box blade adjustment?

[WiJC]

...yet another newbie question.

i have a 60" landpride box blade attached to the tractor. it has been there since the tractor was delivered. i have used it a few times, but until now had no reasont to mess with the setup.

i was going to tilt it forward so the scarficers will dig more before the blade starts pulling dirt around. (i have 700 seedlings coming later this week and thought i could rip a single line at a time with 1 scarficer down so i could just drop the seedlings in and stamp it shut)

after looking at the blade and how it is attached i figured i just needed to turn the top link to shorten it. so i tried that. i can barely turn it...even with the help of a pipe for better leverage. then i figured if i had the blade part resting on something the front may have less pressure on it so it would maybe turn easier.

i placed a log under the blade and dropped it down. this didnt make it turn any easier.

so...is it because it is new? should it be this tough to turn/adjust? what am i missing?

i also shot some grease in it and that did not change things either.

thanks
John

 

[AndyMA]

I think you've got the right idea with the log under the blade to help tilt it forward. Don't let too much weight down on it. When my 17 year old top link that has been outside most of the time gets tough to turn, I use WD40 and spray grease. To turn it I use a 18" crescent wrench- not the wrench end but the back end with the hole over the pin and the flat side laying on the top link. If you still can't turn it, disconnect it and turn it through it's range. A wire brush will be of help also on the threads.

Andy

 

[Bird]

Like AndyMA said, if you have it lifted, or if it have it all the way down, you have pressure on those threads and that makes it harder to turn. If you disconnect the top link, lubricate it, and run it in and out a time or two, it would turn pretty freely. If not, you have some other problem, like corrosion maybe? I also learned by experience long ago that if it's unscrewed to its full length and you pump it full of grease at the grease zerks, it may be hard to screw back to shorten it because it has to force a lot of grease out through the threads. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif So too much grease can be almost as bad as too little.

 

[chucko]

I have found that if I let mine all the way down I can un-pin the top link adjust it and the move the tactor a little untill the blade rotates and I can get the pin back in the top link.

infact with the blade on the ground most of the time just moving the tractor forward a little will take the presure off the link and I can turn it

 

[CTyler]

Its' been said but you need to get the pressure off of it. If you can slide the top link pin in/out easy then the pressure is off your top link. It should turn relatively easy after that.

 

[B8FISH]

Well, on my top link, there is a nut that needs to be loosened before you can adjust the top link (like a stop nut), you don't need to loosen it to make the top link longer, but you do need to loosen it to make it shorter. Seems simple, but who knows, maybe it will help. (Mine was all painted together, so it looked like one piece, when it was really two separate ones)

 

[chucko]

I find myself making lots of small adjustments when I use my BB (maybe it is just me) but I keep that lock nut run all the way down out of the way

 

[DaGoatMan]

I would agree that it sounds like either there is too much pressure on the top link to allow it to operate smoothly or the lock nut may be causing you trouble. The top link full of grease also sounds like a likely cause. If all else fails... maybe you got a top link that was not threaded properly. Hope you find the trouble.

 

[rdln]

if it is new it shouldn't be rusted, put your FEL on the ground and tilt the bucket slightly down to raise front end of tractor which will relieve pressure from the toplink if it is too short or raise 3ph if it is too long.

Try to add something on the lowered tine to increase the furrow width, without anything but the scarifer, your furrow might be too narrow.

 

[WiJC]

it appears that once again the vast knowledge of the TBNers has given me a few things to look at more closely and/or try when i get home tonight. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

thanks for the info.

John

 

[PineRidge]

I would take that nasty top link off and add top & tilt. Works best with a box blade anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Laminarman]

In response to loosening agents, try PB Blaster, much better than WD40 at loosening stuff. Better penetration. Available at NAPA auto parts and other hardware places.

 

[WiJC]

out of curiosity...what would a top n tilt run me?

..as it turns out all i needed to do was get that nut out of the way. the way everything was painted and lined up...i had to get about 6" away from the darn thing before i could actually tell it was a separate nut and not just all 1 piece.

thanks again for the info.
John

 

[MadReferee]

<font color="red"> out of curiosity...what would a top n tilt run me?
</font> <font color="black">

A Terrain Contour Control (TCC) TNT setup from Integration Engineering would run you about $1200. Check out Integration Engineering . Several TBNers have them.