JD 3pt Hitch Sway Chain adjustment Alternative

[gumshu]

Has anyone replaced the stock LVA16683 sway adjustment chain with an after market brand? I find this stock adjustment chain on my 2025R difficult to secure with that silly ring. I’d much rather have a turnbuckle with locknut.

 

[beenthere]

Have a pic of the part with the silly ring? Wondering how it differs from a turnbuckle. tks

 

[gumshu]

I don’t like these at all. That ring is a real pain

 

[WinterDeere]

View attachment 807885
I don’t like these at all. That ring is a real pain

In sailing, we call those "ring dings", and they're used by the hundreds on most boats. The good ones have one end turned in to a tighter radius than the rest, to make a real easy start. Nothing like a keyring, where you need to get a thumbnail between the leaves to start a key.

Maybe you just need better ring dings? Bonus, if you buy them from a sailing hardware store, they'll be 304 stainless.



My 3033R doesn't have chain, it uses sliding leaves with a pin dropped thru to lock their length. These do have the added advantage of keeping the arms from swinging out so far they can contact tire chains, if you're not running an iMatch or similar. So, if ditching your current rig altogether, I'd be searching for a similar non-chain type.

 

[Halftrack]

Throw those ringdings as far away as possible and replace with a hairpin.

 

[gumshu]

Thanks WinterDeere.

HalfTrack‘s Hairpin sounds like something to try… thanks.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Perhaps you can find telescoping stabilizers that fit? If you can't, there is a fellow on Orange Tractor Talk that produces them to order. I could try to track down his information if you're interested.

 

[WinterDeere]

Throw those ringdings as far away as possible and replace with a hairpin.

How will a hair pin prevent the turnbuckle from turning on the screw? The ring captures one leg of the turnbuckle, it's not just there as an end stop!

I used to use a few of those ring dings every weekend, on the forestay and the jib tack of one of my racing boats. They're really not a big deal, takes about 2 seconds for the type shown in my photo. The ones the OP showed are much more troublesome.

 

[Halftrack]

This type of pin is what I was referring to. Hair pin, lynch pin, or genie pin. Unless those turnbuckles develop a lot of torque, they will limit turning to less than 180 degrees.

 

[WinterDeere]

This type of pin is what I was referring to. Hair pin, lynch pin, or genie pin. Unless those turnbuckles develop a lot of torque, they will limit turning to less than 180 degrees.

Yeah, that's what I figured you meant, just my eye was telling me the length of a hairpin that fit that hole might not be enough to prevent rotation of the turnbuckle. But looking at it again, I was probably wrong on that. If that does indeed prevent the thing from spinning, it's definitely the easier solution.