tightening sway chains

[clemsonfor]

Yea if you got it tightened down to 3" of sway you still wont get an implement off most likely without loosening them as thats, if even tightened down is 1.5" each way. The arm wont slip off the lift pins with that little movement.

You have to cause like Winston said there not all equal. My bush hog the pins face in and the lift arms are to the center and chains are way out to tighten it up. But if i put my spring tooth harrow, bushhog finish mower or disk harrow the arms are almost touching the tires. If i dont tighten them down (the chains) the implement when swaying way to one side will actually make the arms contact the tires.

 

[Freakingstang]

is there an advantage of having the sway chains on the outside of the lift arms vs on the inside towards the PTO? I'm going through this right now as I didn't have the correct arms for my tractor and couldn't find them. I ended modifying a set of HD john deere arms and got them perfect, but need to fab up the sway chains and it appears to be easier to put them on the inside of the lift arms vs the outside

 

[RoyJackson]

is there an advantage of having the sway chains on the outside of the lift arms vs on the inside towards the PTO? I'm going through this right now as I didn't have the correct arms for my tractor and couldn't find them. I ended modifying a set of HD john deere arms and got them perfect, but need to fab up the sway chains and it appears to be easier to put them on the inside of the lift arms vs the outside

Two advantages of having them on the outside the lift arms...this is my opinion only.
First, easier access when adjusting the anti-sway chains.
Second...having the chains out board eliminates any possibility of them fouling the PTO drive shaft (which would make for a very bad day).

Even though this is a question concerning Yanmars, I've owned two Deere tractors (670 and 790) that were built by Yanmar. Both of these machines had the anti-sway chains.

 

[284 International]

is there an advantage of having the sway chains on the outside of the lift arms vs on the inside towards the PTO? ...it appears to be easier to put them on the inside of the lift arms vs the outside

It is handy to have the chains on the same side as the free end of the implement's pin. In other words, if the pins point outward, the chains on the outside are preferable, because the arms can swing off the pin without adjustment. For smaller machines, like your Beaver or equivalent Yanmars, or machines with the tires set narrowly, having the pins on the inside of the implements can prevent the lift arms from contacting the tires. In that instance, having chains that run to the center of the tractor makes hookup easier.

Were it me, I would verify you can get away with moving your implement pins to point inward, and attach them to the center. However, as RoyJackson pointed out, were they to become entangled in the PTO shaft, a very unhappy series of events may occur. Your geometry may mean you can't do that safely.

An alternate format to turnbuckle style chains is a rod inside a sleeve, with a variety of holes drilled at slightly different spacings. The rod telescopes, and a pin locks it into place. The disadvantage is a finite set of adjustments rather than the tensioning available with a turnbuckle, but I think I'm going to try building one of the telescoping anti sway devices for a machine, and keep a turnbuckle on the other side. I think that would mean I only have to adjust one turnbuckle sometimes, and the barest amount.

 

[RoyJackson]

It is handy to have the chains on the same side as the free end of the implement's pin. In other words, if the pins point outward, the chains on the outside are preferable, because the arms can swing off the pin without adjustment...

Well, the lynch pins (through the implements's lower pins) will prevent any free movement of the tractor's lower link arms once the anti-sway chains are properly tightened.

BTW, once a lynch pin loses it's spring tension (and they can after repeated usage), it's time to toss them and buy new ones. I've had a lower link arm slide off an implement pin a few times over the years.

 

[284 International]

I was unclear on what the perceived advantage is, thanks for the correction:

When changing implements, the lift arm can swing toward the chain, but not away from it. If the pins point outward, and the chains are fastened to the outside of the arms, one can swing the lift arms off the pin without adjusting the chains. If the chains fasten to the inside, they must be loosened in order to be removed from the pins.

As you pointed out, though, sometimes the tension can be applied to the retaining (linch) pin, depending on the arrangement of the implement and tractor. That's why it is important to use proper linchpins, and not grade 2 bolts, baling wire, etc.

 

[Freakingstang]

If the chains fasten to the inside, they must be loosened in order to be removed from the pins.

.

That thought had actually slipped my mind...thanks... maybe this is where the sleave/pin concept would be more benificial for ease of installation and removal but not as much of a fine tuning adjuststment....

I thought I has seen older kubotas that had them on the inside towards the factory drawbar. One that rings a bell is the B5100. they also had straighter arms than the B6000e that I just bought with the outwards chains and more Z shaped lower arms....

 

[284 International]

But if your pins point inward, then you're set up to remove the lift arms without fiddling with the tension, too. It is simply a matter of which works best for you and your apparatus.

 

[Car Doc]

Hey G for QA ideas you might think about either Pats setup or the weld on quick hooks I use? (I had a thread on them once.)

I have my chains fwtw set tight to my smallest implement which is my PHD with the plow being very close to the same and on up from there, the quick hooks do help me a lot especially hooking up the 700+# tiller. You just back in and come up from the bottom no moving the arms out further to get in the balls which the chains were the headache there.

 

[RoyJackson]

Hey G for QA ideas you might think about either Pats setup or the weld on quick hooks I use? (I had a thread on them once.)

I have my chains fwtw set tight to my smallest implement which is my PHD with the plow being very close to the same and on up from there, the quick hooks do help me a lot especially hooking up the 700+# tiller. You just back in and come up from the bottom no moving the arms out further to get in the balls which the chains were the headache there.

Pat's is a great addition to a tractor...had 'em and really wish I'd kept mine.
You do need a spreader bar (Pat's calls it a stabilizer bar, I believe) to hold the lower link arms in position though.