Posthole Digger John Deere 3020 three point hitch

jimoxdrover · Apr 11, 2014

I cannot get the three point hitch to go down = the one lever on the dash is stuck - how do I fix?

pmsmechanic · Apr 11, 2014

Long story short, you buy a new cable and replace it.

jimoxdrover · Apr 12, 2014

pmsmechanic said:
Long story short, you buy a new cable and replace it.

I took most all of the dash and other parts off this morning - it appears to be a bigger job than I thought.
Saw a cable on e-bay for $85.00 Is there any way to find directions for changing cable - I have ordered
a service manual. Thanks much for your answer.

pmsmechanic · Apr 13, 2014

I have more time for a longer response now. The cable goes from under the dash on the left side under the floor board that's over the battery's and the transmission to the right side where under some hydraulic lines it moves a small lever that goes into the three point hitch housing over the transmission. I'm pretty sure the problem is your cable but if oyu want to check take the pin out on the lever that goes into the three point hitch housing and move it. If you can get the three point to rise and fall with that small lever then the cable is for sure at fault. It's more of a time consuming job than a difficult one to change the cable. It's 4 bolts and lift the seat all the way up to remove the floor board and that sure makes the job a lot simpler. It's also a lot easier if you don't have a cab.

jimoxdrover · Apr 13, 2014

pmsmechanic said:
I have more time for a longer response now. The cable goes from under the dash on the left side under the floor board that's over the battery's and the transmission to the right side where under some hydraulic lines it moves a small lever that goes into the three point hitch housing over the transmission. I'm pretty sure the problem is your cable but if oyu want to check take the pin out on the lever that goes into the three point hitch housing and move it. If you can get the three point to rise and fall with that small lever then the cable is for sure at fault. It's more of a time consuming job than a difficult one to change the cable. It's 4 bolts and lift the seat all the way up to remove the floor board and that sure makes the job a lot simpler. It's also a lot easier if you don't have a cab.

Thank you so very much for your response. It is amazing that I found this site and that you took the time to give this detailed response. I don't know if I had mentioned it but I found the cable after this site told me of its existance. Later yesterday I stopped by to talk to a neighbor (a JD mechanic who had worked on my 3020 earlier) and he told me that they replaced that cable earlier. He came down to the farm to look at the problem for me and gets on the tractor starts it pulls on the lever and guess what, the lever and the hitch moved. (like going to the doctor and describing symptoms that no longer exist) I could be that the PB blaster I used to smother what I saw of the lever the last two days finally got things working right. I hope to get out this afternoon and drill some post holes. The days I spent trying to get this thing to work I could have dug the six post holes by hand fifty times over but I was determined not to let the problem get the best of me.

Thanks again