BROKE lower 3 pt hitch ARM !

[goochy]

My lower left ( looking at tractor from rear ) lift arm BROKE !! It is CAST ! I was shocked , it just broke . It broke where the hole is for the lift arm to pin on . I bumped a tree in reverse and it broke . What a bummer , anybody know how much a new arm is ? 801 is stamped on the end of it ? Will post pics later tonight . I think it was cracked before I bought it .

2008 JD 4105

 

[goochy]

Looks like it was broken before ? You can see the NEW break . Still shocked it is cast arms .

 

[bironacad]

Sorry to hear about your lift arm, cast can be brittle. You will not be the first or the last to bump into something that you shouldn't with the tractor so don't be too bummed out. We have a used tractor grave yard that sells parts perhaps you have something like that which is local. On a positive note, it should not be difficult to replace.

 

[goochy]

but , I did not even leave a mark on the tree? It looks like there is no " meat " to the cast part . You can clearly see the new break . Why is it not ALL a new break ?

 

[bironacad]

Hard to tell really from the picture, cast does break. Is the tractor new? Used? How long have you owned it, perhaps there is a history to the part?

 

[goochy]

2008 JD 4105 bought it used with 275 hrs .. I put around 30-35 hrs so far .
In the pics you can see dull metal , then bright cast . So I think its been broken before I got it ?

 

[goochy]

Can you weld cast ?

 

[Cidertom]

ABOUT WELDING:

 

[beenthere]

You might ask a local welder about giving it a try. I'd buy new if me, and chalk it up to experience or another "gotcha".

Did it break at where the lift link clevis pins to the draft link? edit: I see you said that in the OP.

Are you thinking of trying to get the previous owner to replace it?

 

[Cidertom]

Can you weld cast ?

About welding: My information is in regards to a "good" hobby welder. A good professional should be able to weld swiss cheese and have it work.

Get a grinding wheel and see by "sparks" what you are really dealing with. It may be cast iron or cast steel. Look for the different sparks on line and compare to what you see. Lincoln used to publish a good (and cheap!) book on welding that showed the sparks.



If cast iron: Defer to professional or use as a training exercise. Requires good overall heat and a very slow, veryveryslow, veryveryvery slow (did I say patient?) welding approach. Last time I welded a good piece of cast iron, I pre-heated over two coleman gas stoves two hours before the actual welding then took three-four hours to bring the temp back down. Had some one peening the entire time.

If cast steel: Traditional steel arc should work. Use lo-hy rod and keep the weld super clean. Remember to do a good gob cutting a V notch.

I would go looking for a replacement. Welding is possible, but not adviseable. However, being able to do the weld, is a skill that will repay many times. Buy a replacement, then weld the broken one. use the broken one until it breaks then switch.

my $ 0.02

Cidertom