3-Point Hitch L3400 - L3800 Adjustable Lift Arm....Help!

veresjwv · Jul 17, 2011

Gentlemen and Ladies,
I own a L3400 and completely love it, well...almost. I think the L2800, L3400, 3700 and 3800 may all have the same type adjustable lift arm. More specifically I am talking about the type on my 2009 L3400. It has two tiny handles 180 deg from each other and a brass lock nut above it to lock it in place once adjusted.
My question is how do you adjust it? The tiny handles do not give you enough leverage to turn it when there is weight on it and I usually try to turn it with the box end of a wrench and most of the time I bust my knuckles

Also when using the box blade it actually moves or adjusts itself to a different height, I can't seem to keep it from moving.
Does anyone know how to make it easier to adjust and lock in one position and/or are there any after market arms that will perform better?
Sure would appreciate any help I can get!

Thanks,
Joe

TripleR · Jul 17, 2011

Most of them are really hard to turn under load, so I adjust mine by lowering the implement.

ritschner · Jul 17, 2011

Keeping them greased helps, but the best way is to lower the implement. The Kubota dealer in Marble Falls has a link with a crank handle on the side. It looks like you could even adjust it from the seat. About $160.

kubota2234 · Jul 17, 2011

GET RID OF IT! I have a 2008 L3400 and I felt your pain. I junked it and purchased a new one. DONT GO TO KUBOTA and get it. They are proud of it. Go and get a generic one and modify it to your tractor. Best thing I ever did. Hope this helps

Chilly807 · Jul 17, 2011

I made up a short length of 3/4 rebar with the end drilled out to just slip over the "nubs" on the adjuster. Works quite well.

Sean

MtnViewRanch · Jul 17, 2011

A hydraulic side link is the easiest way, not the cheapest at $250, but it is the easiest.

k0ua · Jul 17, 2011

Well mine never moves on its own, and as I don't box blade I don't need to adjust the side link.. When I have adjusted it of course take the weight off of it. But if I box bladed much and need to angle the blade, you can bet I would invest in the hydraulic top link and tilt both.. life is too short to fight something all the time. its only money (yours

)

James K0UA

ChuckinNH · Jul 19, 2011

Though I have a B2620, I have the same issues with the adjustable lift arm. My threads were paint covered when I got it, and made turning it difficult under any circumstances. Now it works freely, but as you said, it can be a bear with a load on it. With something heavy like a box blade, I set the implement on the ground. I find I can get several "free turns", and then I lift it briefly, and set it down again to gain another several free turns, etc. That has worked pretty well. The more I use the box blade the less time I spend adjusting it, but it still can be a pain some days. The B3030 has a nice ratcheting arm that folds out to give lots of leverage, and I've wondered since these are all Cat 1 hitches with supposedly the same dimensions if it would work on mine, or yours for that matter. A hydraulic top link is on my list of things to save my pennies for in any case.

5030 · Jul 19, 2011

Rule of thumb is you adjust the link with the implement on the ground, always. Even my Cat 2-3 traxtors adjust that way. It was never meant to adjust with a load on it, period.

A hydraulic adjuster is a lazy, poorly informed persons way of circumventing the obvious.

MtnViewRanch · Jul 19, 2011

5030 said:
Rule of thumb is you adjust the link with the implement on the ground, always. Even my Cat 2-3 traxtors adjust that way. It was never meant to adjust with a load on it, period.

A hydraulic adjuster is a lazy, poorly informed persons way of circumventing the obvious.

All I said was that it was the easiest, Am I wrong? :confused3:
Obviously you are supposed to have the implement on the ground to manually adjust the top or side link.

So when one is grading, you are saying that in certain situations you are supposed to get off of the tractor every 10-15 seconds to adjust your hitch to be able to have your blade in the proper position? If you want to be able to adjust an implement in the air, under a load, on the fly, a hydraulic side link is the way to accomplish this. Just about every commercial company that does more than a little grading has hydraulic top and tilt cylinders, but I guess that all of those guys are just lazy.

Having top and tilt cylinders wouldn't have anything to do with getting a job done right and in a timely manor. They are really just for lazy people that don't know what their doing.