserting the master link after they are close enough. That may work. Let me try, before the daylight is gone.
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no picture just rage. Nope, that didn’t work. It almost worked. I used the coat hanger to get the two ends very close. Then i tried to insert the master link from the higher clearance side, knowing that would leave me fighting in an even tighter space for the last step. Instead, i dropped the link trying to adjust my grip on it. Didn’t just drop it either, it went flying somewhere within the drive compartment. I can’t abandon it either, it’s fod now what will chew up the chain if left there.
This is a simple maintenance task now into the third week of frustration. Ugh.