Swing chain too long?

[Claytonfarms]

I have a new to me 550 TLB. Using backhoe today for the first time and I noticed it does not swing the same on both sides. It will swing all the way to the stop to the right (sitting in hoe operator seat) but will not swing all the way left. There is plenty of power and controls work, it seems like the chain is to long. The swing cylinders do not extend the same with the hoe in the center position. The right cylinder is extended approx 3 inches more than the left. Any suggestions on how / what to fix?

I do not know who replaced the chains, but I assume it has been done in the 4000 hrs on the machine. I thought that maybe someone put a long chain in place of a short, can the chains be switched side to side?

 

[TractorTech]

The chain from Ford New Holland is a complete assembly. Most likely, the bolt on the LH piston has backed out causing the extra rod length, loose chain and inadequate swing.
The cylinder could be leaking internally as another possibility. It would have to have crossover hoses on the base end, however as these are one way cylinders and the early units had vents on the base end where you would see the bypass oil leaking out. If it does have the crossover hoses, remove one side to see if oil is bypassing the piston.
Either case, the backhoe needs to be partially dismounted off of the subframe mount, but not disconnected hydraulically. The front of the backhoe unit is separated and pitched down or lowered enough to slide the swing cylinder forward and out of the tower. Make sure the tower assembly is adequtely blocked and supported. Disconnect the hose(s) on the suspect cylinder, unpin the rod/chain and remove the cylinder. Repair cylinder.

 

[Claytonfarms]

The problem is not a loose chain. The chains are both tight, I feel no play when prying with a 2 foot bar. With the hoe in the straight position, one cylinder is close to inline with the bottom of the swing post. The other is 3 inches behind the post. I looked closely today and it looks like someone repaired the chain and possibly added one or more links to the left chain. The left chain has 9 pins in it but the right only 7?? I may try removing one link but the machine is in the woods now so it will have to wait a couple of weeks.

PS. It seems the chain is available as an industrial forklift chain, if you ever need one, much cheaper than the New Holland parts.