# Craftsman track issues



## Ercove21 (Sep 1, 2018)

Hello all!
I got a older track driven craftsman 5/24. She purrrrrrs and the anger runs and blows good. However!, she stopped moving shortly after arriving. We rolled it back on the trailer and then I turned it on, started second pull. Put it in 1 gear and off it went! Then about a foot later it it stopped. I could feel the friction disc touching the plate, but no movement! I put it in reverse and it was off again. Same thing happened, about 1-2 feet it just stopped. I took the base plate off and applied a TON of deep creep into it. Then once I was able to move everything by hand, I started spinning the wheels and it would allow me to move it but only for that small burst of space. I believe that the issue lies with the back of the chain hitting the metal where the motor is mounted to. I drilled out a hole above the issue and I can see that the sprocket and shaft it's attached to are on a slant, but sometimes the sprocket tilts more than it should and that's when it connects with the metal. Is there a way to fix this? Is there anywhere that makes parts for these machines anymore? Thanks.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to SBF Ercove21

If that chain is hitting I would guess one of the bearings/bushings is worn enough that there is some slop if you try to move the shaft the big gear rides in. I'd check the little one too.


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## FlamingSpaghetti (Jan 8, 2018)

When I got my tracked Craftsman, I had to tear apart the entire track assembly because the plastic wheels were locked to the shaft due to rust build up. The machine would not move forward or backward because of how seized the wheels were. Maybe you should check into this.


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## Ercove21 (Sep 1, 2018)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> to SBF Ercove21
> 
> If that chain is hitting I would guess one of the bearings/bushings is worn enough that there is some slop if you try to move the shaft the big gear rides in. I'd check the little one too.


Amy idea what model this is or where I can get the parts??? Thanks


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## Ercove21 (Sep 1, 2018)

FlamingSpaghetti said:


> When I got my tracked Craftsman, I had to tear apart the entire track assembly because the plastic wheels were locked to the shaft due to rust build up. The machine would not move forward or backward because of how seized the wheels were. Maybe you should check into this.


 I can move the wheels until it hits that spot where the chain hits the body then the whole process stops....


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

I'm trying to think as I look at your photos. Should the box/section that the friction wheel is attached to have some type of bracket on the bottom right that holds the assembly in place, preventing it from pivoting upward?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Is it the master link that's hitting ?? In the photo it looks like you have an arrow pointing to a master link. It shouldn't really matter unless you've had it apart and maybe put it in the other way and it's a hair longer on the side the retainer slides into.


.


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

The pictures are great, but it's so hard to judge without being able to lift, pull, tug, etc. More beer is needed...


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

What if the chain is frozen and won't pivot. I have seen this on some equipment we have. It has sat so long in one spot, when the chain has to pivot it can't and so it then pivot everything else to an extreme position and locks up.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! Can you tell where you're losing movement? Like at what point in the mechanism things stop moving? If something is just slipping, this might help locate it. 



Good suggestions so far. Worn bearings that are allowing the shafts to move too much seem like a reasonable explanation. But hopefully a closer inspection will help reveal where the problem is. Worst-case, you could begin disconnecting things starting at the tracks, and see when it starts moving (turning) successfully. 



As far as were to get parts, is there a sticker on the blower itself with a model # on it? That's going to be your best bet. Otherwise, at least post some pictures of the entire machine, so people can see what's being discussed. It seems to me that Craftsman numbers change quite a bit, so finding your exact number is definitely your best bet. Otherwise, maybe if you can get the number for a similar machine, hopefully the parts you need would be shared between them.


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## Ercove21 (Sep 1, 2018)

Hello all!

So in the words of Frankenstein’s creator, ITS ALIVE! The issue was the really rusted chain. All the links were seized together making a lot of stress on the other larger gear and chain, which couldn’t make enough power to move the seized links. Spent about 3 hours pb blastin, and moving links and once it was free and moving reassembled and it moved like clockwork. Since pb went all over friction plate and the friction wheel, it had trouble grabbing in the beginning. Wiped it all dry and off it went. Reverse through 6th! Now gotta find a wheel spacer for one side. Anyone have any suggestions on a diy solution?


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Awesome, congrats! 



You might try rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) for cleaning the rubber friction wheel, and aluminum disk. You can use brake cleaner on the aluminum disk, but brake clceaner will apparently attack the rubber wheel, so be careful. 


Do you have a picture of the wheel spacer? I'm not sure what kind of part we're talking about.


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## Ercove21 (Sep 1, 2018)

I dont have a photo of it, it's what is used to keep the track right on the wheels. If that helps at al.


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## Ercove21 (Sep 1, 2018)

It's like a track tightness adjuster.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Ercove21 said:


> It's like a track tightness adjuster.


Maybe a photo will clear that up.

Any of these close ?? https://www.searspartsdirect.com/model-number/768884800/0247/1507100.html

https://www.searspartsdirect.com/mo...pe=modelSearch&q=53688860&searchTerm=53688860

.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

The small sprocket teeth of the hex shaft are worn to nubs and will likely skip when machine gets loaded not to mention the friction disc worn flat with little left.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

It may be worth testing the tranny, to see how well it's really pulling. Try to hold it back manually, while engaging the drive. I'd say you shouldn't be able to hold it back. 



Or you can put the bucket against something solid, and engage the drive. My machine is wheeled, and when the tranny is working & adjusted properly, it has spun the tires on dry ground, doing this test. But a tracked machine should have much more traction, so I don't expect it to spin the tracks. But you could at least see if it just stops smoothly/quietly, due to the rubber wheel slipping against the aluminum disk. That would be the preferred result, IMO. 



If, instead, you get jerking/jumping, from a chain slipping on the sprocket teeth, then I'd say you would want to investigate and try and resolve that. Try also letting it move forward, while pulling back hard on it, and make sure nothing starts jerking/jumping, as the chains rotate to different areas of the sprockets.


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## guzzijohn (Mar 31, 2014)

brake clean spray!!


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