3pt Hitch will not raise on Satoh ST1440

[Sweetheart]

We have a Satoh ST1440....told its the same as a 373 BeaverIII. Its been parked a few months and went to use it and the 3pt hitch will not go up or down. Changed the hydraullic fluid and still nothing. Can someone please help? I despretely need help on this as my husband was diagnosed with cancer in March and is to confussed from medications to help me, so I'm pretty much on my own on this. Thank you.

 

[TedLaRue]

Does the tractor have auxiliary hydraulic connections in the back? And if so, is the hose connected to the other fitting to make a loop? In other words, is the auxiliary out connected to the auxiliary in? If not, that could prevent your hitch from getting any fluid.

 

[bruceatlam]

What position is the hitch in --- full up, full down or somewhere in between??

I'm not familiar with that tractor, but you probably also have a valve that you can turn to adjust the rate at which the 3 point decends. It is possible to "close" that valve such that the 3 point won't go down. If it also happens that the hitch is "full up" when that valve is closed, it may appear that the hitch is not working when in fact the only problem may be that the rate adjusting valve has been closed --- look under the seat for the valve.

 

[crashz]

I wish the best for you both!

As the poster above mentioned, look for a valve, most likely a turn type knob that will slow or stop the 3 pt hitch decent rate. Mine is right below the seat and that location seems common on many tractors.

If I recall correctly, the control knob on my machine will slow all hydraulic flow to the 3 pt hitch, so when its fully closed my hitch won't move up or down. Yours could be similar. Once you find the the control knob, try opening it fully (turn in the fast direction) and then try the 3 pt hitch controls. It may operate too fast, but you can adjust the speed once you have it working again.

Does your machine have a loader? Does the loader work correctly?

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Sweetheart]

Thank you! I will give this a try. The 3pt hitch is all the way down near ground. It doesn't have a bucket or auxillary hydraulics. Thanks again.