shorten a 415 chain?!!?!?

[BiotinX]

I'm trying to remove the excess links from the 415 chain included with my 2 stroke engine kit. I used my grinder to grind down the head of the pin that I need to remove. I have beat the **** out of the stupid thing trying to get the pin to come out but it won't budge! Soaked it in penetrating oil didn't help to loosen it either.

What am I doing wrong? I really don't want to buy a chain break that I'll use one time.

Thanks!

 

[crassius]

you typed "pin" and I'm hoping you meant "pins" as they need to be removed as a pair - some folks find a nail or screw that will fit the hole and use it to hammer pins thru - others hammer a screwdriver blade into the gap of that link to pop the plate off

I use a good chain breaker.

 

[xseler]

I really don't want to buy a chain break that I'll use one time.

Thanks!

I view tools as 'time savers'. I put a value on my time (depending on many factors, this value is ultimately different for everyone). If the estimated time to do a task without the tool exceeds the value (price) of the tool, I buy the tool --- even if I'll only use it once. Also, I find that my mental health is much happier.

If you should have a Harbor Freight in your area, chain breakers are pretty cheap..........and if you stay with the hobby, you'll use the tool more than once. Good luck in your adventure!!

 

[Tony01]

The easiest way is to buy a chain breaker made for #415 chain. The best ones are the RLV breakers. A HF breaker is going to break... No pun.

If you're a cheap sob, then you'll need a hammer, a 1/4" nut, a point punch or Philips drill insert, and a pin, screw, punch whatever smaller than the pin you're removing. and a small socket like a 1/4". Put the nut under the pin and hammer it till it's flat with the side plate. Should take one blow. Then use the point punch, maybe using vise grips to hold it, to punch the pin through the outer side plate approx 2mm. Then replace the washer underneath with the small socket, and punch the pin with a small punch or screw almost all the way out, till it is out of the inner link but still in the outer side plate. Pull the chain apart. If you go too far you won't be able to get it back in the outer side plate. Do the same on the other side, then align the new small link between the outer plates with the pin in one, hammer in the pin, then put a washer under the other side and hammer it so the pin sticks out the side plates the same. I got really good at this and have even done it for a friend out on the road with minimal tools such as a socket, nut, micro screwdriver, and a 10lb rock as a hammer.

You should not be grinding on a chain you intend to re-use. The abrasive particles that end up on the rest of your chain will work themselves into the pins and rollers leading to uneven (and rapid) chain wear.

 

[forties]

Yea what he said.. if you can leave the pin hanging in that last side plate, it makes it so much easier punching it back in.

 

[el Diablo Guapo]

this will probably do, https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-chain-breaker-66488.html - be gentle, this will likely do the job a fair number of times if you treat it kindly

(same thing on amazon for $6.99 +sh)

I have something like it, and it was quite expensive for what it is- but i consider this tool to be a necessity and mine does not fail.

Based on my experience with the ones for bicycles(of which i have a bucket of ruined ones) cheap ones are prone to fail, good ones last a while longer...

 

[Enceladus]

On the off chance you work construction or just have any beam clamps lying around, certain ones can usually break a chain no problem so long as the bolt comes to a fine point. With a drill and a grinder you can shape the end of the bolt into a nice pin pusher in no time. I've added a picture of the sort I use. The screw is 1/2"-13 threads/in.

If you have no beam clamps or indeed have never heard of such a thing I would expect that and old C-clamp (some call em G-clamps) would also work if you cut a groove or drill a hole at least as wide as the pin in the pad at the top of the frame, remove the screw pad and preform the aforementioned sculpting on the tip of the screw. Obviously the smaller and beefier the frame the better it'll work. Cast iron frames may break. Other cast metals probably will.

One other idea I've had that have not tried yet is to simply drill a hole straight through a piece of 1/8" (or better) square tubing with inside dimensions as close to the cross section of the chain as possible. Tap one of the holes, sharpen a bolt, thread the chain and the bolt and I think you get the rest. Paint your link to help to spot it through the holes.

I make a lot of my own tools; especially ones that are as niche as a breaker. I usually do ok but obviously the tools you can make are also gonna be limited by the tools you have. Good luck with that.

PS: Sorry if this was too rambley or not that helpful. I'm in a manic mood and I know all about half-assing things.

PPS Edit: What xseler said about valuing your time and struggles and indeed your mental health more than the purchase price of the tool should be well taken. I usually resort to the sort of fiddly crap above when what ever I do must simply be done cheaply. If you have to stop working on the bike to go work on a tool to work on the bike with you can easily end up in a lot of 1 step forward, 1 step back scenarios. One step to the side and it's all over. Also, who ever said to expect to need a breaker more than once with a kit on your bike was dead right. Choose wisely.

 

[crassius]

with cheap chinese chains, I prefer a real motorcycle chain breaker that will push the pin well out the other side

 

[bairdco]

Those harbor freight "motorcycle" chain breakers only work with a #40 and larger chain. You have to grind the pin smaller to work with a 415 chain. At least from my experience.

 

[crassius]

I had a whale for 50 years at the shop and it was used when I bought it - got a bit loose in the rivits so I replaced it with a chinese clone that works the same.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HKIU4...t=&hvlocphy=9031329&hvtargid=pla-308511236370

 

[el Diablo Guapo]

I have one of these: https://www.mcmaster.com/#6669k11/=1b4na5c
... somewhere... seem to have lost it ... somewhere.... couldn't find it when i originally posted or now, so,
OUCH! it was spendy. i bet it is just hiding under some other project

but i used it tens or dozens of times

I have the same tool referenced by crassius, mine is made by koch, it is new in the blister pack. one thing i like about it is it seemsto have roller chain as a component part.

I think a chain breaker is a core tool to the hobby, 15 bucks is reasonable, in my opinion,but i have a lot of tools.

weirdly, i found a clamp much like reference by enceladus, but mine is cast material. i may make one just because i like to make tools.

Bairdco, that is good to know and i may have missed that in the spec sheet- thanks for letting us know because i may have bought one. - Though if i need to make a pin or shaft smaller, i usually chuck it up in my drill. Then using the drill like a lathe use a file or grinder, it gives a surprisingly uniform finish.

While i m thinking about it- get a good bike chain tool too. truthfully, i have come to consider them disposable, and buy several cheap ones to keep one on hand for when they fail.