Bye, bye irritating turnbucles

[s219]

The reason I made that video a couple years ago is because there had been a string of threads about people breaking their stabilizers, and it was obvious the damage was caused by putting the stabilizer in compression. When properly adjusted, they should never experience compression, and that type of damage wouldn't even be possible. I am sure there are other ways to damage them though.

If you look up the specs of a turnbuckle in a mechanical design handbook or catalog, you will see they are almost always rated for tension load only. If a compression rating is given, it's much much lower (order of magnitude lower). The shape is very strong in tension, but in compression they have very little resistance to buckling.

 

[07wingnut]

My problem with the turnbuckles is that when the 3ph is not in use (ie no implement attached), the arms are free to swing, and on the bx23, they swing inward until they almost touch. This allows the turnbuckles and attached chain links to slump toward the hitch. In my case, there was a tow ball attached to the hitch, and the turnbuckles got tangled in that when the 3ph slumped down when parked. When the tractor was started and the 3ph raised, I ended up with both turnbuckles mangled. They were eventually straightened out, but with my senior memory lapses, it was bound to happen again. Telescoping stabilizers prevent this from happening, as the 3ph arms are not free to swing from side to side.

 

[CoyPatton]

The reason I made that video a couple years ago is because there had been a string of threads about people breaking their stabilizers, and it was obvious the damage was caused by putting the stabilizer in compression. When properly adjusted, they should never experience compression, and that type of damage wouldn't even be possible. I am sure there are other ways to damage them though.

If you look up the specs of a turnbuckle in a mechanical design handbook or catalog, you will see they are almost always rated for tension load only. If a compression rating is given, it's much much lower (order of magnitude lower). The shape is very strong in tension, but in compression they have very little resistance to buckling.

Not sure I understand the concept of getting a turnbuckle with chain loops involved into compression. I have had a set the only had 1 loop in the mix and they were replaced as quickly as I could order different set.
On a side note, nothing about the 3PH was designed with work being done in reverse. Can it be done, sure and mist of us probably have on more than one occasion, but you are taking a system designed to be used in a pulling manner and using it to push. And many of us have broken pieces in doing so.
Note there is no implement for a tractor intended to function as a bulldozer.

 

[Oldpath05]

I thought a bungee cord kept 3PH from swinging side to side, but my 3PH always has pto winch hooked to it.

 

[s219]

Not sure I understand the concept of getting a turnbuckle with chain loops involved into compression. I have had a set the only had 1 loop in the mix and they were replaced as quickly as I could order different set.
On a side note, nothing about the 3PH was designed with work being done in reverse. Can it be done, sure and mist of us probably have on more than one occasion, but you are taking a system designed to be used in a pulling manner and using it to push. And many of us have broken pieces in doing so.
Note there is no implement for a tractor intended to function as a bulldozer.

Plenty of posts on here about people bending the 3-pt lift arms by pushing backwards (box blade, etc) and that will usually mangle the stabilizers too. But the stabilizers can buckle from forward or side loads if it puts them into compression. I personally think it would be hard to do, but folks manage to do it somehow.

 

[ning]

The tension/compression took a sec to figure out but now I get it.

Under tension, the stabilizer is perfectly straight.
Under compression, an (initially small) angle is created because (example: telescoping) the fit isn't perfect. As soon as there's an angle, some of the compressive forces are going away from the base of the stabilizer and it ends up folding.

My guess is that the turnbuckle stabilizer may be slightly better at handling compressive forces because there's less play at the joint (assuming it's tight) but as soon as any deflection exists, such that the stabilizer isn't *completely* straight, that deflection can rapidly (and catastrophically) increase.

 

[s219]

Yeah, most stabilizers I have seen have some sort of clevis or swivel on one end that will fold over when in compression, and that will lead to binding or damage on the end. Beyond that though, you get into a buckling scenario if enough load is applied to the stabilizer link itself, since it's a slender structural member. It can handle a lot of load in tension but a fraction of that in compression. With turnbuckles, you can handle a large tension load but in compression they will buckle or twist.

I have also seen people do damage where the stabilizer link attaches to the tractor. Sometimes they attach to part of the rear transmission case and it can crack or tear off the mounting area. Maybe because the swivel end folds/binds up.

 

[Deere Dude]

John Deere 3720.
My stabilizers line up and pin up decently and keep the ballast box or mower centered when hooking them up One irritating thing for me is when the tractor shifts from a bump or small hole the rear implement seems to slam back and forth because there is a little slack.

There isn't any way to get slack out to keep this from happening that I can tell. Has it always been there but just am more aware of glitches.

Both stabilizers seem tight but still a slight sway occurs that has an unwanted slamming action. Anything to help that?

 

[Oldpath05]

My turn buckles on lower lift arms doesn't allow any side to side motion over bumps unless I loosen them.

 

[CoyPatton]

Plenty of posts on here about people bending the 3-pt lift arms by pushing backwards (box blade, etc) and that will usually mangle the stabilizers too. But the stabilizers can buckle from forward or side loads if it puts them into compression. I personally think it would be hard to do, but folks manage to do it somehow.

I would have to call all of your descriptions as of how it has happened as ABUSE! If you manage to mangle a turnbuckle stabilizer that contains multi chain links by placing these into compression where the chain links would collapse, how could a telescoping pinned stabilizer be an improvement?
No it sounds like a sure fire way to destroy even more components on a 3PH. Such as the housing where the pins mount on the tractor side in addition to the lower lift arms and stabilizers!