3-Point Hitch It Won't Stay Up

   / It Won't Stay Up #1  

leslawman

New member
Joined
Jun 9, 2012
Messages
8
Location
Midway, Texas
Tractor
Ford 4610, Kubota ZD321, Gator 6x4, Honda AT350X
I have a 1982 Ford 4610 tractor with a front end loader. It has a position control lever and a draft control lever. When I have the six foot mower attached, it will not stay where I put it with the position lever. The mower and the lever itself drops. Is there a friction adjustment or is this a hydraulic problem? It just started doing this recently. It has always stayed put in the past. Any ideas are appreciated.
 
   / It Won't Stay Up #2  
When using the mower the draft control should be off. Draft is for stuff that actually engages the soil so if the soil gets hard it can lift your plow or whatever tool you're working with to prevent damage. With or without draft, the tool on the back should never go lower than the position set by the position control. If your position control is all the way down and draft is adjusted to lift your mower to position, once you start it will drop to the lowest position when there are no forces on the draft sensor.

If all of the above is understood, draft is off (all the way down), and the position control is not all the way down but your mower still drops to the lowest position, it is unfortunately a hydraulics issue with the lift.
 
   / It Won't Stay Up #3  
wow, that's not what I thought of when I read the title of this thread.......
 
   / It Won't Stay Up
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Yes, I keep the draft all the way down. The attached mower and the lever drop like a rock. It lifts fine but just won't stay there. I was sure hoping there was a magic friction adjustment I could tighten up to keep it from falling. As long as I hold the lever in place, the implement stays up. When I take my hand off, it drops. Thanks.
 
   / It Won't Stay Up #5  
The whole lever and all drops? That's not what I was thinking about. What I had in my mind was the levers stayed in position and the unit still dropped.

If it stays up as long as the lever stays in position, it sounds like it's just an issue with the lever system, not the hydraulics. Perhaps some sorta tension spring broke or something. I'm not familiar with your exact unit to make a guess.
 
   / It Won't Stay Up #6  
In the illustration below, look at Item #33. It's a nut that can be tightened to increase the friction on your lever. If that does not work, then you may have worn friction discs. They are Item #34 and part number 81717214 from your New Holland dealer. Messicks.com has them for $1.90 each. Some people make their own friction discs out of thin leather, but I'd suggest buying the NH part at such a cheap price. Probably, you won't need it, just adjust the nut a half turn and you'll be back to normal.

NH4610liftassy.jpg
 
   / It Won't Stay Up #7  
I had the same problem with a walking position control lever. It was worn out friction pads on the lever. Replaced the friction pads, now lever stays put .
 
   / It Won't Stay Up #9  
Then what if it stays up more than 4 hours?
 
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