New at tractor 3 point hitch

[Farmall50m]

Ok well I left another post in here about a boxblade but I am gonna leave one about 3 point hitch usage.... I am pretty new at operating a tractor. I want to learn as much as I can. I was wondering while using an attatchment, if you have to rasie the arms on the hitch before turning. Some people have told me that I should or I might break my toplink. I want someone with more experience to tell me a little about using a 3 point..

Thanks Jon

 

[art]

Top link I don't think I'd worry about that but the stabilizer arms might get bent tring to pull the wrong machine around a corner if you don't watch out. Most all ground engaging tools need to be raised out of the ground for making turns.

 

[rambler]

Disks, plows, cultivators, and the like you need to lift up before turning (minor course corrections are ok) or you will break the implement or some part of the 3pt.

Implements like a rear blade, York (tine) rake, and such you can leave down.

A box blade I would not want to leave down if you have the teeth engaged into the ground, but for just blading you can leave it down.

--->Paul

 

[cisco]

Whether you leave the accessory down, or raise it off the ground, depends on your task. That said, if your tractor is under a fair amount of stress pulling an implement in a straight line, with stress equalized between the 2 stabilizer (for raising/lowering) bars, you're going to transfer a good portion of such to the outside bar when you make the turn, and if excessive - yeah, you could bend/break something. As to the toplink, it's not usually a problem in turns.
I was trying to conjure up some mega-force with turns, ones usual for farming (which I don't do any more), and pulling a 180 degree turn at the end of discing or plowing a row (by locking the turn side rear wheel with your brake pedal), in order to line up for the next row, you better raise the rear implement or something, sooner or later, is going to break (and it may well be the implement rather than your hitch).
As far as box blading, raking and the like, and as per prior posts, don't worry about turns - not enough stress to hurt anything, at least not on most of the good tractors available today.

 

[PineRidge]

I agree if its cutting into the ground like a plow, box blade with rippers down, or rototiller raise it for turns.

If its a 3-point mower, box blade with rippers up, landscape rake, or the like its OK to make your turns with the implement down.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

One thing not mentioned is flipping the tractor on its side when turning the tractor with ground engaging equipment down such as a plow and taking a sharp turn. While not common, it does happen.