I'm a machinist for Tsubaki out of Sandusky, OH. We do offer chain in all types of steel from 4140 to 316 stainless. Thanks for the plug, our main focus is on quality.
You can still buy the chain that he called “dragline chain” that is made of all half links with the d-shape pins. We use it to drive a big rotary kiln. It’s called “offset sidebar drive chain”. I get it from motion industries
you'll see chain wiht 3 digits too, like 520 (5/8's pitch, 2/8 width) the straight 2 digits chains are considered "generic" and all have a set ratio for width vs pitch, lots of motorphycho chain is 530 or 540, slightly wider then a normal 50 series chain, helps keep wear between aluminum sprockets and the chain consistent. they will break down further say a 525, would be 5/8 pitch, but 5/16 width, that extra 5 denoting a half an 1/8... probably one of the many reasons the rest of the world thinks ASE/Imperial is dumb, but to us it makes absolute sense lol.
Local farm store bought barrels of cheap Chinese chain. My dad bought into that nonsense. We were using it on our Gleaner combines. After a while we just couldn’t go a day or two without breaking a chain. I went to the farm store and told the guy I wanted Diamond chain, he didn’t want to get it for me because he bought barrels of cheap junk. I told him to get me Diamond chain or I’ll go somewhere else. Years later after he died his son told me the story of what his dad did buying that garbage. I eventually replaced everything and our problems stopped.
That brought back traumatic memories of working on old International combines when they would break in the field. It had all types of chain shown, and none of it was fun to pull apart and get running again.
Never knew where the American chain number came from. In the uk we just tent to use the pitch and width. Your yard looks like mine, everything may come in one day 😂, presumably you can’t access anything outside for half the year as if will be under snow 🤷♂️
If you know roughly where it is you can always send out the FNG to dig through the snow and find it. The open spaces get plowed all winter, you can still drive around out there. It's only dark and -40, it's fine. -Cameraman
Sugiyama chain is amazing. Any farmers that have issues with roller chain on equipment… get sugiyama chain and you’ll see the difference. It’s night and day.
I grew up going to work with my Dad at a machine shop he worked at, I learned more wandering around that junk yard than I did anywhere else. Your's is as impressive as that one was!
“Slip fit” master links vs cotter pin chain links. But at least you can take the cotter pinned chain apart vs having to destroy parts to take normal riveted chain apart.
Unless your young and work cheap, I wouldn't recommend working in a job shop. You'll spend the next 10 years looking for stuff instead of making the company money.
despite half links having a tendancy to be weaker, one of the strongest chains in cycling is a fully forged steel half link chain. bmx riders use it in tricks where the chain ends up grinding on concrete ledges etc and the chain holds up well
They're troop transport cars that were converted to freight cars post WW2. Joe Vogler bought them for using as sheds, John bought them after Vogler was killed. -Cameraman
