Snow New GC1723 Owner - Snowblower Attachment Issue

[rcio7684]

I am a new owner of a GC1723 and am attempting to attach the MF2360 snow blower to the quick hitch, however there doesn't appear to be a way to secure the blower to the hitch as the lever on the hitch won't allow the "pin" that is supposed to fit in the groove of the blower to enter the "slot" connecting the two.

So, I can get the hitch and blower to partially connect, but cannot get the blower and hitch completely fastened and secured.

I have attached 4 photos of the hitch lever (pic #1), the "pin" it controls (pic #2) and the slot on the snow blower (pic #3) it apparently fits into and the hitch & blower. The lever is in the "unlock" position, yet there is not enough space for the pin to slide into the slot on the snowblower.

Any help would be appreciated and a forward thank you!

 

[MF RED in MT]

I am a new owner of a GC1723 and am attempting to attach the MF2360 snow blower to the quick hitch, however there doesn't appear to be a way to secure the blower to the hitch as the lever on the hitch won't allow the "pin" that is supposed to fit in the groove of the blower to enter the "slot" connecting the two.

So, I can get the hitch and blower to partially connect, but cannot get the blower and hitch completely fastened and secured.

I have attached 4 photos of the hitch lever (pic #1), the "pin" it controls (pic #2) and the slot on the snow blower (pic #3) it apparently fits into and the hitch & blower. The lever is in the "unlock" position, yet there is not enough space for the pin to slide into the slot on the snowblower.

Any help would be appreciated and a forward thank you!

View attachment 676471 View attachment 676472 View attachment 676473 View attachment 676475View attachment 676476

You should be able to (without pushing the snowblower onto the quick hitch) move the unlock/lock level to each position and the locking mechanism should be flat to the top of the quick hitch when the lever is in the unlocked position toward the tractor.

And then slide the snowblower over the quick hitch shoe to line up the slot and then lock the snowblower onto the quick hitch by moving the lever toward the snowblower.

Then on mine there's a safety pin on a chain that slides through the locking bar.

It is hard to see in your pictures but it looks like the lever in not far enough toward the tractor to completely unlock the the quick hitch to a flush position that allows the snowblower to slide all the way on.

Maybe someone sees your problem and helps if I was of no help to you?

KC

 

[rcio7684]

Thanks MF Red. The lever will not move towards the tractor any more as it hits the hydraulic hose/fitting.

 

[lpakiz]

Look in your bag of parts and see if you can come up with a 90 degree connector to move that hose out of the way.
And the hose might thank you.......
And on my front mount blower, I had to use a come along for the first 2 years to pull it onto the quick hitch far enough to latch it. It’s really made quite snug and took 2 years of wear to create enough slop to let it go on easily.
I also found it’s easier to hook up the tractor half of the power shaft before mounting the blower, then pull the blower to the quick hitch as I held the PTO shaft straight and in register. Nothing 4 hands can’t do.....

 

[rcio7684]

I guess I will Ipakiz. Could the lever, or hose be out of position as it doesn't make sense how it is hitting the fitting?

 

[ruffdog]

Is it normal for those hoses to be pulled tight like that?

 

[lpakiz]

That hose is not happy the way it is. Using a 90 will allow you to point the hose in the right direction. Actually, both hoses look stressed.
I think if you find the 90, you will at least solve the handle/hose conflict. When I finally got mine configured, I had some hydraulic stuff left over.
If no 90 is available, look somewhere else on the plumbing to see if you can interchange one with a location that doesn’t need one as bad. Worst case, get a couple extra from the dealership. Surplus Center has a great selection, but you really need to know your fittings to get the correct one.

 

[rcio7684]

I took the quick hitch off and checked the lever and how far it pulls the pin down and it will go no farther than what is shown in the photo. I don't know about the hose, seems too tight and I just connected it today for the first time today as the tractor etc are only a month old

 

[lpakiz]

Doubt if this is your problem, as everything looks new and clean, but I’ve had to use a blow gun to remove pea sized rocks from under there. They get pushed in there mixed with the snow, then the snow melts and leaves the rocks up in there.
Also, the lever kinda goes “over center” on mine, so that does take a bit of force. Go easy, tho, the whole locking system isn't that robust.
I love the blower and it’s designed well and built as tough as it ever could be. But the latch mechanism is pretty cheesy and must have been designed by the owners son in law—-on a Friday afternoon.
I am contemplating drilling a hole down through all the layers and dropping a 5/8 pin in there, as a safety retainer.
That 1000 RPM power shaft will get darn wild if the blower were to disengage while I’m pulling snow backwards away from a door.

 

[MF RED in MT]

It's still hard to see your pictures because they are so dark, but it might be that you have the hydraulic cylinder upside down.

Can't tell but it looks like you may have the piston rod connected to the top mount and it should be connected to the bottom mount.

That may give you lever the extra room needed to unlock the quick hitch mechanism.

KC

Edit: Another think to look carefully at is the unlock position/lock position for the lever "decal" just above your serial number on the top of the quick hitch.