Would this idea work??

[Punkur67]

That is how we all learned to do this stuff. If you screw up you wont do it next time. All of us have had to do it this way. Anyone who says they have not cut stuff apart to fix it at least once is full of shit. And you have lots of people who know what they are doing right here to answer your questions and help you not make the same mistakes we all made. Im sure someone here lives near you and might be able to pay you a visit to help too, for some beer of course. Dont give up you havent even broke anything yet!

[405dentech]

Thanks guys I really appreciate the support and all the help you all have given me so far. Hell I only gave $2500 for this thing with the motor. The pics of it with the 4 wheeler shocks on the front is what it looked like when I got it. So I thought I got a good deal. I'm beginning to think that the guy had just got fed up with it. I'm not going to quit on this one though. I just can't wait to get it done so I can start a ground up build for my 3 boys. BUT better to make mistakes on my buggy rather than theirs.

[Jay]

See your back in the groove, we've all had the blow it to hell moments. Just gotta stand back and take a breather. Like master said earlier definately NO on the spring. I'm refabbing my rear carrier to eliminate my idler sprocket. I had mine mounted to a pivoting arm with 2 strong springs. Well not strong enough appearently. I kept breaking springs, it made a ton of noise and ended up getting caught up with the chain when the chain broke, made a nice little mess. Now my carriers going to be the part that moves to take up the slack. Good luck man, have some fun.

[Voodoochikin04]

so why would a serpentine belt tensioner off a performance factory car not work? of course mounting a sprocket to it? 

[fabr]

Because it won't. Spring loaded tensioners are just begging to cause you grief. Under decel it will allow the top to go slack and then you end up with a tooth skipping chain.Not good.

[Nutz4sand]

so why would a serpentine belt tensioner off a performance factory car not work? of course mounting a sprocket to it?

I agree with Fabr here 100%

Belts are ALWAYS slipping (some) unless they are cogged teeth on cogged sprockets (then you hope they are not) Serpentine belts on the front of a motor are never subjected to the loads and shocks a drive chain does spinning a rear axle under load. Even if you rev a motor up and down fast the driven accesories impart minor loads.

A rear drive chain can inpart a few thousand pounds of force pretty easy even on a light machine (say bottoming out off a jump with with a major throttle change. Remember the leverages sprockets/tires can impose)

I have seen springs work on slow chains on agricultural equipment that do not carry big loads but never seen the used successfulley anywhere else.