Stabilizer bars and blading

Bill

good luck

Soundguy

After hooking the implement to the 3pt lift arms, I simply put one end of the stabilizer bar onto the pin on the stabilizer bracket under the fender and put the other end onto the 3pt pin on the implement, then put the linch pins in. Sometimes I have to put one end on first, other times the other end first. I have to push and pull sometimes, depending on what I'm hooking to and how straight I backed up. I may have to pull the brush hog forward a little to get it to work, but the attachments on the mower have gotten banged up a little and aren't as straight as they used to be. The same thing happens with the 3pt dirt scoop because the 3pt pins don't precisely lined up like they should (1/8"-1/4" off), probably from getting banged around before I got it.

You should be able to put your 11 hole drawbar on the lift arms and slip the ends of the stabilizer bars over the drawbar ends. I have 3 sets of stabilizer bars and they all fit pretty much the same. The older bars are straight and the newer ones have a slight offset to each end. Some of the implements fit a little tighter on the different bars, but they still fit. Sometimes I may have to nudge them a little with a hammer, but they still fit.

I try to use them whenever possible with the brush hog or back blade. They keep the mower straight behind the tractor when mowing the bar ditches and on slight slopes. I also use them when digging with the 3pt scoop because I lose less dirt/gravel from the side-to-side shaking with the stabilizer bars in place.

The adjustable bars in this diagram may not look just like what you will buy but the brackets and attachment are clearly shown and labeled, along with the bars.

Some pull type equipment used the pto, things like manure spreaders, fertilizer spreaders, or even some pull type mowers.

Like you, I could never get 2 of those red bar stabilizer bars to fit when I was bush hogging or blading etc. Like the other guy said, it has to do with the geometry of the set up. I think the various implements vary in width too which further screws up the equation.

I finally bought a couple of adjustable links (they adjust just like your top link) at TSC
and they have been way more useful, allows you to get both of them on, and you can also adjust the position of the implement from side to side some too. I needed to use two of them with my finish mower and this was the only way I could figure out how to do so.

That said, let me see if I can help. You have some kind of problem with the geometry between the lift arms, the stabilizer bars and the attachment points for both. So lets review what is SUPPOSED to be the correct geometry.

First the lift arm, stabilizer bar and tractor (axle and differential housing) form a triangle, the most sable of “pinned” structures, which is how the “members” of this triangle are joined. For the end points of the “triangles” to move up and down together WITHOUT moving nearer or farther apart, the “base” of each triangle MUST be on the same line. That is the pins for the lift arms must be in line - which they will be because that is the way the differential is machined - together with the pins on the brackets that the stabilizer bars attach to. Thus the bracket pins are where you can get out of align. So you need to check that first.

Attach the bars to the bracket pins. Then put a pin thru the lift arm end and the end of the stabilizer bar. The pin needs to fit snug - I’d find a pair of bolts to do this. Now with the lift arms down measure the distance between the ends. then measure with the arms full up. The distance SHOULD be the same. If not then you need to adjust the bracket pins.

Once you have the ends of the lift arms moving up and down without changing distance, take that distance and check to see if that is the same as the distance between the lift pins on your implement. If the measurements are not close - 1/2 inch or less - then the stabilizer bars have the holes too close or far apart. Your call as to how to fix that problem.

I have the ability to weld up the holes and redrill them where they should be. BUT that is not a job I would like to do. Could be very hard to get right.

Regards,
Larry

HTH
Steve

Staffmope - Your stabilizer bars are probably correct. I suspect the problem might be with the blade. The lower pins may be too narrow. I have a boom pole that has the same problem because the lower pins are 24 inches wide rather that the standard 26 inches wide. Check your blade. Maybe the pins are mounted inward rather that outward which would cause them to be too narrow.

However... There's no guarantee that his stabilizer pin is in the correct hole, to begin with...

;-)

Steve

I believe the brackets that bolt under the axle
have to have the pins toward the front of the tractor. One stabilizer bar is not too hard to put on. Getting the implement lined up for two bars is a little trickier.

steveormary