3-Point Hitch Broken lever for raising/lowering....

[jjweiland]

Hello,

My first post and thank you for this site.

I have an F15D that has been a super-reliable unit. From day 1, I was concerned about the lever that raises and lowers the 3-pt hitch. The metal bar comprising the lever has a gap/groove that accommodated the slider for assisting in height control of the lever. That gap made the lever a bit weaker however and from age and use, a weak point occurred right about where the lever passes through the tractor housing. Finally, the lever broke off altogether just below the housing.

As you follow the remainder of the lever back down to the shaft that it operates, you can see that the lever is attached to a small metal 'hub' via two...what?....screws?...rivets? This is where I am stuck...the two pins holding the lever onto the hub have no "head"....no torx, hex, or other kind of groove for tool use to remove them. I would like to be able to remove the broken lever and bring the two halves into a machine shop either for re-welding or for fabrication from new metal.

Any thoughts or information would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[clemsonfor]

Picture would help here.

 

[winston1]

I would suspect the lever will have to be removed including what you are calling the hub. Clemsonfor is right, need a picture or pictures.

 

[jjweiland]

Some photos added.

 

[void777]

Welcome to TBN

 

[winston1]

Great pictures. Looks just like the FX24D setup. The hub is part of the handle and will have to come off with it. I would consider removing the fender and making the repairs on board. Assuming the piece the levers slide in will not come off the fender?

Or maybe fab an offset handle that could be attached. Might have to cut a little off the top of the existing one to do that. Just another wild idea.

 

[WYdirt]

Welcome!!! I agree with Winston, looks like you would be removing said fender anyway to grind those rivets? off. Should be able to bend some stock steel and weld/ bolt it over the existing handle without the hassle of grinding the other off. Just make a bend so that it cradles the old one & it should come through the grate fine.

 

[California]

Agree, shortening that one then scabbing (laminating) another lever to it to come up through the slot, would be the easiest repair. Or buy the original used part if you can find it.

This illustrates how the added complexity of the later Yanmars 'advanced' them away from something an owner could maintain with little more than a crescent wrench and screwdriver.

I broke off the lever on my first YM186D at its base. I found a careless factory weld there had eroded most of its thickness then my leaning against the lever when turning, snapped it off. There is no slot to stabilize it, rather the up/down limits are adjusted farther back in the linkage. Hoye diagram. I welded it back together stronger than the original weld without removing anything.

The YM240 would be nearly as easy to repair. photo.

I've been tempted at times to buy a later Yanmar, then realize for me the old simple ones are better suited to my skills.

 

[clemsonfor]

yea, those are rivets and you will have to grind them off to make this repair. Then you can slip a new one in there , weld the new one or have something new fabbed up and installed in its place.

If a regular angle grinder wont fit you may have to get creative, dremel with cutting disk, dremel with remote handle on it, one of those vibrating tools with a metal blade...whatever you can get in there.

 

[jjweiland]

Thanks for these responses.....that is exactly the information I needed. Knowing that the rivets can't be removed easily and that I want a quick and easy fix, I will probably go with the suggestions to cut the tip-end off the remaining lever with a grinding tool, drill new holes in the lever for small bolts, and bolt a new makeshift lever onto that stub that will emerge through the slot. This should be sufficient until it is sold someday, but it's such a hardy little tractor I'm loathe to get rid of it anytime soon.

Thanks again for timely and expert advice....and the diagrams!

 

[PILOON]

Heck a redneck repair would be easy.
Get some flat stock that duplicates the remaining lever, overlap as much as possible and drill 2 holes and clamp them together and bolt tight.
Re attach the knob and be good to go.

Best part is no disassembly is involved.

 

[jjweiland]

Finally got done with this 3-pt hitch control lever fix. Went the Redneck route, but a bit different than most. Could not find a piece of metal laying about for the job, but decided to use a flat-iron crow bar as a replacement was less than $4.00 USD.

The photos are attached. I used a cut-off wheel on a 4 inch grinder to cut off the previous break and then just drilled two holes as suggested. The crowbar was cut and bent to fit. Works great!.....It's not OEM, but hey.... Thanks for the help!

 

[winston1]

great fix :thumbsup:, looks almost original.

 

[radioman]

that crowbar will never break.. good fix!

 

[normde2001]

Home Depot has the flat stock, (1/4"x1") that you need to make it look original, especially with your 4" grinder to grind/cut to fit original knob.

 

[clemsonfor]

I bet that stuff is more than $4!!

I almost have a heart attack everytime I see what HD or Lowes charges for metal.

 

[sandman2234]

I would seriously consider grinding off the end of that crowbar, to a more comfortable feeling end, in the case that you hit a bunch of bumps and it decides that your leg or pants is the place it wants to poke into. Other than that, nice work!
David from jax

 

[PILOON]

I bet that stuff is more than $4!!

I almost have a heart attack everytime I see what HD or Lowes charges for metal.

Yep, sure agree but not everyone has a steel supplier nearby and at that they even have some dimensions that my local steel warehouse does not carry.
One example being the cold rolled rods.
Then the big guys always want you to buy 20 ft lengths or add cutting fees etc.

In a previous business I needed aircraft grade aluminum in various grades and thicknesses as well ad 4130 tubing , again varied sizes and gauges.
That was a nightmare!

Face it, there is no such thing as a metal hobby supply retail industry.

 

[normde2001]

I bet that stuff is more than $4!!

I almost have a heart attack everytime I see what HD or Lowes charges for metal.

You're right. A 36" piece of that is about $7.

 

[4get gto]

Good fix. And seconds for a bottle opener too!