3-Point Hitch broken anti-sway bar slot arms - what to do?

[jlukem]

Ok I've now managed to break both of my anti-sway bars on my lower 3pt arms.

What's happening is they are being pushed and then bend where the bar goes into the tubing. They eventually straighten and bend enough that the metal snaps at the first hole.

From what I've seen these bars are being used on Kubotas as well. I can't find the bar only but the "whole kit" with way more gear than what I need.

I'm thinking about switching to chains only.

I'll try to come up with some pics.

They are breaking when I am dragging a landscape rake and making corners under heavy load.

It's operator error of course but it kinda is a pain to be in this situation. Tractor is a 3016.
-Luke

 

[RickB]

All bar type stabilizers have strength in extension, not compression. You have to keep both pinned tight enough so the load is put on the stabilizer being extended, not the one being compressed.
And learn how to operate the rake without putting high loads on the rake while turning. Next might be a failure of something else.

 

[jlukem]

Indeed.. that's why I'm thinking chains instead of bars for the extension vs compression for the replacements.

I'm basically cleaning up about 12 acres of down Yaupon and pine debris left over after a botched timber harvest job.

We've tried using a dozer but they cost so much to operate and we've got time to let the roots rot a bit and just take pieces away at a time.

-Luke

 

[jlukem]

We also had a quote from a few of the mulcher places.. the one guy who had the equipment that could do the job and not a "hobby mulcher" on a skidsteer needed a little over $20k to clean up all mess. The hobby mulchers just didn't have the gear to take out the stumps and the large leftover logs.

The big machine was 400+hp and was capable. For less than that price we bought the tractor and have a way to mow and landscape. We're just not done with it yet.

We do have goats on the land now to keep the thicket from coming back up.

-Luke

 

[jlukem]

there's a pic of one of the broken bars.

Does anyone here have a source for replacing just the arms? Doesn't look to hard to fab myself, I will just cut each piece down and reweld I assume... ?

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P12b1th6pNneuwy-COLnIw?feat=directlink

 

[GPintheMitten]

Weld it.

 

[DavesTractor]

Yep, just weld it and fill in that last hole. Easy to fix, but they are expensive if you have to buy them. Can almost buy a cheap welder for what two of them cost.

 

[AGGIE00]

I'd do a little fab work and convert that flatbar to square tubing like what is on my tractor. As far as this being operator error in what you are doing is retarded. If you can't expect a tractor to hold together under the load of a landscape rake something is wrong. It's a tractor not a lawnmower.

 

[Mike476]

I have to agree that there's no way the bar should break using a landscape rake. I understand the preference is for the bar to break to avoid excessive stresses to the mount / casting it is attached to but how much of a shock load can the tines of a landscape rake generate?

 

[RickB]

Its all about not requiring the bars to work in compression. Not rocket science, but a little physics is required to understand it.

There's no place here for accusations of retardation. If you can't express yourself better than that, keep quiet.