Rollover Box Blade - Difficult To Load On 3-Pt Hitch - Any tips??

[MBTRAC]

For ease/speed of 3PL hitch attachment we fit quick release hooks on most of our tractors & also hydraulic top links - combined these are the best investment you can make if you're regularly changing implements & wish to save time, effort & your back.....

Our quick release hooks are similar in principle to "Pat's easy change", except welded on to the lower arms for our heavy duty use- in the US Sparex look to sell these :-

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Neat tractor & blade you have there...

[radrock]

Where does one purchase SPRAY ON GRAPHITE LUBE ??

I buy it at the John deere Dealership. The company I work for has used it for a long time and it is a pretty good product. I think you can get it at Tractor Supply too but not sure how good it is. You would just have to try them and see. John Deere is pretty close so it's not a problem getting it there for me.

[IndyIan]

I don't know what the extendable lower arms for the 3pth cost, but they make hooking up any of your 3pth implements alot easier. You get sort of close and sort of square and then get off and hook up.

[joshuabardwell]

Where does one purchase SPRAY ON GRAPHITE LUBE ??

I got mine at the hardware store, in the lube aisle. Be careful though--it makes a slick surface on whatever you spray it on. Overspray or drips are a PITA to clean up. Also, it isn't right for every kind of lubricating situation. IMO, it is best when you are dealing with larger or heavier bearing surfaces, and where more substantial forces are involved. I think you should think of spray-on graphite lube as more like spray-painting a layer of graphite onto a surface, than spraying a liquid lube. If you spray it into finer or lighter mechanisms, it can really gunk it up.

[joshuabardwell]

I don't know what the extendable lower arms for the 3pth cost, but they make hooking up any of your 3pth implements alot easier. You get sort of close and sort of square and then get off and hook up.

Gosh yes. I couldn't second this enough.

[gabby]

Flattery gets you no where. We have 3 Gannon roll over box blades. All that I do is have a couple of 2x4s or 2x6s about 18"-24" long under the cutting edge and a 4x6 standing on end cut to the proper height to support under the tower. Pretty simple.

I use the same method with my 6' rollover blade, but with the addition of keeping a 5' 2x4 pry bar there to shift the whole blade just a fraction to make the lift arm holes line up.

[radrock]

I got mine at the hardware store, in the lube aisle. Be careful though--it makes a slick surface on whatever you spray it on. Overspray or drips are a PITA to clean up. Also, it isn't right for every kind of lubricating situation. IMO, it is best when you are dealing with larger or heavier bearing surfaces, and where more substantial forces are involved. I think you should think of spray-on graphite lube as more like spray-painting a layer of graphite onto a surface, than spraying a liquid lube. If you spray it into finer or lighter mechanisms, it can really gunk it up.

You are correct on explaining this. It is great stuff to use in the right place. I work in dirt construction and we use it on our motor graders. They have a dry circle and I use it on the circle surfaces and the teeth. Grease makes the dirt accumulate a lot and this stuff just polishes it up. I have a Bush Hog mower and I use it on the arms where it connects to the three point hitch. They are floating and just move up and down about 3 inches (guessing) and it works good there. Grease would just build up with grass clippings and dust.

[BukitCase]

Jeff, I'm a couple years older than you and know the feeling about heavy stuff - here's one possible solution you might consider - replace your blocks, etc, with a standard 4x4 shipping pallet (shimmed underneath as necessary with rocks, blocks, whatever) - back your tractor (with the ROBB on) up to the pallet, lower the BB til the blade contacts the pallet, (here's when you do the shimming) then adjust the vertical boards (shown in my quick/crappy edit) til they contact the square tubing on both sides of the hitch.


Cut the wider, inside boards (pref. 2x6) to length, then use some longer thinner ones outside to mount to the original pallet. This way the 2x's sit ON the pallet and don't rely on nail/screw strength to support the weight. If the pallet sinks afterward, maybe cut some wooden wedges and drive them under the low side as needed. Sooner or later things should stop settling

Another option, if you weld and are interested, would be getting longer draw pins and adding swing-up "kick stands" to one or both sides. Post back if you're interested, and I'll expound (I'm a bit OCD, so "expounding" comes pretty natural )

Just a thought... Steve

[boggen]

just kinda skim read thread.

telescoping lower lift arms (for attaching only) for 3pt hitch. more found on larger size tractors as default vs smaller size tractors.

TNT (Top N Tilt) for 3pt hitch, more for using the 3pt hitch implements vs connecting them. but can help a bit in attaching. more so the top link getting changed over to a hyd cylinder.

about only good stable platform i have found to work long term. is a concrete pad, example concrete driveway or concrete garage floor. something that is large enough to set the implement down on, and still get tractor up on the platform. so implement and tractor are on a nice level flat surface. everything else you just "fight" with stuff to get things lined up.

3pt hitch quick attach doings. can make things easier. but some times it means modifying implements to work correctly with the 3pt hitch quick attach.

pats-easy change setup can also make connecting things easier. with the hinge like ends vs holes for were "pins" go through on the lower link arms.

but to find a simply quick setup that does it all. i doubt ya going to find it. it going to be a little bit of everything to make it easier to connect / disconnect to 3pt hitch implements.

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with above said, prefer telescoping lower link arms. with some form of pat's easy change ends for lower lift arms. it gives you a a couple inches to work with, even when things are not perfectly aligned and not working on flat even platform like a concrete driveway or concrete garage floor. and then a hyd cylinder for top link. so i am not busting my knuckles trying to adjust top link to get things attached, and then redoing top link to get things set backup for implement. being able to quickly use hyd cylinder to adjust top link. can make a difference. in connect and using a box blade to adjust cutting angle.

my general tools are....
pair of channel locks to pull and twist pins.
2lb to 5lb hammer (NOT SLEDGE) just something heavy to nock pins out
a flat head screw driver or awl or another pin or bolt to tap pins out.
4 to 6 foot long pray bar. (actual bar to a pipe, to a piece of 2x4 lumber)

on heavier stuff, i end up connecting at least one point, then having to slightly reposition tractor and raise / lower 3pt hitch a couple times, in order to get another point connected, then on last connection re positioning 3pt hitch for that last connection.

having those telescoping lower link arms. (for connecting purpose only) really does help. getting lower arms connected, without much fuss.

if you have half way descent flat working platform for tractor and implement a 3pt hitch quick attach plate can work nicely and never needing to get off of tractor. but if you are going through expensive of 3pt hitch quick attach plate. see about spending some cash for hyd cylinder to replace the generic turn buckle top link adjustment.

[jeff9366]

OP AGAIN - THANKS TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO MY POST

I have installed and removed my 630 pound Rollover Box Blade numerous times in the last month, utilizing posted suggestions. Amazing....I can now whip it on and off in just a couple of minutes with NO bad words and NO sweat.

Obviously, technique is key and I had not been able to evolve satisfactory technique on my own. Perhaps a case where frustration breeds further frustration.

On my own I discovered it helpful to stake the lift arms, spread at the appropriate width, by tapping a couple of pieces of re-bar into the ground, just short of the implement.

As my other implements go on and come off RELATIVELY easily, I am leaving my recently acquired "Pat's Easy-Change System" in its shipping carton for the present.

PARTICULAR THANKS TO:

CalG, Post #6, One support point in the front, not two + grease. Made scooting around 630 pounds nearly easy. MOST HELPFUL REPLY.

jmc, Post #10 Adjust right lift arm height with 3-Pt lifting rod turnbuckle. Why didn't I think of that?

radrock, Post #17 Use spray graphite. Yes, graphite is really helpful on the draw pins; superior to grease in this application. Here I have to insert two 3/4" (6/8") draw pins into their corresponding 7/8" holes on the 630 pound box blade. Tight fit, beaucoup inertia. As I have it, I used a small spray can of household lock lubricant. With second application the pins slid in/out much easier.

NAPA Auto Parts Stores sell graphite in spray cans, both wet application and dry application. Multiple types of graphite lubricant are available from amazon.com.

Thanks again, Everyone.