3 point adjustment

[Missouribound]

I wonder if I'm overthinking the adjustments of the 3 point.
I adjust the width of the arms to fit the equipment to prevent the equipment from swinging back and forth when operating. That being said, when I back up to my 3 point mower I can almost never get it to line up easily. I do live in the Ozarks and the ground is not that even or easy to roll around a 60" 3 point. I wind up prying it around with a 2 X 4 or some other lever.
Back to my question. Should I just let it stay wide and let the mower trail naturally or should I try to keep it tightened up with the lower links? Is it a big deal either way? When using a box blade or counter weight I prefer to have it adjusted to prevent the swaying..and I do. But with the mower, is it that critical since it rolls on it's own wheels?
What are you guys doing?

 

[Blondie70]

I leave a little wiggle room on mine. Not too tite, not too loose.
Pete

 

[BigG]

You must prevent the arms from swinging into the tires by tightening the turnbuckle or pinning the sway control arms. Which ever system you have on your tractor.
If the sway control is not tight enough to hold the mower in one place you will have the mower flop around behind you as you start to back up. Due to the wheel turning itself around. I have never found this to be a large problem. In fact I like the sloppiness as it allows the mower to shift when you rub against a tree or other obstacles.

 

[hodge]

When mowing, I find that I often back the mower into areas, because I can't drive through them. When backing up, mowing, I want to control where the mower goes. Therefore, I want the stabilizers to do just that- stabilizer the implement. You can mow without doing it, and for many years, before stabilizers became prolific (think old tractors, which might have had chains or stabilizer bars), people mowed with the implement not stabilized. It can be done, but in my opinion, it isn't ideal. And, as mentioned, you don't want your lift arms drifting into your tires.

 

[JackJ]

What kind of sway control do you have on the lower 3PH arms? If you've got turnbuckles, they are a pain to deal with, and I highly recommend changing them out for rigid telescoping bars. Hodge, in the post above, was my source, and his bars work great for me. Makes it super easy to adjust the amount of sway to get it just right for any implement. I'd PM him if I were you and see if he is currently taking orders.

 

[atitus]

I'm not sure how much different the arms on the B are versus the BX -- on mine I just pull the pins on one of the link arms (the adjustable one) where it connects the link to the 3 point lift arm. Once you do that, you can move it around however to get the arms on the implement. Then I lower the 3 point as low as it will go and then adjust that link arm until I can get it on. Then I can tighten it up to level it out. This works for me since I am normally on fairly flat ground and the adjustment I need to make is pretty small.

 

[Dave_eng]

I use a Landpride 72" behind a M7040.

I learned the hard way to allow a little side to side movement so when you get too close to a tree the mower can move sideways a little.

Backing up is not the best way to cut grass as the exit path for the clippings is compromised by the rear of the blade doing the cutting instead of the front.

Dave

 

[MINICUP28]

I got tired of adjusting the turnbuckles too. Rather than go to the expense of the extension rods I went with Pat's quick change ends for my 3PT arms. I looked at a quick hitch but the third link is not the same height on all of attachments. I did have to buy a longer top link since the ends add 4" to the overall length of the arms. they work great for me.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

QUICK HITCH....
Never have to adjust the sway control again.

Or as others have noted talk to Hodge about getting a set of pin-able sway bars to replace the old turnbuckles!

 

[hodge]

I use a Landpride 72" behind a M7040.

I learned the hard way to allow a little side to side movement so when you get too close to a tree the mower can move sideways a little.

Backing up is not the best way to cut grass as the exit path for the clippings is compromised by the rear of the blade doing the cutting instead of the front.

Dave

10% of my mowing (with a rear discharge finish mower) is in reverse. Works fine.

 

[Missouribound]

What kind of sway control do you have on the lower 3PH arms? .

They are the turnbuckles. I do have a "quick hitch" which I do not use when mowing. It's just a bit to much to work around and if I mow and it will bind the PTO shaft when transitioning from flat ground to uphill .I do use it "occasionally" for the box blade or the ballast but that's it. Most of my usage is mowing. I do not change attachments often, I put on what I need for my daily project. I do tend to put the implements in an area where I can place cement blocks to back between to line up the the equipment. That works to some degree but the area I like to keep the mower isn't completely level and when I disconnect the deck it can easily move several inches making my blocks irrelevant for the next hook up. Right now the most difficult part of mowing my acreage is hooking up the mower.
I think that if I had a flat area, like a concrete slab it would solve the issues with the mower deck...just roll it around and hook it up. Unfortunately nothing is flat here in the Ozarks.