JD4300 problem

[EChris]

I own a pecan orchard in Louisiana and bought a JD4300 last month to bush hog it. Believe it or not, a 70 year old woman owned it only to carry hay to the horses in her pasture.
Less than 200 hours and in mint condition. Paid $8000.
I bush hogged for 6 hours and found the lever that raises the 3 point hitch became harder to move. After 9 hours it's bent with extremely limited travel.
I called a JD dealer who said he never heard of it before and would have to take off the tire and fender to diagnose it.
Before that happens I thought I'd ask here if anybody has experienced the same type problem. (crossing fingers)

 

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum.
I haven't had any such problem with my 4300. However, I suspect there is an adjustment on a friction disk that the lever runs in, that probably could use some WD-40 or equivalent. (Maybe to get at it the fender needs to come off, but you can decide if that is something you want to tackle).

(Edited to update with my next post)

 

[beenthere]

To add to my previous post, I looked up the 'adjustment' (or lack of, as I found out) for the control arm on the 3pt lift of the 4300 (looked it up on the CD that includes adjustment, repair, etc. for the 4000 CUT's).

I found that the control arm is 'adjusted' for stiffness using 4 'bellville' washers, not a 'friction' disk as I had thought. So I would get to those 'belleville' washers and get some WD-40 on them and see if that is where the bind is coming from. They are located near where the control arm is attached and pivots (hard to describe, but should be intuitive).

If desired, I can try to attach a picture of their location.

 

[stuart]

I have a 4300 and have never had this problem nor have I heard of it in any of the forums. Let us know what you find out.

 

[Dutch445]

If the woman who used the tractor before you rarely used the 3ph, the shaft that the control lever attaches to could be siezing up. I believe that shaft runs across the top of the transmission, and there are a few places where it could become corroded or freeze up with no usage or lubrication. I have seen that in a couple tractors that were not used much. Once the shaft was frozen, maybe then the control lever has bent and won't allow enough movement of the lever. It may not need the wheel and fender removed, but the seat would be helpful to see what's going on.
Good luck

 

[JeffSpencer]

I had a similar problem with my 4200. First check to see if someone has tightened the 3 point lower/raise adjustment speed knob. If so, loosen it up a bit. If not, take the seat off and lubricate the lifting mechanism at the body.