Steel idler sprockets maintain proper chain tension, and guide the chain around obstacles and stop excessive chain use and vibration. You don’t need any special tightener shafts for ball bearing idler sprockets. Composite sprocket idlers require no lubrication and so are corrosion resistant and wear-resistant.

An idler sprocket is a device used to maintain the strain in a chain or chain drive program. Often consisting of only a sprocket installed on a spring tensioned arm, the idler sprocket pulls against the chain in a constant manner to keep carefully the chain tight all the time. How big is the sprocket used in an idler sprocket assembly does not have any effect on the overall performance of the chain drive; however; a more substantial sprocket will often last longer due to the slower swiftness of the sprocket, which will save use on the sprocket’s bearings. Maintenance for the idler assembly is commonly no more than an occasional greasing of the sprocket’s bearings.

When driving a machine by chain, the tension of the chain must be held at a constant to avoid the chain coming from the drive sprockets. By installing an idler sprocket in the drive program, the chain is kept taut while not being over-tightened. Operating a chain in an over-limited condition can result in premature bearing and chain failing while an idler sprocket placed in the system is often a way to significantly extend the life of the chain, sprockets and the bearings on the machine’s sprocket shafts.

The ideal sprockets installation of the idler sprocket is on the opposite side of the chain between your drive sprocket and the driven sprocket. The application should place the idler sprocket in a position that has the sprocket pressing or pulling the chain towards itself as it loops the two principal sprockets in a shape similar to the letter B. This style will allow the pulleys to pull the chain hard without hindering the idler in any way as the drive chain passes over the sprocket. If a condition occurs which requires the drive to exert excess pressure on the drive chain, the idler will flex against the chain, and can expand while leftover in touch with the drive sprockets.

While the vast majority of idler sprockets are produced of steel, many components are used to produce an idler sprocket. Many poly or composite sprockets have been used with great success and some wooden sprockets are also applied to some machinery without issue. Many machines, in an attempt to reduce the wear on the drive chain, use an light weight aluminum, cast iron or steel sprocket coated in a nylon materials. The metallic hub allows the idler sprocket to remain very strong as the nylon covering is definitely mild on the chain links.