Re: Sway Blocks vs Sway Links

Posted by Billy NY on November 28, 2015 at 04:57:54 from (104.228.35.235):

In Reply to: Sway Blocks vs Sway Links posted by 2510Paul on November 28, 2015 at 03:52:47:

We had turnbuckles on a smaller challenger tractor, and while they work, you can adjust them, to me, they are about the most worthless piece of hardware one could select for this purpose, I'd rather have check chains. The turnbuckles are subject to dirt and moisture, can easily seize up without regular and proper care, cleaning and keeping some kind of lube on the threaded ends that won't attract or have anything stick to them. Adjusting them can be a pain, they get stiff and if I recall, ours had a nut on each side of the turnbuckle to act as a stop once set. So, those exposed threads need to be cleaned. The barrel of the turnbuckle had small handles on it to provide some grip, they were soon broke off. While you could use a pipe wrench, no room to work and the teeth of the wrench will gouge the steel, leaving marks all over, I don't like treating things like that myself. They are not much different than a top link, just a lot smaller with much smaller threads. I would never have them on a small tractor ever again, they are absolutely the most aggravating and worthless part of the 3 point hitch, which mind you, if you don't control the sway of those lift arms, on that tractor it would break off chunks of the tire lugs. Things are way too narrow on these tractors, so their is not much sway room anyways. Set those turnbuckles to keep the arms and implement straight, works nice for that, but you'll have to adjust them again to get the darned implement back off again, because the arms don't have enough sway to clear the lift pins on the implement. For this kind of hitch, you would want flange connections on all your implements, so the lift arms stay centered and all you do is back in, then pin the implement to them in the center of the flange. I think I would have made my own blocks for this tractor or changed these to something that works, these clearly did not once the tractor had some hours on it.

In stark contrast and a larger tractor like the Ford/New Holland 4630 I bought early last summer, the lift arms have blocks or telescoping square tube steel, with substantial connections and built of thick steel, they are a pleasure to use, just adjust them, pin in place where you want it and that's it. Even the pin has a holder outside the adjustment holes, they have safety chains and the whole arrangement works as it should without any problems at all. Nothing to seize up from dirt, dust and moisture. Nothing to maintain, clean or lubricate, they work just fine !!!

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