You know the guy who invented the 3 point hitch used chains as sway control on his tractors...?? Even the guy who first stole his new idea used them also....just bein a smart a$#....:biggrin2:

I was just curious. What are the tabs on the arms used for. I saw one pic where someone had a small bungee cord holding the arms together. Right now my tractor has a drawbar on it, and the arms probably have about 3" of side to side motion. Maybe the drawbar is wider than the box blade i'm going to get.

What "tabs"? The ones out toward the ends? I think they were put there just for that reason. To put a spring or bungee on when not in use so they don't just bang around. On bigger tractors, they are for storing the snap clips used on the implement pins.

I get tickled at you guys who haven't ever used 3pts.

Sometimes you need it to sway, sometimes you don't.
Running a blade, you don't need much sway, just enough to keep the hitch from binding.
But doing a job like cultivating, you want it to have a lot of sway. That way, as you drive the cultivator doesn't pull off the row as easy. Gives the driver more "leeway" and you have less "err". Or as the farmers call it, "blight".
On a plow, you need some. The tractor steers better when the hitch can sway. For example, when I plow with a sleeve hitch, all sway blocks/pins come out. I can swing the plow over a foot from one side to the other. Pulls straight behind when in the ground, but no issue driving straight. With it rigid, you can't steer.

So, it all depends on use. I don't have any GT/SGT with hitches yet, so not sure how to solve the issue directly, but looking at them, it looks rather easy. Don't get too carried away, you want them to be able to sway. When they can't things get bent and broken, and makes it harder to steer when the implement is in use.

I'm a city boy j-mech. Born an raised. But I had a neighbor a few years back that had a 1641 with a 3 pt on the back, and I was hooked. That thing was awesome. And now I have 7 cub cadets...... My wife and I are going to get a few acres next year so I want to be prepared when that happens. Good info on when you need sway and when you don't. Thanks. It all makes sense.