Sway bar tightening question

[tractorguy2]

Should turnbuckle sway arms (as on Kubota and NH and others) be turned out (lenghtened) or turned in to prevent sway? With implement pins turned outboard, it seems to me that tighening the turnbuckles could put undue force on the relatively small hitch pin holding the implement onto the pins. Turning the turnbuckles out (longer) would remove the stresses in the hitchpins. What method do you folks use?

It seems to me that older trackors used chains but that they were more often secured between the 3 ph lower arms, and crossed, so that they were in tension to prevent sway.

 

[thatguy]

I thought that the idea of using the sway arms was to keep the floating 3pt arms out of the tire tread - so you would turn them so it was drawing the arms together.... I doubt that you would/could put enough pressure on the turnbuckles to hurt anything, since you just want them snug.

anyone else??

Brian

 

[RoyJackson]

Snug them...just like Brian said.

The intent is to reduce side to side sway...loosening (lengthening) would allow more sway then you want. The links may hit the tires and during transport (implement raised), there would be excessive side to side movement.
Some implements (ground engagment) need some sway. Cutters and mowers don't.

 

[Jimbrown]

I guarantee you if you leave them loose on a Kubota BX you will break them.

 

[tractorguy2]

On current tractors, the sway controls are outboard of the 3 ph arms. So tighening the turnbuckles (TB in future) will have the tendency to spread the arms apart; Loosening (extending) TBs will push the arms together.

Is the common thought then, that chains in conjunction with a TB will work just as well as a TB joined at rigid end points?

 

[RoyJackson]

On current tractors, the sway controls are outboard of the 3 ph arms. So tighening the turnbuckles (TB in future) will have the tendency to spread the arms apart; Loosening (extending) TBs will push the arms together.
Is the common thought then, that chains in conjunction with a TB will work just as well as a TB joined at rigid end points?

Not quite, tractorguy2...
Remember, those turnbuckles work in cunjunction with one another. Tightening will put a load (pulling out, as you wrote) on the lower links, but since there's a turnbuckle on each side, they will only move so far before the other side inhibits further movement. That is what limits sway.

 

[skipmarcy]

My cutter, boxblade, plows, PHD all fit the same on my tractor and that is 26" wide. I haven't had to adjust my stabilizers in a few years. I like to leave just the slightest amount of slack - makes it easier mounting an implement,especially on unlevel ground plus lets you have a little give in the implement if you snag something, especially while in a sharp turn. Luckily my lift arms have pretty good clearance from the tires when set at the standard 26" so I can leave that little bit of slop. Your tractor may not have that much room and you might have to snug them slightly.

 

[pat32rf]

The turnbuckles are one of the things I miss switching from orange to green. The bars on my JD require pliers, a prybar and three hands on 4' arms to get the holes to line up and the pins installed. When I get fed up enough I might switch to the new style where the pins go in from the top, instead of the sides......at least I will be able to see the holes!

 

[RalphVa]

Pat,

Are you talking about the little pins in the turnbuckles that keep them from turning? I threw those out the first time I saw them and replaced them with tension cords attached to one side of the turnbuckle up to the roll bar.

Ralph

 

[daTeacha]

My Case has sliding sleeves with holes that pins drop through. I had the turnbuckles on my Kubota, and now prefer the sleeves and pins, although at first I thought it was a step backwards. The big advantage I see is quickness of connecting/disconnecting. Also, my turnbuckles did not have rigid mounts so only pulled together. The sleeves work both ways. If one lets go for some reason, the other will still hold the implement pretty close to where I want it.

 

[pat32rf]

Ralph- no, JD uses the sliding sleeves like da teacha's case, except that on the older 4300s the holes are horizontal and the pins go thru from the sides, instead of dropping in from the top. I replaced my pins with small shackles that sit on top of the bars with the shackle pins thru the holes. The original pins had little key ring type lock rings that had to be threaded thru the pin hole to lock them in. Now I just tighten the shackles with a pair of pliers but first I have to get my head down between the 3pth arms (so I can see) while I rock the implement side to side (with my shoulder) in order to get the sleeve holes to line up.
The newer JDs have a 90 deg twist in the sleeve bars so you can see the holes and drop the pins in from the top.