550 can't pull a plow

[Vally Farm]

I've tried 4 different plows behind my father's 550...NONE will pull straight. 1 bot 18', 1 bot 14", 2 bot 14",2 bot 12". The 2 21 and the 1 14 are Oliver plows. ALL try to pull as far to the left as the chains will allow! Also when I try to put stabilizer bars to keep back blade, york rake, 3pt platform, etc they will fit at one height, but bind up if trying to raise or lower. I've tried every adjustment hole, every way to pull a plow. The only way to plow is to chain the lower arms in position. Makes for some UGLY furrows. Any ideas? Yes, I have the manuals, Yes, I've set everything to the books. Mike :x

 

[Mike (WA)]

I think you need to make the stabilizer bar(s) work- their front attachment point needs to be on the same imaginary line as through the front attachment points of the 3 point arms. Stabilizer bars work fine on my 550 (no binding), and the front attachment point is on a bracket bolted on the bottom of the rear axle (under the fender), with the pin located a little in back of the axle. Would be easy to make with a piece of angle iron.

 

[MikeS55d]

I agree with Mike Wa, it sounds as if you are running the stabilizer bars up to the bracket for the top link of the 3 pt. They should go to a pin under the axle below the fender mount. If indeed you are running them up there then you have effectively locked the 3 pt. solid and it will not be able to control the plow.
The factory "drawbar" set-up had stabilizers bars that went up to the 3 pt. top link bracket along with a safety lock on the 3 pt. control lever to prevent the 3 pt. hydraulic lever from being used.

 

[MAX -KY]

If your plow points are new or at least sharp you should not need the stabilizer bars if the plow is properly adjusted. I pull 3-14s with my 550 diesel without any problems except that the front end gets light when I pick it up. (No front weights) One idea, your right side lift arm should be cranked up approximately 2 inches higher than the left. This helps compensate when your right wheel is in the furrow. Hope this helps.

 

[1755]

I have seen the brackets for a ford in Farm Store they may work but I have never looked into it becous ours has them alredy in coporated with the loader brackets

 

[Vally Farm]

Stabilizer bracket mounts are factory correct under the fenders. There are 4 holes and none align properly with lower mount points. I.ve had them off, turned around, swappede side to side...everything. I use the chains to pull the plows in to proper position. What I am looking for is why the plows ALL pull as far left as they can. They all pull fine behind other tractors. It is NOT a mount/hookup problem. There is something wrong why it can't pull anything straight. Backblades that bind I can live with, but a tractor designed to pull 3pt plows that CAN'T means there is something wrong. Used one set of plows on another 550 and they pulled fine, but on THIS one everything is crap. Wondering what could have happened to this machine. Mike :x

 

[MikeS55d]

(quoted from post at 18:31:51 09/26/07) Stabilizer bracket mounts are factory correct under the fenders. There are 4 holes and none align properly with lower mount points. I.ve had them off, turned around, swappede side to side.... Mike :x

4 holes??? :shock:
the bracket should have one pin (like the pin that is on a box scrapper, finish mower etc. for attaching the 3 pt. arm) pointing towards and aligned with the pin that the lower 3 pt. arm pivots on. Other than the hole that the pin is fastned into there should be no other holes. When viewed from the side the part of the bracket that points down should be a triangle shape. You may have a non stock bracket.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I installed lower stabilizer pins on my 550 when i got it. It has a loader on it. I just installed the pins exactly in line with the pivot point of the lower 3 pt arms. No binding at all. Don't know why the plow is pulling so crooked, not an expert in that field. Good luck.

 

[MAX -KY]

Discussed your problem with my neighbor, we both grew up driving 550s. He had the idea that the lower lift arms are not the same length. Maybe one was replaced with an aftermarket arm that looks similar but is not exactly the length of the original. Check the length from center of the holes in each end of the arms. Hope it is as a simple fix. Let me know if this works.