Lifting Tractor Front Ends

[bpence]

It's the time of year when lots of folks will be removing their mid-mounted mower decks and I know a lot of folks use the front-end loader to lift the tractor enough to move the mower deck out from underneath. One of the things a friend does when using his FEL to accomplish this task on his B2400 is to lift the front end, lock the brakes, place jack-stands (not the cheapo kind) under the front axle, lower the tractor onto the jack-stands, then re-lock the brakes and block the rear wheels. When everything is secure, the mower is slid out from under the tractor. It means an extra step and a little more work, but as he so aptly put it, "stuff happens!"

He explains that the real motivation for this extra step came one morning when he was removing the deck after raising the front with the loader, had the deck most of the way out, and somehow inadvertantly hit one of the loader control levers and the tractor came down 4"-5". Fortunately no one (meaning him) was hurt, other than one of those prideful "I can't believe I did that" hurts. Stuff happens.

Just thought I'd pass the thought on. It only takes a minute or two more to do things safely. Let's be careful out there.

Bob Pence

 

[glennmac]

First let me register mindboggled envy: that time "of year" when people remove their belly mowers! I take mine on and off every single weekend. That is because I either brush cut or do loader work every weekend, as well as finish mowing, and I don't like to do those things with my belly mower on. Worse, I like to take my FEL off when I finsh mow, so I have to coordinate whether my FEL is on or off because I need it on to take my belly mower on and off.

Are you now more sympathetic as to why I sprung for Freedom Hitches for that other nuisance interface.

On the safety point, I agree that you must set the brakes. I also looked at jackstands. I decided against them for this reason: I only lift the wheels of the tractor with the loader for that portion of the process where I am rolling the deck under the tractor, and I don't need to put any part of my body underneath the tractor to do that.

You dont need to lift the tractor wheels to remove or install the pins on the lift links, or to remove or install the front lever link, or to remove or install the PTO shaft, or to remove or install the lift link brackets. At least with the Kubota 72" deck with 4 caster wheels, you only need to lift the tractor (and cut the steering wheel) when maneuvering the unpinned deck underneath, or out from, the tractor.

If any of you have the tractor bucket-lifted for the other parts of the total procedure, you may want to re-evaluate whether it is necessary.

Glenn