Preventing Three Point Hitch Side Sway

[npalen]

Sliding Hitch Makes Rotovator Follow Tractor

Canadian farmer Hugh Baxter says his 3-pt. mounted rotavator works great for tilling between rows of growing vegetables. The only problem was that on sidehills the machine would move to one side or th...

www.farmshow.com

Not sure how the cylinder and links work but sounds like a solution to adjustable lateral on the 3PH.

 

[ptsg]

It's just like a side shift if I understood it correctly.

I converted my tiller to hydraulic side shift, with the idea that I could then till the orchards in between trees, which is does very nicely.

There are comercial ones out there that will do it automatically. Basically, the default position is offset to the right, then a finger mounted directly on the hydraulic control valve hits the tree and makes the tiller retract to pass the tree, then it goes out again. Google: "hydraulic offset rototiller" or "side shift rototiller"

 

[jwmorris]

10” side to side sounds like he doesn’t have any stabilizers. To control sway.

and instead did something like this but used a cylinder vs steel.

 

[LouNY]

View attachment 835761

10” side to side sounds like he doesn’t have any stabilizers. To control sway.

View attachment 835765


and instead did something like this but used a cylinder vs steel.

View attachment 835764

Nice pictures.
I know the article said side sway which with the stabilizers adjusted would only be a couple of inches.
But that 10" cylinder stroke actually only equates to 5 inches each side of center. With a couple of inches of sway that only leaves a bit to adjust for implement side hilling. What will happen when working implements on side hills is that the tractor and implement will tend to drift down the hill and you actually end up crabbing a bit while traversing a side hill. The front end will be on the desired track but the rears and implement will drift down hill a bit. Many plows in hilly country had a side shift built in to help compensate for that problem.

 

[npalen]

Yeah, sounds like with even a perfectly rigid anti-sway setup, the tractor drift would present a problem that the hydraulic side ship avoids.

 

[Texasmark]

I don't know the size of your tractor but i got a pair of square tube, an inner and outer. with an adjustment pin for setting length on ebay. Put them on my Ford 3000 and best thing I ever did.....other than install Pat's 3 PT QDs.

 

[oosik]

That's a whole lot of added equipment to control side sway. However - I can see the need if you are getting close to crops or going down crop rows.

I don't do either and adjust my 3-point implements to allow a small amount of lateral movement.

 

[oosik]

I do not adjust the 3-point hitch so that the implement is rock hard/solid in its connection. I want the implement to be able to do a little lateral shifting, on its own, without lateral shifting the entire tractor. Also - there is always the chance - if adjusted too tight - something will bend/break when the implement is lifted to full height or lowered completely.