3-Point Hitch Leveling 3-Pt Hitch / Attachment

[DrRod]

Greetings,

OK, more arcane questions this morning (can you tell I've been reading my manual? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )...

So my LX4 mower isn't level after about 6 hours of use (hitched to JD 4110). So I notice some clean threads on the right-side shaft and think -- hmm, this appears to have vibrated and creeped around a bit, lowing the right side draft link and in turn the mower deck. So I try to turn the lift link body to raise it back to where it was -- but man is it hard to turn. So I raise the mower and lower it back down on a 4x4 to take the weight off and I can then turn it -- but its still pretty hard. I got it back level and tightened the locknut and then noticed that my locknut is on top of the lift link body -- not below as shown in the manual.

So here are the questions:

a) should the locknut be on the bottom or does it matter?
b) is there an official way to take the weight off the link lift so it turns easier?
c) is there a tool I should be using to turn the lift link body? (it has a metal loop on it which would accomodate a lever but I was reluctant to break it)
d) is there anything else you might suggest to keep it from de-leveling in the future?

Thanks for your help -- again.

Rod

 

[RoyJackson]

The adjustable shaft (adjustable link) you mention should have flats on the end(s) to accomodate a wrench. Once you have it leveled (I do this with the implement raised slightly), jam the locknut against the link body. It really doesn't matter if the jamnut is on the upper threads or lower threads. You can use two wrenches (one on the link body, the other on the jamnut) if you want, but I've never found that necessary.

You can use a level if you want, but I find leveling by eye works fine.
The above refers to lateral leveling, of course. BTW, the loop you mention is for a spring the holds the fixed link (on the left) and the adjustable link together when there's no PTO shaft to hook up. That spring (which should have come with the tractor when you bought it) prevents the draft links (3PH arms) from chaffing against the tires when there is no implement rigged to the tractor.

For fore/aft leveling, just use the upper link of the 3PH.

 

[RalphVa]

I do what Roy describes. I'm not sure what you mean about the lock nut being above or below. It should be up against the rotating, adjustable part.

Another thing you can do, as I do this on the turbbuckles, is to use a tension strap attached to the side of the adjustable part that wants to tighten it. Attach the other side to something on the tractor. Don't recal what's down there. For my turnbuckles I just hook them over either the horizontal strip between the ROPS or into a hole in the ROPS.

The only time I've had to adjust the level on the LX4 is when I first attach it. It never gets out of level in use, but I often find it out of level when I first put it on.

Ralph

 

[GaryM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( a) should the locknut be on the bottom or does it matter?
b) is there an official way to take the weight off the link lift so it turns easier?
c) is there a tool I should be using to turn the lift link body? (it has a metal loop on it which would accomodate a lever but I was reluctant to break it)
d) is there anything else you might suggest to keep it from de-leveling in the future? )</font>

The locknut has to stay where it is. You can't move it. The two threaded portions are not interchangeable. One's a right hand thread, and the other's a left hand thread.

I lower the implement to the ground, or a support, to take the weight off, then adjust as required.

If I can't turn the adjustment by hand, I sometimes use a screwdriver on the loop you mentioned.

My jamnut, on a JD 4100, has a bar welded to the jamnut. After snugging the nut against the turnbuckle body I use a small hammer to tap on the bar and further tighten the not. Seldom moves on it's own after that.

 

[keeney]

I have used a pipe wrench on mine in the past. Chews up the paint a little, but a medium-sized pipe wrench makes easy work of adjusting it no matter how much weight is on.

I use the rectangular loop to store even more extra hitch pins than fit in the hitch-pin storage loops.

I have also used the loop to bungie the two arms together so as not to rub on the tires. If there was a spring supplied with my tractor, its long gone.

- Rick