Boomer - 3 pt lever sticking

[Boomer33]

I wanted to thank you all for this post! I did my TC33D this weekend and am very pleased with the results. It took forever to remove the cotter, but it was worth it! The castellated nut turns easily with a 7/8 open end wrench and only 1/2 of a full turn made all the difference in the world. I did not use any lubricant since it moved smoothly without it. Thanks again guys!

 

[Fly_Rodr]

I will have to try this also. Just used 3PT for the first time and its way to stiff.

 

[Mosey]

"It took forever to remove the cotter"

I was wondering about that part. How long did it take to do the whole job? Would it have saved time to remove the rear tire first? I'm guessing it would only take about 5 minutes to remove the tire, then maybe another 10 to put it back on. Once the tire is off, it should be real quick and easy to make the adjustment though. So, which would be faster overall?

 

[bnixon]

Mosey,

When I did mine it only took about 15 minutes or so.

It would definately make taking the pin out easier without the rear tire on but I don't think the effort would be worth it for this adjustment.

You just have to play with the lever to get it in a position that you can get the pin out.

 

[Boomer33]

Mosey: It would have been much faster to remove the rear wheel. You can only work with one hand when the wheel is in place, but you don't realize that untill your half way through bending, straightening, tapping and pulling with one (right) hand! I would not try to remove a rear tire that was "loaded" by myself though. Once the cotter is out, it took 10 minutes tops to adjust the nut to give the right "feel". I also used a "hair pin" type of pin to secure the nut in position in case I wanted to make future adjustments. I'll bet I strugglrd for 45 min. with the cotter. If your tires are not loaded, TAKE THE WHEEL OFF!

 

[jtn]

I just did the fix on my TC45D last night. I got easier access by remobing the right 3pt lift arm. Just take the linch pin at the top of the rock shaft out and slide the lift eye off.

As for getting the cotter pin off, I used a screw driver to get it bent somewhat back into shape and then finished with needle nose pliers. I found it too difficult to turn the nut with a wrench due to clearence reasons so I held the wrench on the nut and turned the shaft by working the 3pt lever (went backwards the first time!).

I also put the cotter pin in the opposite way it came for easy future removal, just in case.

JT

 

[djradz]

I suggest moving the lever so the pin is somewhat visible, use a needle-nose pliers to bend and straighten the pin, then pull it out. on my 40D I didn't remove anything although I think I lowered the lower 3-pt arm so it was out of the way. For me, pulling that wheel would have added another 20 minutes or so to the job by the time I jacked the tractor up, loosened all the bolts, pulled the wheel, did the fix, and then put it all back and lowered the tractor and removed the jack.

 

[Boomer33]

Well I had the chance to use the 3pt today. My neighbor lost an apple tree in a storm and after sectioning it, I put the boom pole on the hitch to cart the sections to a burn pile we have working. It worked flawlessly! Very smooth up & down without and "jerky" motions like I had while unloading a snow plow blade from the rear of a pickup! That was embarrassing! I can't stress enough the need to make this adjustment. Just wanted to share,
Arthur

 

[MikePA]

A few questions about this procedure...

Never mind /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif, I just loosened the 3ph lever on my TC25D. Wish I would have had something other than another cotter pin to put back in. But then again, this shouldn't be something you do on a recurring basis.

I used;
1. A screwdriver to open up the cotter pin.
2. A pair of needle nose Vice Grip pliers to squeeze the cotter pin 'legs' back together and to pull the pin out.
3. An adjustable wrench to loosen the nut.

Note - Don't forget to move the 3ph lever to make sure the cotter pin is in the best postion for each operation.

For those who have done this, have you had trouble with the lever moving on its own due to bouncing up and down of the tractor over rough ground?

 

[bnixon]

I have not had any problems with the lever moving from vibrations at all. I put it through a very rigurous workout yesterday on some very rough terrain with no problems.