3-Point Hitch How much can the 3pt link hold?

[MrChris]

I know the 3215 series brochure says that I can lift 2600# with my 3 pt but honestly, how much am I able to lift and carry around safely? I have a FL to help balance out the rear weight.

 

[Sergei]

What are you trying to carry or hook up to your 3pt system?

 

[texasjohn]

Pounds are not the only measure.... how far beyond the 3ph pins they are matters, too. The hydraulics will either lift it or the relief valve will pop and no lift occur. Weight on front is good to balance.

Welcome to TBN... suggest expanding your personal information so we know a little more about what you are seeking to do ... it helps when answering.

 

[Sergei]

Checking my manual which also covers the 3215 the lifting capacity is measured at 24" behind lift point for this series tractor, my 2815 has a 1720 lb capacity. Checking his profile and picture I'm guessing he may be looking at mowers or blades, nice looking property....no weeds. I would say if the tractor will lift the implement and in the case of mowers and blades and it covers the width of the tires then he should be OK.
But,whatever MrChris is wanting to do, it will come down to the tractors weight, horsepower and three point hitch capacity and hopefully it's not the size of his tractor.

And also welcome to TBN

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I know the 3215 series brochure says that I can lift 2600# with my 3 pt but honestly, how much am I able to lift and carry around safely? I have a FL to help balance out the rear weight.

You asked what you can carry safely. You should be able to carry the rated weight safely.

But as has been stated there are variables. If the capacity is rated at 24" behind the 3pt ball eyes, but your implement is something like a rotary cutter which might be hanging as far as 6' or more behind the ball eyes, then you would not be able to pick up a 2600 pound rotary cutter. In fact you'd probably be limited to something that is at least 60-to-70% less than the capacity so 1300# of a rotary cutter would probably be a struggle. But a flail mower or tiller, which hangs much closer to the tractor, if you found one of the same weight, would be easy to lift.

Think of your childhood school yard. There was a toy called a see-saw (or teeter-taughter). It was a board that had a pivot in the middle. If a big kid sat on one end and a little kid sat on the other then the little kid couldn't touch the ground. But if the big kid sits closer to the fulcrum point then the little kid and the big kid are in balance and the the little kid & big kid balance. If the big kid gets even closer to the fulcrum point, then the little kid can lift the big kid.

Implements work in a smiliar way. Weight is a partial factor, but how far forward or back the weight is carried is a big factor. Hydraulic pressure capacity is another factor.

 

[skipmarcy]

The ratings on hitches are usually measured at the lifting point, which would be the lift arms. The further the weight is from this point, the less you can carry because of the leverage factor, so it depends on the implement and where the weight is located on it. The only sure way to know if your tractor can handle the implement would be to hook it up and see how your tractor handles with it attached. If the hitch picks it up OK, see how the tractor drives - you can always grab a bucket of dirt to get a little ballast back on the front for better steering and traction.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I know the 3215 series brochure says that I can lift 2600# with my 3 pt but honestly, how much am I able to lift and carry around safely? I have a FL to help balance out the rear weight.

Since, with a 3pt linkage, the implement does not pivot wrt the tractor as it is raised, you will be able to lift the 2600# regardless of how far back it sits. Thats assuming your front wheels stay down. If the Center of Mass of the implement is more than 24" behind the eyes it apparently exceeds your tractors margin for mobile safety. Weight in the FEL should allow you to handle a COM a little further back if you drive carefully.
larry

 

[Sergei]

As I stated in a previous thread the manual for the 15 series tractor (2815 & 3215 both have a limit of 1720lbs not 2600lbs per manual. Trying to lift an additional 880lbs at the 3 pt probably is not the safest thing to do, something is going to give and possibly someone could be hurt. If he needs to lift 2600lbs then he needs a bigger tractor. All I can say is if he tries to lift 2600 lbs he could be over the limit for this tractor, the 3215 weight is only 2566lbs without the FEL. The manual states the maximum operating weight is front 3086lbs, rear 3086 for a total of 5070lbs.
Adding a 3710 backhoe per web page only adds 952lbs with 12" bucket.

Let me update this, after checking the web page it states lift capacity as 2645lbs and a tractor weight of 2544 w/o FEL. The two don't agree....Even with this it seems really marginal. Maybe I'm wrong!

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The ratings on hitches are usually measured at the lifting point

Skip, some brands measure capacity at 24" behind the 3pt, some do not. I believe you are correct that Mahindra rates at the ball eyes on their website and their brochures.

As I stated in a previous thread the manual for the 15 series tractor (2815 & 3215 both have a limit of 1720lbs not 2600lbs per manual.

As per what skipmarcy wrote, marketing materials list the "ball eye" specifications so it is likely that the lifting capacity is 2600# at the ball eyes. If the capacity at 24" behind the ball eyes is 1720# then that would correspond with the normal calculations that make the capacity correction by deducting roughly 33% from the ball eye capacity to determine the 24" aft capacity.

(2600# x 0.66 = 1716#)

Since, with a 3pt linkage, the implement does not pivot wrt the tractor as it is raised, you will be able to lift the 2600# regardless of how far back it sits. Thats assuming your front wheels stay down.

I respectfully disagree with your interpretation. If I understand you correctly you would suggest that if we clamped the front wheels of the tractor down to the ground then the tractor would lift its maximum capacity at both the "ball eyes" and also at any (reasonable) distance behind the ball eyes. However, when reading manuals and operating tractors, all evidence suggests that is simply not the case. The farther away from the 'pivot point' the lower the usable capacity; this is true with both front end loaders and 3pt hitch capacities.

It is not a matter of balance it is an issue of leverage and hydraulic pressures. The farther away from the pivot point the greater the pressure the load exerts on the hydraulic system due to the principles of leverage. Therefore a 1000# load at the pivot point will exert 1000#, but a 1000# load at 24" away from the pivot point will exert roughly 33% more pressure at the pivot point. So if the hydraulic system can only manage 1000# of pressure, then it could not lift a load that exerted 1333# pounds of pressure because the principles of leverage allowed for a multiplication of the effective weight.

If the Center of Mass of the implement is more than 24" behind the eyes it apparently exceeds your tractors margin for mobile safety.

My understanding is that the 24" measurement point has nothing to do with any tractor's margin for mobile safety. It has only to do with the lifting capacity of the machine. All tractors require proper balance (in the form of appropriately placed ballast) to safely lift any load, but the listed capacities on data sheets would not be suggesting that the mass is in the wrong location for safe movement of the machine. JMO

 

[SPYDERLK]

Originally Posted by SPYDERLK
Since, with a 3pt linkage, the implement does not pivot wrt the tractor as it is raised, you will be able to lift the 2600# regardless of how far back it sits. Thats assuming your front wheels stay down.

I respectfully disagree with your interpretation. If I understand you correctly you would suggest that if we clamped the front wheels of the tractor down to the ground then the tractor would lift its maximum capacity at both the "ball eyes" and also at any (reasonable) distance behind the ball eyes. However, when reading manuals and operating tractors, all evidence suggests that is simply not the case. The farther away from the 'pivot point' the lower the usable capacity; this is true with both front end loaders and 3pt hitch capacities.

Bob, the loader and the 3ph lift differently. The 3pt lift hydraulics drive a parallelogram linkage. This prevents the implement from acting in a way that would apply downward torque to the arms. The torque is applied directly to the tractor frame as tension in the top link and compression in the lift arms. These forces do not react against the lift force. The situation due to an implement sitting far back from the lift eyes increases the torque borne by the tractor frame tho, and if too much too far back it will pivot the tractor around its rear axle.

Try this to feel what Im saying.

• 
  Hold a lightweight bar horizontal in your hand with your arm vertically down
  Put a weight on the bar next to your hand and lift the bar straight vertically
  Now lock your wrist and do the lift with the weight further out on the bar
  You will feel the torque trying to swing your arm, but I think you will notice that the actual vertical lift force did not increase.

Your muscles are all connected thru your bones so its a lot harder to maintain isolation of the forces. The hydraulic muscle is pretty well isolated on a 3ph. Not perfectly - - its not a perfect //gram linkage.

Another experiment; if you have a boom pole try lifting it yourself [maybe with a friend] at the eyes while attached, and then way out at the end. I agree that intuition would say it will be a cinch out at the end. Is it?
Have fun.
larry