New guy question about unhooking implements.

[YVS]

Most of my seat time is spent pulling a cutter to keep the grass down. Can I just keep my cutter attached to the tractor between cuts. I always keep my tractor stored indoors and I always keep the cutter all the way down to the floor. Is there some reason why I should remove the cutter when not in use. Does it stress 3PH too much.
Thanks

 

[RalphVa]

Heck. On my 1025 with its adjustable bottom out point with a stop, I leave it parked at the bottom out point, which is mowing height. Otherwise, I'd have to loosen the nut holding the stop, etc.

Doubt it affects your 3ph to leave implements even all the way up. They just stay there. The FEL, however, always tends to leak down. You're probably better off leaving it down to discourage the leak down leakage.

Ralph

 

[jeff9366]

If you have the rotary cutter down it is OK to leave it attached to the tractor most of the time.

Dirt and lawn particles will gradually work in to PTO connection to the tractor, gumming it up. You need to separate the connection occasionally to clean and lube the male tractor splines and female PTO coupling. I use spray PB Blaster as a solvent, wire brush, wipe clean with a rag, then lube with Eureka Fluid Film.

Otherwise, over time, the tractor/implement joint will become impossible to separate with less than heroic effort. Much better to perform preventative maintenance.

How often? I do not know your conditions nor frequency of use.

LINK: Search Results | PTO stuck

 

[YVS]

Ralph, thanks for the reply. My next question was about the FEL, but you answered it. I tend to keep the loader off most of the time. The loader arms I keep about an inch off the ground. It seems to me dropping those front arms all the way down, lifts the tractor up just a hair and puts undue stress on that pivot point. Does this make sense to any of you?

Jeff9366, thanks for the info about the PTO maintenance. It's those little nuggets of wisdom I need to acquire. As for how often, with as much rain we are getting in this part of Texas, about 3-4 hours of cutting a week keeps things from getting out of hand.

 

[mddorange]

I always leave something attached but always keep everything down when parked.

 

[KennyG]

I assume your loader has float. Just put it in float position for a moment after you shut it down.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I always lower the loader when parking mostly because it will leak down over time anyway and it makes a good parking brake. As for 3 PH, it isn't going to hurt anything mechanical to leave it up, down or in between.
It is safer to drop the load for people safety, but leaving the 3 PH raised isn't going to hurt your tractor at all. However, removing all the excess weight from the tractors tires when parking is probably the best thing to do anyway.

For getting the FEL fully down, I put it down where it looks down, kill the engine and then wiggle the joystick till all settles in place and all pressure on the lines is removed.

 

[aeblank]

if you go past the down position, the loader will be in "float", which won't lift the tractor.

 

[TripleR]

We have tractors the cutter may not be removed once or twice a year, on my L5740, it stays on all summer. I don't disconnect to do regular maintenance, but it's probably a good idea as you need to grease the shaft occasionally anyway. On the loader, I just use float then disengage.

 

[GManBart]

As far as the loader, leaving it in the air keeps pressure on the seals which isn't necessarily a good thing. I lower the loader until it's just off the ground, shut down the engine, and then lower the bucket, and wiggle the control in all directions to relieve any pressure.