BROKE lower 3 pt hitch ARM !

[goochy]

My lower left ( looking at tractor from rear ) lift arm BROKE !! It is CAST ! I was shocked , it just broke . It broke where the hole is for the lift arm to pin on . I bumped a tree in reverse and it broke . What a bummer , anybody know how much a new arm is ? 801 is stamped on the end of it ? Will post pics later tonight . I think it was cracked before I bought it .

2008 JD 4105

 

[goochy]

Looks like it was broken before ? You can see the NEW break . Still shocked it is cast arms .

 

[bironacad]

Sorry to hear about your lift arm, cast can be brittle. You will not be the first or the last to bump into something that you shouldn't with the tractor so don't be too bummed out. We have a used tractor grave yard that sells parts perhaps you have something like that which is local. On a positive note, it should not be difficult to replace.

 

[goochy]

but , I did not even leave a mark on the tree? It looks like there is no " meat " to the cast part . You can clearly see the new break . Why is it not ALL a new break ?

 

[bironacad]

Hard to tell really from the picture, cast does break. Is the tractor new? Used? How long have you owned it, perhaps there is a history to the part?

 

[goochy]

2008 JD 4105 bought it used with 275 hrs .. I put around 30-35 hrs so far .
In the pics you can see dull metal , then bright cast . So I think its been broken before I got it ?

 

[goochy]

Can you weld cast ?

 

[Cidertom]

ABOUT WELDING:

 

[beenthere]

You might ask a local welder about giving it a try. I'd buy new if me, and chalk it up to experience or another "gotcha".

Did it break at where the lift link clevis pins to the draft link? edit: I see you said that in the OP.

Are you thinking of trying to get the previous owner to replace it?

 

[Cidertom]

Can you weld cast ?

About welding: My information is in regards to a "good" hobby welder. A good professional should be able to weld swiss cheese and have it work.

Get a grinding wheel and see by "sparks" what you are really dealing with. It may be cast iron or cast steel. Look for the different sparks on line and compare to what you see. Lincoln used to publish a good (and cheap!) book on welding that showed the sparks.



If cast iron: Defer to professional or use as a training exercise. Requires good overall heat and a very slow, veryveryslow, veryveryvery slow (did I say patient?) welding approach. Last time I welded a good piece of cast iron, I pre-heated over two coleman gas stoves two hours before the actual welding then took three-four hours to bring the temp back down. Had some one peening the entire time.

If cast steel: Traditional steel arc should work. Use lo-hy rod and keep the weld super clean. Remember to do a good gob cutting a V notch.

I would go looking for a replacement. Welding is possible, but not adviseable. However, being able to do the weld, is a skill that will repay many times. Buy a replacement, then weld the broken one. use the broken one until it breaks then switch.

my $ 0.02

Cidertom

 

[Mechanos]

The part was clearly cracked for some time. The corrosion discolored portions of of the failure plane tell that tale. The part was weakened and your latest "bump" finished it off.

 

[k0ua]

Goochy, here are my thoughts. I dont think it is Cast Iron, probably mild steel. You could spark test it if you like on a grinding wheel, Cast Iron has short dull red less than 3 inch sparks Mild steel will have longer, brighter spark with some branching at the tail. I would not try to weld it it back I would buy new. Not that it couldnt be welded, but I dont think it will be all that much (hopefully) and that part can see a lot of stress. I think as you that it was always 1/2 broken and you just finished it off.

James K0UA

 

[SPYDERLK]

That cracking started right at the edges of the hole a while back and stabilized for awhile til it encountered the tree. That is a weak part of the arm and a crack can make it fragile. Holes in a highly stressed cross section like that should have their entrance circumferences radiused to inhibit the formation of cracks. [Cracks like to start from a sharp edge.] It may be a known problem with that part and might be covered on low hr tractors. That looks like cast steel. For probably half the cost of new a good welding shop could fix that one better than new ... a little added reinforcement and elimination of sharp edges by use of a needle scaler to peen them. Check that area on the other one. And if you buy new pay attention to the edges of the hole 1st thing.
Good luck.
larry

 

[goochy]

Thanks for info ! I am going to price it both ways. ( Weld vs New ) I think JD is $280.00 :confused2: for 1 arm !! I also going to call aftermarket compaines. Buying used you never know what ya get , not mad , just disappointed . I am just glad I did NOT break it :laughing:. My wife came outside and looked down in the woods , ( all the small trees and bush GONE ) she said " ITS NOT A BULLDOZER !!!!!

 

[k0ua]

Thanks for info ! I am going to price it both ways. ( Weld vs New ) I think JD is $280.00 :confused2: for 1 arm !! I also going to call aftermarket compaines. Buying used you never know what ya get , not mad , just disappointed . I am just glad I did NOT break it :laughing:. My wife came outside and looked down in the woods , ( all the small trees and bush GONE ) she said " ITS NOT A BULLDOZER !!!!!

Geez.. $280?... I think I would try to weld it! I was thinking $60 or something like that.:confused2:

 

[Cidertom]

Geez.. $280?... I think I would try to weld it! I was thinking $60 or something like that.:confused2:

If I was doing it in my shop, it would be at least $180. with no warranty.

One thing most of us ignore or are unaware of: 3 point arms are designed to be used only in tension (pulling). Using them in compression stresses them in directions they were never made to sustain.

 

[beenthere]

We haven't heard from the OP if this arm was attached to something mounted on the 3ph when it hit the tree and broke. I'm thinking it broke in bending (flat-wise) when an un-attached end of the draft arm hit the tree.
This arm may have been bent before and straightened (causing the apparent stress cracks).

I would buy the new arm and go on with life.
But would still check with a Deere dealer to see if there is any chance of warranty (which I would doubt because of buying from another party).

Wish you well.

 

[dcyrilc]

......... she said " ITS NOT A BULLDOZER !!!!!

It's not???

 

[goochy]

I had my angled grader blade on it . On my old Ford 3000 , I did BREAK stuff by pushing stuff back with box blade . but with this new tractor and angle blade , I just use the ft end loader to push stuff . ( not the rear blade ) . I think it was a old break , so buy new and move on . Thanks for pricing and info on welding .

 

[hosspuller]

The shape of the "old" cracked section is typical of a fatigue break. The failure starts at a point and slowly propagates. Then the weakened part breaks completely.