TC-26DA 3 point hitch noise-skip?

[Chico]

I lent my tractor out to a friend for a little over a week, I got it back and swapped over the wood chipper that was on it to my mower. I went mowing and this noise that sounded like I dropped the mower comes from the back when i lower the 3 point hitch? I moved the 3 point hitch lever up and down, when i go up it is fine when i come down slowly it goes about 3/4 of the way then acts as if it skips a tooth or something dropping an inch or so? I have no idea how these work from the inside but everything outside looks good? is there a tooth gear on the inside that may have broken off?

Thanks for the help,

Brian

 

[Jerry/MT]

I lent my tractor out to a friend for a little over a week, I got it back and swapped over the wood chipper that was on it to my mower. I went mowing and this noise that sounded like I dropped the mower comes from the back when i lower the 3 point hitch? I moved the 3 point hitch lever up and down, when i go up it is fine when i come down slowly it goes about 3/4 of the way then acts as if it skips a tooth or something dropping an inch or so? I have no idea how these work from the inside but everything outside looks good? is there a tooth gear on the inside that may have broken off?

Thanks for the help,

Brian

It's basically a piston and rod that pushes on an offset arm on the rockshaft that cause the the rockshaft to rotate up when pump pressure is applied to the psiton. When the cylinder is ported to the sump, gravity pulls the hitch down.

 

[k0ua]

You didnt mention how fast or slow it comes down.. you might adjust the drop rate valve below the seat and see if it changes the operation any. It may be nearly closed. or have a piece of something in the valve.. adjust it by opening it, so it drops fast, then set it where you want the drop rate for the particular weight of the implement you have on, see if that helps any.

James K0UA

 

[Chico]

You didnt mention how fast or slow it comes down.. you might adjust the drop rate valve below the seat and see if it changes the operation any. It may be nearly closed. or have a piece of something in the valve.. adjust it by opening it, so it drops fast, then set it where you want the drop rate for the particular weight of the implement you have on, see if that helps any.

James K0UA

it comes down as quick as i lower the lever, I have always had it on a high rate of valving and it has never given me any trouble. I have a very lite finishing mower on the back and it goes down, and then you hear this metal "TINK" noise and it drops about 1/4-1/2 an inch and then keeps going? I removed the top bar from the 3 point hitch and it still does it? I put my hand on the arm while it goes down and you feel it almost skip? Very strange? only about 200 Hrs. on this little machine.

 

[k0ua]

Well the only thing I can think of is some kind of damage to the hydraulic cylinder on the 3pt. If some of the hydraulic oriented guys could comment here, it would be good, this is out of my realm. Hopefully this will give the thread a bump up and maybe get someone else to comment. Sorry I could not be more help. Good luck.

James K0UA

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Did your machine ever have a mid mount mower? If so, is the cushion lift system still on it? I've bent some of the linkage on mine and it will bind up 3PH on occasion, making sounds and acting very similar to what you describe.

Brad

 

[Chico]

Did your machine ever have a mid mount mower? If so, is the cushion lift system still on it? I've bent some of the linkage on mine and it will bind up 3PH on occasion, making sounds and acting very similar to what you describe.

Brad

Nope, but i went out to play with it today.... Had alot of bucket work and very little 3 point work, never the less i didnt hear a thing. I had adjusted the speed down on the hydro system as you guys mentioned. A few hrs. into the work I let it cool down and took a brake, fired it back up after lunch and worked it for about 3o more min. and took it back to the garage, shut down the tractor and slowly lowered the 3 point hitch,CLANK!

GRRRRR!!!!!!

Started it back up and moved it up and down several times till it skipped going UP once?
About 5 min. of this up and down stuff looking at everything finally ended up with a huge BANG as my mower hit the floor of the garage from its full height, now the 3 point will not go up or down.

I'm beginning to despise this little machine, 200 hrs. and this is how it acts?

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Wow, Chico. I love my TC26DA! I have never had the problem you are experiencing, but there is a quirk to my 3pt. In the winter, when it's cold, it never goes up the first time I pull the lever back. I have to do it a second time and the back blade goes up like there was never a problem, every time.. Don't know what causes it, but it's predictable. I changed the fluid this spring at 300 hrs and it looked like it could have been new, so I doubt there was any water problem or anything..

Is your machine still under warranty? I paid for the extended, but I think it runs out next month.. Don't even know if it covers the 3 pt. This is the only extended warranty I have ever purchased, only because it's a pretty expensive toy..

The only two minor complaints I have about the machine, well three if you count only 2 ranges, but I knew that going in - the seat belt could have been designed a little different to work better in icy weather, and the tiny little bowl and fuel filter should have been bigger. I change it at regular intervals and check it often, but it is so tiny that even a little bit of crud can cause problems in the field. Now I carry a new spare fuel filter in the little tool box so I can swap it out if I need to, but on a sweltering or freezing day, it's hard to get the fingers in there and unscrew the thing, and then put it back. On the irregular Catskill Mountain land, I do often wish that the wheels were a couple inches farther apart as well. Very concerned about the possibility of tipping over.

 

[Chico]

Well I took it all apart this weekend..... Never the less i dont see this as something I did or my friend. It looks as if the pin that holds the rod on the spline arm is missing, and by the looks of the metal shavings I found in the gearbox it has been going for some time. This comes down to someone at the factory screwed up and didnt put a circle clip on it or something.... Now what?

Both cases are scratched bad on the inside, the arm bracket is messed up as is the piston, and the lift pin. My gear box is FULL of metal shavings and all I want to do is choke the S.O.B. that build this tractor. What am I going to do with all of the metal in the gearbox? You know its in the bearings exc... This whole this makes me steam from my ears. I'm the sort of guy that waxes this thing twice a year and keeps it in the garage, this is my 2ed TC model, and I'm not pleased at this point with the prior TC24 or this unit. I just dont see how an entire 2-3 inch pin is just missing?

Look at the red bracket, you can tell it has been riding on the bottom of that for some time in favor of the top?

I just drained all of the fluid in the case, and shavings are on the bottom and on the diff gear, but there is no sign of the 2-3"pin that would hold everything together? I'm beginning to wonder if this thing ever had one? If you look at the first picture it looks as if the rod was riding at the bottom of the bracket for quite some time, and the piston cup has a notch at the top where it looks like the same thing, it would have worked this way, but I'm surprised it made it this long? I'm guessing because this thing is a 2006 I'm up the creek on War. but to me the factory is at fault, i mean how on earth does this just happen with ~200 hrs on it? I highly doubt that 2-3" pin got ground up without some major damage to the main gear.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Well I took it all apart this weekend..... Never the less i dont see this as something I did or my friend. It looks as if the pin that holds the rod on the spline arm is missing, and by the looks of the metal shavings I found in the gearbox it has been going for some time. This comes down to someone at the factory screwed up and didnt put a circle clip on it or something.... Now what?

Both cases are scratched bad on the inside, the arm bracket is messed up as is the piston, and the lift pin. My gear box is FULL of metal shavings and all I want to do is choke the S.O.B. that build this tractor. What am I going to do with all of the metal in the gearbox? You know its in the bearings exc... This whole this makes me steam from my ears. I'm the sort of guy that waxes this thing twice a year and keeps it in the garage, this is my 2ed TC model, and I'm not pleased at this point with the prior TC24 or this unit. I just dont see how an entire 2-3 inch pin is just missing?

Look at the red bracket, you can tell it has been riding on the bottom of that for some time in favor of the top?

I just drained all of the fluid in the case, and shavings are on the bottom and on the diff gear, but there is no sign of the 2-3"pin that would hold everything together? I'm beginning to wonder if this thing ever had one? If you look at the first picture it looks as if the rod was riding at the bottom of the bracket for quite some time, and the piston cup has a notch at the top where it looks like the same thing, it would have worked this way, but I'm surprised it made it this long? I'm guessing because this thing is a 2006 I'm up the creek on War. but to me the factory is at fault, i mean how on earth does this just happen with ~200 hrs on it? I highly doubt that 2-3" pin got ground up without some major damage to the main gear.

Chico,
I just looked at the parts diagram on Messick's web site and ther is a pin that holds the rod in the rock shaft arm and that in turn is held in place by a cotter pin. There should not be any significant side loads on the rod or the pin so a cotter pin should be sufficient to hold the pin in position. It looks to me like the pin must have been sheared and since you don't have any thing but chips, it must have gone though the gears. I believe you said you loaned it to a friend the previous week before you noticed the problem. What was he doing with it?

The hydraulic relief valve should protect the lift system from overload so either the relief didn't work in an overload situation and the pin sheared or the pin was defective. I doubt you can claim it was misassembled unless you can identify what's in those chips. I'd talk to the NH dealer you bought it from. Maybe there's a service bulletin on this problem.