3pt hitch help

[keeney]

OkieG,

No argument from me that it is often easier to move the tractor than a heavy attachment - that is how I mostly get things hooked up myself.

And yes, it takes a few seconds to hop on, buckle-up, start, disengage the brake, put in gear, inch back a smidge, re-engage the brake, shutdown, unbuckle, and get off.

But I think its worth it because it is so much safer to operate the tractor from the seat. Its pretty difficult to run yourself over in the seat. Especially with the seatbelt on.

On the other hand, there are lots of stories of people running themselves over when starting or operating their tractor from the ground.

Some of the dramatics in my posts are for emphasis, reading enjoyment, and because its easy to get carried away while writing. I hope my comments do not offend as that was not intention.

- Rick

 

[OkieG]

<font color="blue">Its pretty difficult to run yourself over in the seat. Especially with the seatbelt on.</font>

Now, there is some tractor truth if ever I heard it.

No offense is taken by me. Your recommendation is safer than what I do...and it's worth pointing that out. Not climbing into the seat for each adjustment is a convenience the hydrostat allows. I've grown comfortable with it and my old knees appreciate it, too. But, there's a safer way. Thanks for pointing out the danger (which I should have emphasized more in the first place) and suggesting a better way to accopmlish this routime tractor task.

Amazingly enough, I feel like my tractoring is pretty safe, in general. This forum is great at straightening me out when I get off track.

OkieG

 

[trlong]

Soundguy,

All very good points and, obvioulsy you have much more experience with tractors and attachments than I have. I am hoping that my next project is clearing the trees and rocks (may need to rent an excavator or dozer for some of the rocks...like the 10'x10'x5' size), digging out the stumps and roots, and leveling an area. I doubt I can afford the materials this year but, eventually that area will turn into a barn or atleast an equipment shed. If I'm lucky, I may be able to get enough gravel down to keep it from being a mud hole until I get a slab prep'ed and poured.

I also agree that the I-Match (or any quick hitch system) may severely limit my choices when it comes to finding a box blade, etc.. Modifications to attachments can always be made so they fit but, that can radically change balance, distance from TPH and the way they handle, I suppose. I'll deal with that when I can afford the next attachment I find I REALLY NEED /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

The I-Match also does little good when changing over to the BH. It does, however, make for convenient storage of the 3PH...all in one spot just hanging on the I-Match. Who knows, with more attachments and more experience, I may some day scrap the I-Match. For now it works for me.

As for "some day...disabled...". After 3 knee surgeries, elbow surgery, and having my shoulder muscles re-pinned to my collar bone, the less pushing or pulling I do the less my body screams at me /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Tom

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( As for "some day...disabled...". After 3 knee surgeries, elbow surgery, and having my shoulder muscles re-pinned to my collar bone, the less pushing or pulling I do the less my body screams at me
)</font>

I hear ya!

I used to 'not' need a front end loader. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I hurt my back in dec 2004.. and it was't just a few day ordeal.. it was the real thing.. physical therapy.. months of light use.. stabbing pains.. ..e tc. In that time.. i went looking for a tractor with a front end loader... Fell in love with an old ford 660 with #722 1-arm loader. Deffinately not the be-all/ do-all tractor loader combo.. but sure did make life easier with a hurt back. I could drag feed abgs to the bucket, then drive them down tot he pens and help the wife feed the animals.. whereas before.. i wasn't able to get the bags up into a wheel barrow due to the pain. And the wifes too small to lift feed bags..

Soundguy

 

[FL_Cracker]

I have not seen the I-Match but I can say that the Freedom Hitch works great and did not effect how my emplements worked. They are now only 5" further back but that's no big deal. As for it not saving much for a mower, I would say it's still worth it. Once it's attched the drive shaft is a breeze. The 3PH attachment is the hard part, as well as the part that causes most of the danger.

Danger, ?
1) Trying to move tractor from the ground.
2) On and off a running tractor several times
3) 2nd person on the tractor moving it around while you get in between and push & pull
4) Lifting and prying with wood and steel bars to move implement....

Give me Freedom !!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RalphVa]

I've found that having the implements on castors or something that will allow you to move the implement makes the install/removal job a whole lot easier. I've castors attached to a 1 by board that I keep underneath my brush cutter. It's very easy to attach or detach and then to roll the cutter out of the way into storage. It's an absolute beast to attach/detach sitting on the ground.

You could use some furniture movers beneath implements that you can't either attach or have castors underneath. Of couse, you'll need a good floor to sit them on.

Ralph

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the Freedom Hitch works great and did not effect how my emplements worked. They are now only 5" further back but that's no big deal. )</font>

You'd be surprised what moving a load 5 more inches back beyond the connection point will due to the carrying capacity on the 3pt hitch.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 1) Trying to move tractor from the ground.
2) On and off a running tractor several times
3) 2nd person on the tractor moving it around while you get in between and push & pull
4) Lifting and prying with wood and steel bars to move implement....
)</font>

1-4 can be virtually aleviated with practice and use...
( for free! )

Soundguy

 

[Eric_Phillips]

Well I went out and took the BB off and put the rake on last night. I broke out the can of WD40 and all went very well. With a gear drive tractor moving the tractor from the ground is not an option like a hydrostatic drive. It took getting up and down twice to get the first arm lined up. Then once more to move the tractor a smidgen to get the other side hooked up. Spraying everything with WD40 made the ball ends move very freely and they slid on and off the pins like butter. No big persuaders needed just mild kicks with the foot. No pry bars to move the attachment. If I ever get to the point where I can have a hard surface to set the implements on dollies I will sure go that route but for now I think I am getting the hang of it. Thank you for all the suggestions. Go WD40!!

Eric

 

[Farwell]

Eric,
I use WD40 to clean lots of things for resale on Ebay. It does a great job and the items look great when done. It works well as a temporary lube but it has failed me many times when I tried to use it as a real lube for certain things. My opinion, grease works much better on the long term even if it gets all over you and your clothes. WD40 also works great for displacing moisture in distributors and penetrating rust. I used it several times on my table saw top when I would store it out doors under a tarp. Big mistake. My saw top rusted real bad from the condensation. Switched to grease. Not much rust but a real mess when it came time to use it. Switched to auto body wax. Saw top has no rust and the wood slides over the table like it was on ball bearings.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

WD40 is not a long term lubricant. This stuff works great to get something moving but has a very short life. I had tried some grease on the 3PH pins but it did not work well. Maybe I didn't use enough. I was skeptical about using much grease on an open area that has a high potentioal for collecting dirt. Maybe some silicon? Anyone tried silicon lube to keep the 3PH pins slick without collecting dirt?

Farwell, as to using auto wax on your table saw, I remember reading things on the Woodnet.net forums about not using auto wax in woodworking environments. I think there are some additives that react with some woods and stains the wood. The best thing I have heard of using is Boeshield T-9. PM me if you have any questions about this. Also take a look at the woodnet forums they are good.

Now to tie woodworking and tractors together, I am planning to use my tractor FEL to lift the 80in jointer bed over the half wall to the stairs leading to my basement from the garage. Then slide the bed down a ramp. Once it is down the stairs I then need to figure out how to move it. Should be fun this weekend. I told my wife her job will be to take pictures and to keep the bed from going through the tractor radiator.

Eric

 

[Keith_B]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Now to tie woodworking and tractors together, I am planning to use my tractor FEL to lift the 80in jointer bed over the half wall to the stairs leading to my basement from the garage. Then slide the bed down a ramp. Once it is down the stairs I then need to figure out how to move it. Should be fun this weekend. I told my wife her job will be to take pictures and to keep the bed from going through the tractor radiator.

Eric )</font>

You may wanna put the joiner on a board (or boards depending on size of the base) and use little sections of pipe or broom handles as rollers to move it with.

BTW, one easy way to make adjustments when hooking up to an implement is to use the top link to draw the implement in toward the tractor, or away from the tractor. A lot of times I will back up to an implement and be able to get one of the lower arms mounted, but not have the other lower arm reach the tractor. I will go ahead and hookup the top link and use the turnbuckle on it to make the adjustment with.

In lining up my arms vertically I always drop the arms below the implement lower link pins or even with the implement's pins, as it is fairly easy to pick up an arm and slide it on an implement.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( With a gear drive tractor moving the tractor from the ground is not an option like a hydrostatic drive )</font>

Eh? I can move all my tractors from the ground ( except one ) by just grabbing those big black rubber things and pushing or pulling a tad.

That goes for up to about 4000 pounds of tractor... now.. the one I can't move rom the ground is the Big Nh 7610s /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Soundguy

 

[Slamfire]

I'm assuming your ground is level enough that you dont need to set the brakes before you push that tractor around. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Eric_Phillips]

Keith,
Thanks for the suggetion to use rollers to move the jointer bed. What I actually did was to tie some ropes around the box and lift it with the FEL. This got it to the ramp I made to go down the stairs. The only problem with my ramp was that I had left a small lip on the top where the plywood came up the stairs and met the piece that hooked the top step so the whole thing would not slide down. I then moved the tractor over a little and tied a rope around the far end of the box so I could lift it. Once I got the end about 4ft off the ground I only needed to lift it about another foot before it would try to slide down the ramp. Everything was working fine until the nylon rope that I was using started to slide through my hands. I knew they made gloves for something, now hopefully I will be smart enough to wear them the next time I do something like this. So then I got it in the door in the basement walked up the stairs and hit my head on the FEL hanging over the stairs. More choice words said. Now I just need to find a way to get the tractor in the basement to lift the jointer bed on to the base. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Eric

 

[trlong]

<font color="blue">(So then I got it in the door in the basement walked up the stairs and hit my head on the FEL hanging over the stairs.) </font>

Eric, please don't tell us that your FEL wasn't completely lowered (no pressure on the hydraulics) when you were coming up from under it and hit your head /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif. If so, please add me to your will /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif.

Seriously though, I hope your head is o.k. and you are not relying on hydraulics to keep implements from dropping on body parts. I'd hate to hear a damage report on you on the "Safety" discussion forum.

Tom

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm assuming your ground is level enough that you dont need to set the brakes before you push that tractor around. )</font>

Florida.

I don't trust tractor brakes. They are more for show than use /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif... If I have to stop on an angle.. tractor gets shut down.. and brakes set.. and left in gear..

Soundguy

 

[trlong]

Soundguy,

Although often not absolutely necessary to have on, that's why I like to keep that RB on. Makes a really nice anchor/brake. Hard for the CUT to go very far with the RB digging in. Otherwise, with the HST, and just the "parking break" I get a really quezzy feeing getting off on much of a slope.

Tom

 

[Eric_Phillips]

The tractor was turned off with parking brake and in gear on the other side of a 4ft wall. Yes the FEL was raised. After burning my hands on the rope then fussing with the box at the bottom of the stairs I had forgotten about the FEL still hanging over the wall. My head is pretty hard so it did not due too much damage. Mostly wondered why I had a tender spot on the back of my head while watching the TDF last night, Go George!

Eric

 

[trlong]

Eric,

Glad you ended up with just a "tender spot".

Work hard, play safe (or is that Play hard, Work safe?),

Tom

 

[KubotaEd]

This time of year the lower links should drop under their own weight. In the winter when it is cold they may not until the transmission oil gets warm. There should be an adjustment somewhere below the seat area of the tractor that you can change to control how fast the links drop under load. If that adustment is set too high then the links will not drop unless there is a load. Play with that ajustment until the links will slowly drop when not under load. Don't go too far or the implement will drop too fast, and be difficult to control.

Ed