Mahindra 3-point hitch stabilizers

[oosik]

With telescoping stabilizers it is next to impossible to obtain "no sway". With turnbuckle type it's probably possible. With it adjusted so horizontal sway is an inch or so in each direction - not sufficient travel to develop much momentum.

 

[highway]

Make sure you are adjusting them correctly so that they only ever carry tension loads. A lot of people miss that important detail and then the stabilizers break when compressed. They are not meant to handle compression loads at all (whether turnbuckle or telescopic style). This is not just a problem for the stabilizer, it can also be a problem for the attachment points on the lower arms or tractor.

When an implement sways in one direction, the opposing stabilizer should go into tension to check the sway of the implement while the other one goes slack. If it goes into compression then things are not adjusted right.

I'm not sure I understand the distinction you are making between "tension" and "compression." I always adjust so there is a slight amount of sway but keeping the arms clear of the tires. If the implement sways to the left, the right stabilizer goes into tension to arrest the sway. There is customarily what I would call "slack" in the left stabilizer--i.e. I can push the left side of the mower back toward center with only a little effort. I assume, hopefully correctly, that movement is desirable. In that situation, what would it look/feel like if the right stabilizer was in 'compression'? THX!

 

[oosik]

Push the implement hard to the right. The left stabilizer should hold it from going any further to the right. The left stabilizer is now in tension. The right stabilizer should be loose/slack - NOT compressed tight. You should be able to "giggle" the right stabilizer. If you can "giggle" the right stabilizer - it is not in compression. If the right stabilizer is now press together tight - it is in compression. This is not good.

Check for compression/tension in both left/right directions.

 

[highway]

Got it. Thx. One of the Mahindra design flaws is that it's not necessarily easy to fine-tune that slack into the off-side stabilizer. My plan is to check out one of the aftermarket stabilizer sets and hope I don't break another of the Mahindra's before it arrives. I'm being extra-careful in the meantime.

 

[oosik]

highway - don't feel that you are alone on this. 38+ years and up until now - I didn't even know of this potential situation. I've always been aware that you must run the implement full up/down to ensure the 3-point system does not "bind up". This was of particular concern when I had my first tractor. It had a turnbuckle/lock nut system and could be "locked down" tight.

With my tractor now and the telescopic stabilizer system - it's not really possible to adjust the 3-point system to a dead nuts tight configuration.

One of the big concerns for any stabilizer system - you will PUSH with the implement and cause damage because one of the stabilizer arms will be in compression. That is why the recommendation with a 3-point implement is - never push. Even when plowing snow I will not push with my rear blade. It can be a real PITA - but I will turn the tractor around and PULL to complete any grading/leveling operation.

There are some well made/highly recommended after market stabilizer arms. Perhaps if you google "stabilizer arms" you can find the posts with links to these arms.

 

[s219]

Yes, with turnbuckles it's possible to get things tight but it's darn near impossible with telescopic stabilizers, since they have incremental adjustments only. So there will always be at least a little slop. Sometimes it takes a few rounds of playing with the pin positions to get things right so that the opposite link goes into tension before the other goes into compression. I'd say I generally have about 1/8-1/4" of slop when things are adjusted to my liking. Which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things.

Implements with proper pin spacing (per specs for the category of the hitch) give much more flexibility when adjusting the stabilizers. But I have one, a TSC bush hog that I have griped about, which is wider than spec. That one is a battle to setup, since it's right on the limit of what the telescopic stabilizers can cope with, and it takes a lot of fiddling to center it up and prevent rubbing on the tires. One of these days I am going to cut off the hitch frame and re-weld it to the proper width.

I had made a video about adjusting the links last summer, here it is: Adjusting 3-point hitch stabilizer links - YouTube

 

[3gunr]

3gunr: You say "except for them breaking..." At $140 a pop that's a pretty big "except"! Can you pls describe in a little more detail the turnbuckles you have? Is the problem that they won't stay screwed tight? Seems like that's not a problem on top links, at least not in my experience. Thanks!

I just meant i would not want ones if they broke easily. The problem with turnbuckles is having to use a wrench to loosen and tighten the set nuts, I f i dont tighten them tight the nuts back way off from vibrationi guess.And you can get no sway if you dont want it but i always leave an inch or so.

 

[3gunr]

I meant to add that the threads on the turnbuckles have to be kept clean as well or they get hard to turn

 

[RalphVa]

The 3 JDs have had screw turnbuckles. Yeah, I broke the 2 on the 4010 because one time I did not tighten them enough to keep the bush hog from swinging. Keep them tight, and they're okay. On the 4010, it even bent the 3ph lower bar that the turnbuckles attach to. Had to replace it and the 2 turnbuckles.

I keep the turnbuckles from moving by using tension cords run from about the fenders to the one side of the turnbuckle. They're designed to use tiny cotter pins, but that would be ridiculous dealing with them.

Ralph

 

[Sergei1]

Take the broken one's to a machine shop, I had both repaired a lot cheaper than a new one would cost.