3PT question

[PatriotOutdoors]

I know this is probably a question better suited for trial and error, or the owners manual. I have acces to neither of those things at the moment. so here goes.

Kioti NS4710 - 7 hrs.
3pt is pretty jerky when lifting attachment (new/first tractor). it could be normal. I am not sure so I contact dealer. he says yeah they all jerk a bit. but you can adjust the hydraulic flow to the rear with the knob at the bottom of the chair. now.... this has really piqued my interest as I thought that knob was only for adjusting rate of fall and had NOTHING to do with hydraulics. Furthermore... are there two separate hydraulic systems (rear/front?). I was under the impression that it was a single system (IE - If that knob adjusts flow, wouldn't it stand to reason it would adjust front flow too)?

So does this sound legit to anyone? I'm certainly operating under the mindset that he knows much more about this stuff than I do but if THAT is off it seems like a good reason to reassess that.

TIA.
you guys have been a huge resource already!

 

[ptsg]

There is some confusion going on, hopefully I can help clear some things out.

The knob only adjusts the speed the 3 pt drops, or if fully closed, won't let the 3 pt drop at all. However, it will still let the 3 pt raise at full speed. I won't affect anything else hydraulic on the tractor.

Engine RPM will affect how fast anything hydraulic move on the tractor. So if you idle the engine, the 3 pt will lift slower than at max engine RPM. This may help with the jerkiness operation of the 3 pt.

This knob is probably the most misunderstood control on a tractor, even a lot of dealers don't understand it fully, which I don't see it as a good indicator.

On the separate hydraulic systems, these tractors use two hydraulic gear pumps. A bigger one for the loader, 3pt, remotes, backhoe and a smaller one for the power steering, PTO valve (on some tractors) and to provide charge pressure for the hydrostatic transmission.

This makes for two separate hydraulic systems, however, they still share the same fluid and tank. The tank on most tractors is the entire transmission housing and rear end. The same fluid is used to lubricate everything inside the transmission.

 

[PatriotOutdoors]

OK. so I was correct in my assessment of the knob. You don't find it indicative of anything if the dealer thought otherwise? It's also possible he just figured it was fine/normal and just gave me some busy work to appease my mind. Knowing full well it wouldn't have any affect. I don't know if that's better or worse.

The throttle is a good point that I didn't really think about. is it common practice to lower throttle before raising 3pt? I always turn on tractor, engage PTO, bring up to RPMs, then raise arm (if I'm going to be using cutter). That would be a pain in my sitch since I'm CONSTANTLY raising and lowering cutter, once I get going, on my incredibly uneven patch of dirt.

I do need to give it a try with lower throttle and see what that does.

 

[ptsg]

OK. so I was correct in my assessment of the knob. You don't find it indicative of anything if the dealer thought otherwise? It's also possible he just figured it was fine/normal and just gave me some busy work to appease my mind. Knowing full well it wouldn't have any affect. I don't know if that's better or worse.

The throttle is a good point that I didn't really think about. is it common practice to lower throttle before raising 3pt? I always turn on tractor, engage PTO, bring up to RPMs, then raise arm (if I'm going to be using cutter). That would be a pain in my sitch since I'm CONSTANTLY raising and lowering cutter, once I get going, on my incredibly uneven patch of dirt.

I do need to give it a try with lower throttle and see what that does.

It's not a common practice but depending on the task in hand, it may help. Like attaching implements. While mowing? Yeah, doesn't make sense doing it.

One thing that may help with the jerkiness is loosening the tension on the 3 pt lever a little bit. If it's too tight, one has the tendency to bump the lever which makes it hard to fine tune. With it a little bit looser, it makes for a better experience. Too lose and it will move on it's own, no good.

 

[PatriotOutdoors]

It's not a common practice but depending on the task in hand, it may help. Like attaching implements. While mowing? Yeah, doesn't make sense doing it.

One thing that may help with the jerkiness is loosening the tension on the 3 pt lever a little bit. If it's too tight, one has the tendency to bump the lever which makes it hard to fine tune. With it a little bit looser, it makes for a better experience. Too lose and it will move on it's own, no good.

That's a great tip too. I do find the tension a bit high and honestly didn't realize it was adjustable. Im sure it's in my head as just a function of knowing that it's smooth going down and jerky coming up, but it seems "harder" to get the lever moving upwards than downwards. Definitely worth a try!

I find that lever in an incredibly awkward position to begin with. I wish the draft control lever (which I just found out what the lever was, still don't really understand what it does, and never use) wasn't there so I could actually get my hand on the lift control lever. but whatevs.

 

[Everhard]

Check your manual and set the draft control lever to the "not used" postion. That should put it out of the way I would think? You don't need it unless you're using something like a plow. Some people use it with a box blade.
The 3pt lever shouldn't be so stiff that you really have to grab it with a full fist and yank. Hopefully there's some sort of adjustment if that is the case. You want it stiff enough that it stays put where you set it but not so stiff that you're struggling to move it. Assuming you get that figured out, it's then a learning curve to getting smooth with it.

E.