New Holland 499 Operator's Manual page 64

CARE OF CHAINS
Drive chains should be checked and lubricated daily.
Maintain correct tension. Over tightening stretches
the chain and exerts excessive side loads on
sprockets, shafts, and bearings. A loose chain will
slap and climb the sprocket teeth causing excessive
wear.
Remove or add links to the chain if the correct tension
cannot be maintained with the available adjustment
mechanism. Drive chains are not normally worn out
until they have stretched 3%.
Chains may be oiled at the beginning of the day or at
the end of the day. Oiling the chains at the beginning
of the day's operation may be more convenient, but
oiling the chains when they are warm does more
good. This allows oil to penetrate into the rollers and
between the side bars.
WARNING
Disengage the PTO, turn off the tractor engine
and remove the key. Wait for all movement to
stop before leaving the operator's position.
Never adjust, lubricate, clean or unplug machine
with the engine running. Failure to comply could
result in death or serious injury.
Exposed chain drives should be cleaned regularly.
Remove and clean the chains by soaking them in
diesel fuel overnight. Dry the chain, then oil it
SECTION 4 - MAINTENANCE
thoroughly.
Before starting the unit, clean the chains and
lubricate them with a heavy oil or grease. When
removing the unit from storage, reclean the chains
and lubricate them with SAE 30W oil.
SPROCKET ALIGNMENT
Be certain all sprockets composing a drive are
properly aligned. Drive or driven sprockets may be
moved in or out on shafts for proper alignment.
Tightener sprockets may be aligned by increasing or
decreasing the number of washers behind the
sprocket hub. Inspect sprockets frequently to make
sure teeth are not worn enough to damage the chain.
BELT AND CHAIN TENSION
Check belt and chain tension daily. Recommended
belt and chain tensions are given in terms of the
amount of deflection at a given force. This means a
belt should deflect a certain amount when a certain
amount of force is applied midway between the two
sheaves.
The same method is used to check drives which use
an idler. Be sure, however, to check the deflection on
the belt or chain opposite the idler.
Some drives incorporate a spring length setting. The
proper tension is obtained when the length of the
spring is adjusted to the proper length.
4-4