John Deere 5310 adjusting sway bar/ stabilizer chains help

[bnew17]

I have a 2001 JD 5310. First time tractor owner of about 5 months. It seems i have too much play in my sway bar, notice it mostly with my bush hog. When i have them connected. I dont believe its drastic enough where its hitting the tires but i noticed it when i had my 7ft bushhog on the other day. I believe i have the stabilizer chains as tight as they go? Will try to get pictures when I get back from hunting. Is there anything else that could help with this? Im just scared i will bang my mower against a tree or tear something up. Thanks

 

[jeff9366]

Your tractor is twenty years old. It is likely the threaded adjustments male/female are rusty and/or packed with dirt. You may need to soak the threaded adjustable parts in 'Blaster' or another solvent for a day or two, scrub with a brush, then lubricate.

If the stabilizer chains are tight you should easily be able to observe this at the threaded parts.

Check this first.

 

[TractorGuy]

Looking at the sway links for that tractor on Deere parts it looks like they are infinitely adjustable with a center turnbuckle. Compare what you have on the tractor to what is shown for it and make sure it has the right parts.

 

[Zebrafive]

Here's a drawing from JD parts

 

[CobyRupert]

If chains were as tight as they can go, why would they sway? Something doesn’t make sense. Are you out of thread on the “turn buckle”? And out of thread at both ends of threaded rod?
Did you adjust them when on a side hill, maybe chain was tight because bush hog was pulling on it?
I like to a have a little slack on the 3 point hitch, so that when bush hog does swipe against something solid, there’s some slack to move before things start bending or breaking.

 

[beenthere]

Will wait to see pics of your brush hog hooked up.

 

[Tx Jim]

If this was my tractor I'd be looking for a kit with adjustable sway links made out of sq tubing with multiple holes to just put a pin into correct hole. I dislike the turnbuckle/chains anti sway links

 

[bnew17]

So this is as tight as i can get it. There looks to be another hook up in the first picture that would would be slighly further away and should get things tighter. This is how it was when i bought the tractor and he used to brush hog a good bit... i guess his brush hog fit differently?

To answer one of the questions above, yes i am out of threaded rod to tighten. When i am running the cutter and in reverse, it sways, making it pretty difficult when im in tight spaces.

 

[beenthere]

Two changes you can make.. to take up some of the slack..
Add a bushing or washers to bring the arms closer in , and put the sway links in the top pin hole.. both suggestions circled on the attached pic.
All brush hogs are not made the same.. so yours just fits different on this tractor.

 

[JethroB]

Appears your outta thread adjustment. Hmmm. Would moving the front clevis to the top hole give you much more room for adjustment? Its hard to tell from the photos. Or try to find shorter clevis’s for the front or rear side of the turnbuckle.