JD 4200 3point hitch valve

[duksrule]

I need some help with my 3 point hitch valve. Last year it was stiff. So stiff in fact that it would flex the arm of the valve where the lever is rather than move the valve. I dug into the valve to see if I could free it up. Well after taking it apart to free it up I guess I did to good of a job. Now I have the oposite problem. It is so free that it won't stay up on its own. I have to hold it or put a bungy cord on it. Also if it is all the way up it puts a load on the tractor's hydraulic system that you can feel and hear and it takes power from the tractor. Then in some spots between up and down it will cause the hydraulics to jump or surge so you have to mess with it to find a sweet spot then hold it there while you are working. I have been living with it but it is becoming a pain it the rear. The hitch goes up and down fine so my wonder is, is there a way to tighten up the valve and get rid of the surging or do I need a new valve.

Thanks

 

[kennyd]

You have two separate problems I think...

The lever being to loose is adjusted by tightening the nut #5 in the picture I posted. That put's tension on the curved spring washer stack (#10) to hold the handles position.

The surging is caused by the feedback rod (#38) being mis-adjusted. I do not have the service manual to help you with that, but you could play with the length via the #18 nuts.

 

[duksrule]

Thanks so much. I will give it a shot.....

 

[duksrule]

Well it fixed the loose issue. I tightened that nut and it is good to go for that issue. I tried to adjust that rod but it only adjusts how high the hitch goes in the up position. It still jumps the hydraulics at different spots. When I move the lever up and down I hear a click from the valve under the seat. Almost like there is an electric switch in there. Any other ideas on what to do? I love this site, it has saved me a bundle working on the tractor.

 

[kennyd]

Well it fixed the loose issue. I tightened that nut and it is good to go for that issue. I tried to adjust that rod but it only adjusts how high the hitch goes in the up position. It still jumps the hydraulics at different spots. When I move the lever up and down I hear a click from the valve under the seat. Almost like there is an electric switch in there. Any other ideas on what to do? I love this site, it has saved me a bundle working on the tractor.

Order a service manual for your machine...It will pay for itself the first time you use it.

There must be dirt in the valve...that is my best guess at this point.

 

[wheels910]

I wouldn't run it much until you get it properly repaired. When your hitch is all the way up and stops, there is a relief valve that causes an internal leak to stop the hitch from moving on up so you don't damage anything.

When the valve you're complaining about sticks and constantly raises the hitch, it is cycling hydraulic oil through your hitch valves and relief valve. This constant cycling causes your hydraulic oil to heat up and leads to premature pump wear. If the pump starts wearing and leaves metal in your oil you could be looking at replacing the pump and maybe the hydrostat at some point if so equipped.

My .02