Advice on 2000 John Deere 790 sway issue

[MikeTLH]

Good Evening everyone. I am a new tractor owner and looking for advice on a sway issue I've been having. I recently purchased a 6' finishing mower and hooked it to the 3-point hitch. However, when I take turns, the lower hitch arms hit the edge of the tires.....how do i fix this?

 

[jyoutz]

Good Evening everyone. I am a new tractor owner and looking for advice on a sway issue I've been having. I recently purchased a 6' finishing mower and hooked it to the 3-point hitch. However, when I take turns, the lower hitch arms hit the edge of the tires.....how do i fix this?







View attachment 820087

Tighten up your sway links and set your tires to the widest possible position.

 

[MikeTLH]

Are there any special considerations when setting the tires to the widest possible position? Is it as easy as jacking the tractor up, removing tire, reversing tire, and putting it back on?

 

[jyoutz]

Are there any special considerations when setting the tires to the widest possible position? Is it as easy as jacking the tractor up, removing tire, reversing tire, and putting it back on?

If your tires are filled the job may be dangerous unless you have the right equipment to handle them. Filled tires are heavy.

 

[K5lwq]

Good Evening everyone. I am a new tractor owner and looking for advice on a sway issue I've been having. I recently purchased a 6' finishing mower and hooked it to the 3-point hitch. However, when I take turns, the lower hitch arms hit the edge of the tires.....how do i fix this?







View attachment 820087

If you don’t want or need to adjust the tires out, you could just flip the lift pins of the mower over. Then the arms would attach on the inside of the mower lift frame instead of the outside. That should give you plenty of clearance. Then tighten the sway arms as mentioned above.

 

[hodge]

I also have a 2000 790, set up just like yours. If you adjust the turnbuckles to the point where there is very little sway (an 1", to protect the turnbuckles from getting stretched), the lift arms will not interfere with the tires. They get close, but they will clear. As suggested, you can also swap the implement link pins to the inside, which will move the lift arms in quite a bit. From there, you can switch the rims around, or get wheel spacers.
This is an issue with lots of compact and sub compact Deere tractors. I build telescoping stabilizers for a living, and see interference issues often. It is common for a new owner not to know about adjusting the turnbuckles, or that the turnbuckles are damaged or corroded to the point that they can't be adjusted. Their role is to keep the implement stable and to keep the arms away from the tires.
If the turnbuckles won't turn, they can be replaced. New turnbuckles are inexpensive, and adaptable. On my tractor, I built a set of telescoping stabilizers. However, they aren't a bolt on kit- the 790 required some alterations for them to function well.

 

[oosik]

I would suggest swapping the implement link pins to the inside - as a first choice. I can't tell if your tractor has AG rims on the rear nor if these tires are filled( RimGuard, windshield antifreeze, NaCl, etc). If the rims are AG rims and the tires are NOT filled - it's not that difficult. Jack up one side - move the inner rim hub to a more outward setting. Reattach and do the opposite side.

Just reversing the tire/rim combo won't cut it. It will put the R-1 tire tread pattern in a reverse direction.

 

[carlosthetaxman]

I also have a 2000 790, set up just like yours. If you adjust the turnbuckles to the point where there is very little sway (an 1", to protect the turnbuckles from getting stretched), the lift arms will not interfere with the tires. They get close, but they will clear. As suggested, you can also swap the implement link pins to the inside, which will move the lift arms in quite a bit. From there, you can switch the rims around, or get wheel spacers.
This is an issue with lots of compact and sub compact Deere tractors. I build telescoping stabilizers for a living, and see interference issues often. It is common for a new owner not to know about adjusting the turnbuckles, or that the turnbuckles are damaged or corroded to the point that they can't be adjusted. Their role is to keep the implement stable and to keep the arms away from the tires.
If the turnbuckles won't turn, they can be replaced. New turnbuckles are inexpensive, and adaptable. On my tractor, I built a set of telescoping stabilizers. However, they aren't a bolt on kit- the 790 required some alterations for them to function well.

Hey, and Merry Christmas. I bought a new JD 790 around 2002 or so. It's been a good tractor, VERY dependable and I'll be the first to admit I've abused it.

BUT, the whole 3pt system is flimsy, especially the sway control system. My tires are chewed up pretty badly and I have broken the JD system and I think 2 different aftermarket systems some of which I had to modify.

Naturally I'm interested in what you have/have done.

Comments?

Thanks, Carlos

 

[RayIN]

Most tractors have chains bolted to the rear end near the PTO and the lower lift bars to limit side-sway, some have turnbuckles in the chains to snug-up the chains after a 3-pt implement is attached.

 

[carlosthetaxman]

Most tractors have chains bolted to the rear end near the PTO and the lower lift bars to limit side-sway, some have turnbuckles in the chains to snug-up the chains after a 3-pt implement is attached.

Thanks for the link and the quick reply! No question, those would work, the question is how strong they are.

I'm considering welding something together or using something like this weld on safety chain system from Amazon.

On the other hand I like the telescoping type system my 90 hp Kubota has and am wondering if there is one ashtray out there that I could use with a little modification...

Good night for what's left of it.

 

[Runner]

Using a quick hitch might help your situation. Because the draft arm attachment points remain fixed, you might be able to tighten up your limit chains more to remove some of the slack.

The problem was severe enough with the 2520 that they eventually redesigned the draft arms for more clearance. Here is a comparison of the old vs new style.

 

[RayIN]

I would suggest swapping the implement link pins to the inside - as a first choice. I can't tell if your tractor has AG rims on the rear nor if these tires are filled( RimGuard, windshield antifreeze, NaCl, etc). If the rims are AG rims and the tires are NOT filled - it's not that difficult. Jack up one side - move the inner rim hub to a more outward setting. Reattach and do the opposite side.

Just reversing the tire/rim combo won't cut it. It will put the R-1 tire tread pattern in a reverse direction.

Right! You must swap sides when reversing the rims to maintain correct tread direction.
Todays smaller tractors are not made to alter wheel width though, one must buy spacers, which can overload the axle bearings.

 

[RayIN]

Thanks for the link and the quick reply! No question, those would work, the question is how strong they are.

I'm considering welding something together or using something like this weld on safety chain system from Amazon.

On the other hand I like the telescoping type system my 90 hp Kubota has and am wondering if there is one ashtray out there that I could use with a little modification...

Good night for what's left of it.

Those are bolt-on, no welding.