Height Indicator for 3PT (Quick) Hitch

[WranglerX]

Anybody have a mechanical or electronic height indicator for 3 point hitch.... Thinking it might be good when using rotary mower with 3 PT since tractor does not have lockable control for three point and it may be easier to set 3PT to correct height with out always getting off tractor and using gauge block or ruler....

Sort of brainstorming something at this point and looking for ideas... Made mechanical FEL bucket level indicator, and was thinking something similar for height on rear 3PT.... But electronic with an indicator up front (on dash) seems like good idea so one is not always having to swivel in seat or look over shoulder to see indicator...

Dale

 

[XSKIER]

Use a tractor with position control on the three point hitch. Like this:

Google Image Result for https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ublsJIgGo_U/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[WranglerX]

Would be nice except my tractor is red not green and does not have that capabilities....

Dale

 

[Fallon]

Run a chain from the lift arms to the topline. Chain will prevent the arms from going any lower than your desired height. Might run into clearance issues with the PTO shaft on smaller machines.

 

[Xfaxman]

Anybody have a mechanical or electronic height indicator for 3 point hitch.... Thinking it might be good when using rotary mower with 3 PT since tractor does not have lockable control for three point and it may be easier to set 3PT to correct height with out always getting off tractor and using gauge block or ruler....

Sort of brainstorming something at this point and looking for ideas... Made mechanical FEL bucket level indicator, and was thinking something similar for height on rear 3PT.... But electronic with an indicator up front (on dash) seems like good idea so one is not always having to swivel in seat or look over shoulder to see indicator...

Dale

Yep, comes standard on the Toolcat and visible in the rear view mirror:

Zoomed:

 

[kthompson]

Why not use height wheels as on finishing mowers? Rough cut mowers have them on rear of mower. Should not be hard to add to front corners of rough cut mower.

But does your tractor not have position control lift on it? Where you can set the height of the lift and it remains.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Why not use height wheels as on finishing mowers? Rough cut mowers have them on rear of mower. Should not be hard to add to front corners of rough cut mower.

But does your tractor not have position control lift on it? Where you can set the height of the lift and it remains.

Mine has height control, but it will slowly droop unless I remember to lock the needle valve under the seat. And I won't remember. Makes a clatter when the stump grinder really digs in!

 

[WranglerX]

Tractor is MF 1715 (sub compact) and only has up/down control, no position locks of any sort....

The concept I'm looking for is sort of along lines as Xfatman suggests on Toolkat...

Height is stable once I set it, but in some areas on property I may want to lift mow deck for maneuvering and then get it back to desired height with out getting off tractor and measuring it....

Noticed the height gauge for mow deck blade to ground measurement that JD and Oregon puts out and kind of thought if it were mounted on fender and with link to 3 point hitch arm it might work as indicator... On Oregon unit it seems to have movable pointer (reference) and swivel pointer (forget the numbers) and just set up height on flat ground and put reference pointer at correct setting and movable pointer should point to reference pointer when 3PT is at correct height... Or is this all to simple...



Dale

 

[WranglerX]

Why not use height wheels as on finishing mowers? Rough cut mowers have them on rear of mower. Should not be hard to add to front corners of rough cut mower.

But does your tractor not have position control lift on it? Where you can set the height of the lift and it remains.

Will have to think about that, had not crossed my mind before... With that concept I could forgo rigid top link and use chain for lift and just let mower ride on wheels...

Dale

 

[npalen]

xfaxmans indicator on the Toolkat is something that would be fairly easy to retrofit to a 3PH. Lots of farm tillage equipment such as discs and cultivators use similar setups to let the operator know when the desired height is set. It's really not that different from a FEL bucket level indicator when you think about it. Just add some identifying marks and letters.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ital-readout-3ph-top-cylinder.html?highlight=
This is an electronic indicator that I fabbed several years ago for the top link cylinder. Also fabbed something similar but using a "yardstick type scale" mounted on the cylinder.

There are cylinders on the market that use an internal transducer to send a stroke position signal to an external readout.

SIKO SGH1 - Stroke Measurement in Hydraulic Cylinders / Position Feedback Sensor - YouTube
This is an interesting type that I had not seen previously.

 

[herringchoker]

I also have a tractor with no position control and I wrestled with the same problem as the OP. My solution is the "Poor Man's Position Control" as described in the first post of this thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ch.html?highlight=poor+man's+position+control

It works very well.

 

[Xfaxman]

Yep, check chains are what the OP needs:

Pictures from an image search

 

[WranglerX]

Hmmm.... The DRO concept is pretty much along lines of what I had in mind.... Seems it would be simple to set implement at desired height, and "zero" indicator and it would tell me if to high or to low by plus/minus on read out when changing height....

Funny my brain was thinking along DRO line but never quiet "connected" the machine tool with the tractor.... May have winner here...

Dale

 

[WranglerX]

Yep, check chains are what the OP needs:
View attachment 552206 View attachment 552201

View attachment 552202 View attachment 552203


Pictures from an image search

Another concept I had not thought of... So simple too....

Dale

 

[mbu]

Use a tractor with position control on the three point hitch. Like this:

Google Image Result for https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ublsJIgGo_U/maxresdefault.jpg

Sheesh - a bolt with a clamp and John Deere is calling that a "Hitch Position Controller"! Pretty lame!

 

[TheMan419]

Chains are the easy solution. You can raise mower when needed and then lower away. Chains will prevent it from going too low. Also will prevent the “droop” even if using position control. Might have to bolt on or weld on a loop or hook or such in the right places.

 

[npalen]

Hmmm.... The DRO concept is pretty much along lines of what I had in mind.... Seems it would be simple to set implement at desired height, and "zero" indicator and it would tell me if to high or to low by plus/minus on read out when changing height....

Funny my brain was thinking along DRO line but never quiet "connected" the machine tool with the tractor.... May have winner here...

Dale

DRO's (DigitalReadOut), which showed machine tool axis positions, were the best thing since sliced bread for machinists when they started showing up back in the late 60's. The early ones used "nixie tube" readouts which I believe was a series of vacuum tubes with shaped wires inside to display one of the numerals zero to nine.
Prior to that it was mostly micrometer machine dials and rods and Bridgeport had the optical readout which required paper and pencil computations to establish positions.

Edit: 24" Digital Readout DRO Large LCD Readout Scale for Bridgeport Mill Lathe | eBay

Just an example of what cost thousands of dollars fifty years ago.

 

[WranglerX]

Sort of changed direction in though process.... Think "Check Chains" may be simplest solution after experimenting with 3PH and getting better understanding how it works....... Only thing now is what are brackets check chains lock into called and where to acquire them...





Also found a "kit".... But I have lots of chain and "stuff"... Just not the nice looking (keyhole) backets...

873-159335 MOWER DECK STABILIZER KIT - Quality Farm Supply


Dale

 

[Xfaxman]

I couldn't find any Keyhole or Banjo Eye brackets for sale either.

Found a complete kit on eBay: Mower Deck Stabilizer Kit | eBay

Also found a diagram showing how it hooks up:

 

[WranglerX]

Pretty much what I found also... Got to laugh at one seller (on e-bay) $28 for kit with $33 for shipping?????? ... Also found kit for $30 and $12 for shipping like you found...

Rotary Cutter Mower Deck Stabilizer Kit. Bush Hog, Land Pride, Servis-Rhino, + | eBay

Would seem someplace just the brackets are available, would have thought it would be a common chain accessory....... All the kit sellers use same picture, probably one kit design from China....

Dale