Parts of a 3 Point Hitch – Labeled Tractor Hitch Diagram

All 10 parts on the diagram

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The three points and the drawbar 4

Top link The third point of the hitch. Turning its sleeve makes it longer or shorter; it is usually not powered by the tractor's hydraulics.
Lower links Two of the three points. The hydraulics lift and lower them, and the implement hangs on the balls in their ends. Many people call them lift arms or lower arms.
Drawbar A separate, single-point hitch for towing trailed loads. It is moved out of the way if it gets in an implement's way.
PTO stub shaft Turns an implement's drive shaft. The hitch carries the implement and this powers it.

Lift and sway 3

Lift arms The tractor's hydraulics raise and lower them. Each one pulls a lower link up through a lift rod.
Lift rods One on each side. On many tractors one rod has a leveling box with a crank: turning it changes the rod's length and levels the implement.
Check chains (stabilizers) Limit how far the lower links can swing from side to side. A turnbuckle sets their length. Some tractors have stabilizer bars in their place.

Balls and pins 3

Link balls A ball with a hole through it, held in a socket. The socket lets it swivel. The implement's pin goes through the hole.
Hitch pins They belong to the implement. One goes through each lower link's ball and one through the top link's eye.
Linchpins Each goes through a hole in the end of a hitch pin. The link then cannot slide off. Also spelled lynch pin.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) Ford Tractor Models 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 Operator's Manual, full text at https://archive.org/details/tractors-19078764-Ford-Tractor-Models-2000-3000-4000-and-5000-Operators-Service-Manual (three-point linkage, top link and its sleeve, lower links, lift rods and the levelling box, hydraulic lift arms, lower link balls, check chains and their turnbuckle, stabilizer kit, linch pins, swinging drawbar, PTO shaft). (2) Kubota B5100 parts list, 3-point linkage group, full text at https://archive.org/details/KubotaTractorModelB5100PartsList (top link, lower link, lift rod, lift arm, chain and turnbuckle, lower link pin). (3) Wikipedia, Three-point hitch (top link, the two lower arms, stabilizers, the ball on the arm, pins, categories, drawbar). (4) King Kutter implement manuals, https://www.kingkutter.com/manuals (top link, lower arms and lift arms, hitch pins, linchpins, stabilizer bars and sway chains, drawbar). (5) Penn State Extension, Power Take-Off (PTO) Safety (PTO stub shaft). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's tractor, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A three point hitch carries an implement on three arms: two lower links and one top link. The parts of a three point hitch also include the arms and rods that lift it and the pins that hold the implement on.

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Three arms, then what moves them

Start with the side view. The two lower links and the top link are the three points. The lift arms, driven by the tractor's hydraulics, raise the lower links through the lift rods. The view from above adds what the side view hides: a check chain on each side, and the implement's hitch pins through the link balls, each held by a linchpin.

To hitch up, the left lower link goes on first, then the right, then the top link.
This page names the parts; it does not sell them.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a 3 point hitch called?

Two lower links and a top link make the three points. Lift arms and lift rods raise the lower links, and check chains or stabilizers stop them swinging sideways. The implement's hitch pins go through the link balls and are held by linchpins.

What is the top link on a tractor?

The upper, center arm of the hitch. It is usually not powered by the tractor's hydraulics. Turning its sleeve makes it longer or shorter, which is how the implement is set level from front to back.

What do the check chains on a three point hitch do?

They hold the lower links against swinging from side to side. A turnbuckle sets how much movement is left. Some tractors use stabilizer bars for the same job.

What are three point hitch categories?

Hitch sizes. There are five, and a higher category has sturdier arms and larger pins. On some tractors the link balls can be turned or swapped to fit two categories.