Snowmobile chain tensioning device

Claim 1

A snowmobile comprising a chassis, an engine supported by said chassis, a track movably supported by said chassis, a first rotatable member supported by said chassis and rotatably driven by said engine, a second rotatable member supported by said chassis at a fixed distance from said first rotatable member and drivingly connected to said track, a flexible endless member trained about said first and second rotatable members, a stud extending from said chassis and located interiorly of the path of travel of said endless flexible member, a first lever including an inturned flange defining an aperture pivotally received on said first lever and extending exteriorly of one run of said endless flexible member, a first idler member supported by said first lever exteriorly of said one run of said flexible endless member, and a second lever constructed substantially identically to said first lever and including an inturned flange defining an aperture pivotally received on said stud in facing relation to said inturned flange of said first lever, said second lever extending exteriorly of the other run of said endless flexible member, a second idler member supported by said second lever exteriorly of said other run of said flexible member, and a helical spring located in encircling relation to said stud between said first and second levers and having spaced ends respectively engaged with said first and second levers so as to urge said levers in opposite rotative directions toward each other so as thereby to engage said idler members with the outer surface of said flexible endless member and thereby to tension said flexible endless member.