3-Point Hitch Kubota BX2350 . 3 point hitch problem

[pgj24]

Hi All
I have just bought a 10 year old BX2350, which the previous owner had just used for grass cutting (middle deck). No manuals, but I have downloaded some. He had a GCD 600 BX grass collector which I have taken off in order to use the 3 point linkage.
Problem is, I can't lower the hydraulic arms on the back.
There is a lever on the right which raises and lowers the cutter deck ...is there a valve which directs the hydraulic oil to either mid or back hydraulics? How would you normally select which hydraulic arms this lever controls?
There is a control wheel below the seat, pretty much in the midline, which I think may control speed of raising/lowering the hydraulics? I cannot rotate this ...guess it is seized....any suggestions on this?
The rear hydraulic arms are currently in the up position and have probably been this way for a long time.
Thanks in advance for any advice
Peter

 

[art]

That knob below the seat needs to be opened!

 

[jeff9366]

There is a control wheel below the seat, pretty much in the midline, which I think may control speed of raising/lowering the hydraulics? I cannot rotate this ...guess it is seized....any suggestions on this?

Yes, that is the Three Point Hitch hydraulic valve. They seize with grass juice and dust. Spray it repeatedly with PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, WD-40, or some similar solvent over a period of days, they GENTLY wiggle the shaft free with pliers or vice-grips. A blast of compressed air may force solvent into gummed area.

This valve is used to hold the Three Point Hitch in the raised position. When traversing a rough field with a mower or Box Blade attached, this prevents the implement from bouncing up and down, stressing the hydraulic system. It is also used to hold the Three Point Hitch in the raised position so you can load tractor and implements onto a trailer easier.

 

[pgj24]

Yes, that is the Three Point Hitch hydraulic valve. They seize with grass juice and dust. Spray it repeatedly with PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, or something similar over a period of days, they GENTLY wiggle the shaft free with pliers or vice-grips.

Thanks to both....I will try to free it.
When it is freed however, I still have the problem that the lever on the right controls the hydraulics under the chassis....which lever will control the hydraulics on the back? I guess the one lever can't control both of them, and at the moment this lever is raising and lowering the cutter deck.

 

[jeff9366]

I only operate a BX infrequently, never with a MMM, in a Blueberry field. BX controls are different from my L3560 controls. However, I speculate the one lever controls all implement hydraulics, both in the center and Three Point Hitch.

When you loosen the valve, moving the control lever will answer your question.

Someone else is sure to post who operates a BX on a daily basis.

Here are relevant threads from the T-B-N archive: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ering-speed-adjusting.html?highlight=BX+valve

three point hitch valve - Google Search

YOUR PHOTO #1: Multiple rear remote hydraulic valves on a little BX. WOW!

 

[ryan08]

Both your mid and 3 point are controlled by the same lever.

 

[pgj24]

Thanks guys, this has made me think a bit more about the problem.

Firstly, if the problem is caused by the 3ph lowering speed control valve being stuck in the closed position, then this valve must only control the speed of lowering of the 3ph, and not the mid hydraulics, because the cutter deck goes up and down fine. I guess this figures.

Secondly, if the one lever controls both the mid hydraulics and the 3 ph, then, when I get it working, it means that every time I lower the 3ph, the cutter deck will hit the deck, so to speak. Is the idea that you are not supposed to use implements on both mid and rear hydraulic arms at the same time?
Thanks Jeff for those links...helpful, and nice to know I'm not the only one who has had this problem

 

[jeff9366]

A BX has so little ground clearance with a Mid Mount Mower (MMM) attached that numerous Three Point Hitch implements cannot operate correctly with the MMM attached, or you will find yourself pushing dirt with the MMM housing. You need to remove the MMM for most Three Point Hitch tasks.

Kubota Operator Manuals are well written. Read it and mark passages important to you with a highlighter.

 

[GolfAddict]

As mentioned already, the same lever raises the deck and the 3pt arms. You can lock the deck up, so you can lower and raise the 3pt without the mower moving, by setting the deck height knob under the seat at the floor to "Top". The other knob is the flow rate knob which will control how slowly or quickly it will move depending on how much you close it. If you close it all the way, it won't move at all. It sounds like that is frozen right now, but not in the closed position if the deck is moving up and down - it is not closed.

Sometimes if the flow control is set quite closed (mower deck moves up and down slowly), the 3pt arms will hardly move without something attached, as there is just no weight to pull them down. Try moving your control lever to lower the deck, and put your hand on one of the 3pt arms and press down. See if the arms move down once you put weight on it.

If they still do not move down, make sure they haven't been locked (pinned) in the up position. It's possible the previous owner locked them up if he was just using the deck, and didn't want the arms to move up and down with the deck. To lock the arms in the up position is a different thing - you use a pair of tabs on the frame up by the 3pt arms with a hole in them, and pin the arms up. I'll see if I can find a picture, but if you look back there is should be pretty obvious if the arms are pinned into those tabs.

 

[GolfAddict]

A BX has so little ground clearance with a Mid Mount Mower (MMM) attached that numerous Three Point Hitch implements cannot operate correctly with the MMM attached, or you will find yourself pushing dirt with the MMM housing. You need to remove the MMM for most Three Point Hitch tasks.

Kubota Operator Manuals are well written. Read it and mark passages important to you with a highlighter.

Actually, it is surprising how much you can use the 3pt with the deck left on. Just lock the MMM up (set height control to TOP) so it stays fully raised while using the 3pt. I rarely take mine off other than winter for snow plowing. However, I'm mainly just rototilling or using a box blade with the 3pt. If your uses for the 3pt makes the MMM interfere, it would certainly be worth it to remove. Putting it back on to mow every week would get to be a pain though...

 

[Henro]

It's possible the previous owner locked them up if he was just using the deck, and didn't want the arms to move up and down with the deck. To lock the arms in the up position is a different thing - you use a pair of tabs on the frame up by the 3pt arms with a hole in them, and pin the arms up.

Wow! Learn something new everyday! I wonder if this is the same on my BX2200? Have to take a look... :thumbsup:

Intellectual curiosity only. Have no reason to want to pin mine up...

 

[dodge man]

Just a guess here, but on my BX2350, if I don't have something on the three point hitch, the arms often won't lower, but if I put my foot on one of the arms and push down, it will go down.

 

[GolfAddict]

I wasn't sure if they were on pre-50 series, but it looks like they are. Here is a thread on pinning the 3pt up. There is a picture showing the newer style tabs, and another picture of a 2200 in a post in that thread further down. The tabs are shaped differently on the 2200 than the later models.

You unpin the top of the vertical link arms, and pin them to these tabs.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/220584-stop-3pt-hitch-dropping.html

 

[pgj24]

I wasn't sure if they were on pre-50 series, but it looks like they are. Here is a thread on pinning the 3pt up. There is a picture showing the newer style tabs, and another picture of a 2200 in a post in that thread further down. The tabs are shaped differently on the 2200 than the later models.

You unpin the top of the vertical link arms, and pin them to these tabs.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/220584-stop-3pt-hitch-dropping.html

Thank you all so much for the advice. I soaked the shaft overnight in WD 40 and with a bit of gentle persuasion got the 3 point hitch drop speed knob turning this morning. And yes...the three point hitch now works fine....very pleased.....
The tractor had been left outside for a while and is a bit neglected but I will get it back. Next jobs are to unseize the little black mower wheel shafts, and source one of these wheels...it only came with three. I also need to do some engine maintenance.

 

[radioman]

glad you got sound advice from others before i chimed in about 3 pt. to source parts just go to messicks.com and do the drop down list of the model you have and just order parts you need. so simple. its a good idea to do engine oil change and hydraulic oil change so you know the "start" of next maintenance. and you know whats in it. be sure to use sudt for hst oil.

 

[GolfAddict]

Good to hear it worked out. Have fun!

 

[pgj24]

glad you got sound advice from others before i chimed in about 3 pt. to source parts just go to messicks.com and do the drop down list of the model you have and just order parts you need. so simple. its a good idea to do engine oil change and hydraulic oil change so you know the "start" of next maintenance. and you know whats in it. be sure to use sudt for hst oil.

Thanks, but I doubt Messicks will deliver to me here in France. What is sudt?

 

[dodge man]

Thats the hydraulic fluid.

 

[JWR]

As mentioned already, the same lever raises the deck and the 3pt arms. You can lock the deck up, so you can lower and raise the 3pt without the mower moving, by setting the deck height knob under the seat at the floor to "Top". The other knob is the flow rate knob which will control how slowly or quickly it will move depending on how much you close it. If you close it all the way, it won't move at all. It sounds like that is frozen right now, but not in the closed position if the deck is moving up and down - it is not closed.

Sometimes if the flow control is set quite closed (mower deck moves up and down slowly), the 3pt arms will hardly move without something attached, as there is just no weight to pull them down. Try moving your control lever to lower the deck, and put your hand on one of the 3pt arms and press down. See if the arms move down once you put weight on it.

If they still do not move down, make sure they haven't been locked (pinned) in the up position. It's possible the previous owner locked them up if he was just using the deck, and didn't want the arms to move up and down with the deck. To lock the arms in the up position is a different thing - you use a pair of tabs on the frame up by the 3pt arms with a hole in them, and pin the arms up. I'll see if I can find a picture, but if you look back there is should be pretty obvious if the arms are pinned into those tabs.

-- I have a BX2200 and 2 B2150's. As GolfAddict and others said , all of them have a single control lever for raising and lowering the 3pt hitch and the belly mower. There is no separate hydraulic system for the two functions.
-- All these smaller Kubotas have a kind of make-shift rod (seems like flimsy design to me, but it works) running from a piece of sheet metal hanging over the 3pt lower arms forward to levers that then raise the MMM deck. Notice I said raise, I did not say lower.
-- Virtually none of the tractors these days have dual acting hydraulics that force things downward as well as lift them up. I have an old Massey Harris Pacer that does both, but these Kubota's sure don't.
The result is that anything going downward -- be it your rear 3pt lift arms attached to lower arms with an implement on them or your MMM deck are all going down by force of gravity, not hydraulics.
-- OK, so there probably is some way to pin or restrain the two cast iron lift arms from dropping. That is NOT done by any knob or control as someone else had said.
-- As a couple of guys said, just push down on the arms and they will go down; might take some force but not a whole lot. Unless the arms have been fastened up which seems unlikely to me & if they were fastened up you should be able to see that.
-- The fact that you got the "speed of lowering" knob loosened up is great but that was never keeping your arms from lowering in the first place.

By the way, it hasn't been mentioned but DO NOT try to raise or lower your deck with the height setting knob unless the deck is lifted to the uppermost point. The weight of the deck rests on the mechanism that adjusts height except when the deck is fully raised. You will break the plastic height setting knob off trying to move it up or down unless the deck is raised fully (so that the hydraulics is supporting the weight of the deck.)
Good luck with your machine.

 

[pgj24]

Thanks a lot for this advice....Peter