Recently bought dl 8 telehandler. When retracting the boom from all the way extended out it chatters and jumps until about half way in. Watching the chains they have a lot of slack when it's trying to retract, is this normal? Also one chain is sagging more than the other. Hoping this is my issue. Dry lubed everything and wear pads look OK from what I can tell. Can anyone give me some info on chain adjustments?
Not just the Gehl DL, but any telehandler, if you have the boom fully extended at or slightly above horizontal, that puts a lot of friction on the boom wear pads and will really stress the chains to retract the boom, that will give you chatter. Elevate the boom and it relieves this stress. But yes, chains do stretch/wear, for sure on an aged machine. Check that with the boom horizontal with about 1/2 fully extended. Retract the boom gently and see how much the extend chain (visible chain) droops. If it droops excessive, tighten at the adjuster on top of the boom. If the adjuster is fully out of adjustment, that would be an indication that the chains are done and need replacement.