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Find a model →Pit up to four models against each other. Engine, hydraulics, hitch, weight, warranty.
Open comparison →Written guides on choosing tractors, hydraulics, PTO, hitches, and maintenance.
Read articles →A dealership staffer walks through the entire process of attaching an implement to a three-point hitch, covering terminology (top link, rock shafts, lift arms, sway bars), category sizing by horsepower, practical alignment tricks like nudging the tractor forward or sliding a piece of firewood under the implement, PTO shaft hookup, and final adjustments for top link leveling and sway bar tension. Best for first-time tractor owners who find hitch hookup frustrating.
Posted by the Messick's Farm Equipment dealership channel, so the video ends with a prompt to visit or call their dealership.
The top point is the top link, the sides are rock shafts attached to lift arms, lower links have ball ends, and sway bars or check chains control side to side movement.
If the implement is too close, drive the tractor forward about 2 inches to drag the lift arm forward; height differences can be fixed by adjusting the lift link arm.
For a rotary cutter, leave them loose using the notched hole so the mower can swing if it hits something; for a fertilizer spreader, tighten them so it does not sway while driving.
Turn the top link to extend or shorten it, lowering or raising the back of the implement; mowers are usually set slightly tilted forward while blades are set flat.
