Sway bar bending

[cmyoung2]

Uncle has a LS R4041 tractor, used mainly for bush hogging. Some how he has bent the sway bars that keep the 3 pt hitch in line. His has the style that has bars w/holes at the tractor and 3pt connected with a tube with holes to pin in place. The mounting flange at the tractor bends, as well as the lower bar. He is on his second set, not willing to buy any more at $120+/set, so is thinking about using a piece of flat bar stock instead. He says they bend with in a couple of hours, so I'm not sure what is happening. I live about 6hrs away, so I haven't seen him using it. Any ideas on what is happening? I figure OE, just don't know what.

 

[George2615]

I have the same sway bars (as I think all LS tractors do). They work great keeping the 3 pt centered so the arms don't swing too far and hit the tires but they are the weakest link and first to bend if you back the implement into an object that doesn't move like a tree. It is also possible to bend them if an implement is left down in ground contact while making sharp turns. Any severe side pressure on an implement can bend them.

 

[GManBart]

The adjustable sway bars aren't designed to take a side load. If you bounce your mower off a stump, they will bend. If you back into something that isn't going to move, they will bend. They do that before expensive stuff starts to bend/break.

Many people have them adjusted wrong, and that lets the implement move too much side to side, and that gets the ball rolling towards a side load which will bend things. You want a bit of play side to side, but just a bit. I bent one on my LS when the side of my RFM hit a hidden stump....cut the bend out, welded it back together, and it was still going strong when I sold it.

 

[Tx Jim]

Ditto what GManBart stated. If both sway bars are adjusted correctly & snugly turning or backing into a solid object can't bend them. If adjusted loose then yes they can be bent. Has anyone attempted to straighten bent sway bars in a hyd press? Yrs ago I straighten bent disk shafts in a hyd press.

 

[Turbys_1700]

My 4610 SU had the Ford factory sway bars. Two sets were given to me when I purchased it last summer. One set was bent. The 2nd set bent while brush hogging. What GMBartMan stated is spot on. I have since converted to the telescoping adjustable sway bars and have had no issues. My new Workmaster sway bars are round tubes with holes and pins for adjustment. So far so good on those also. Adjusted properly they do their job well but will bend if overly stressed.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Uncle has a LS R4041 tractor, used mainly for bush hogging. Some how he has bent the sway bars that keep the 3 pt hitch in line. His has the style that has bars w/holes at the tractor and 3pt connected with a tube with holes to pin in place. The mounting flange at the tractor bends, as well as the lower bar. He is on his second set, not willing to buy any more at $120+/set, so is thinking about using a piece of flat bar stock instead. He says they bend with in a couple of hours, so I'm not sure what is happening. I live about 6hrs away, so I haven't seen him using it. Any ideas on what is happening? I figure OE, just don't know what.

Some telescoping ones, with round tubes and good connection points to tractor and lift arms, can be used in either compression or extension. Most cannot, and one or another part will buckle rather easily when set up in a way that exposes them to compressive force. If you take care to set the arms a little wide, out almost against the linch pins, it will assure only extension forces can be applied to the stabilizers and theyll be fine.

 

[Egon]

Are there chains to help hold sway bars in place?