3-Point Hitch Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending

   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #11  
Bending arms indicates you are pushing somewhere. The arms are meant for pulling and lifting.

Check your operation carefully. It's not the disc that is the cause.
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending
  • Thread Starter
#12  
Thanks, I do recall reversing a couple of times but was pretty sure the disc was off the ground. I am definitely still learning and plan to be much more careful at each step
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #13  
The disc harrow is an old Ford Dearborn with some heavy channel iron, 6 to 6-1/2 feet wide (See photo). 16 pans, I believe they are 18" if I remember correctly when I purchased it a couple of months ago, possibly 20, but would have to measure it. Yes, both the front and rear gangs are well off the ground when in raised position.

Neither of these Discs should be too much for your 4,000 pound tractor. Any Disc with pans over 20" in diameter would be too much.

Also, I believe the lower bars are basically the same as those on the old Ford tractors, 8N, 9N, Jubilee, etc and I haven't heard of these problems from my friends that own them.

Use tractor nomenclature. No tractor has lower bars. The parts you refer to are Lower Links or Draft Links.

Your Long 460 weighs considerably more than the Ford 8N, 9N and Jubilee.
Ford used very high quality steel. Doubt Long measures up to the Fords in steel quality.
 
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   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #14  
Thanks, I do recall reversing a couple of times but was pretty sure the disc was off the ground.

There is a reasonable probability that pushing the Disc with the tractor in reverse is the cause of the Lower Links distorting, then breaking.

I bent a set of Kubota chain stabilizers when I was new to operating a tractor. Kubota Lower Links are heavy, so the weakest link was the chain stabilizers, which had to be replaced.

It is hard when you are new to tractors. YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW. Learning is expensive.
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #15  
My looking at your last two pictures, the sway chain is hooked aft more then the lower links. If you mount the fwd mounting point down on the same C/L as the fwd pin of the lower link mounting pins then the 3pt can move all the way up without pulling on the lower links. The fwd mounting pin can be as wide as you want as long as it's on the C/L of the lower link mounting pin. Try unhooking the sway chains at the fwd mount and run the 3pt all the way up. Then try hooking sway chains back up while the 3pt is all the way up. You might find out that the 3pt well raise higher with them inhooked. This should be done with the lower link arm set at about 26" apart, if you have a draw bar put it on and that well be about 26" apart.
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #16  
Hello Wthforever, Leejohn is correct in post# 6. Look at photo# 3 at the tractor end of the stabliser chain. Take a line by eye through the tractor end of the lower links to get the correct stabliser mount point. In the photo the stabliser is mounted too high at the tractor end, so when you lower the disc's the stabliser is effectivley shortened ,bending the lower link. I presume you are tightening the stabaliser with the disc's in the up position.
To fix this do as CalG says and loosen the stabaliser so it is slightly loose in the up, middle and down position. This will fix the breaking lower link problem.

I reccomend you enquire if the stabiliser mount has been fitted wrong.(I once ran into this problem on an MF 178)
Can we have a RIGHT side photo equivilent to the #3 photo to see if the stabaliser mount on that side is wrong as well?

Your photo's are excellent, they clearly show the problem, most are not this good.
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending
  • Thread Starter
#17  
All, thanks for the help, I'm not new to mechanical work, but I am new to tractors and I think the terminology is confusing me, so many different terms on the internet and different parts of the country apparently. Every diagram uses different terms. Redman and Leejohn, I'm still not understanding what you are saying in post #'s 15 and 16.
Where you say "mount the fwd mounting point down on the same C/L as the fwd pin of the lower link mounting pins then the 3pt can move all the way up without pulling on the lower links." That isn't clear what you are saying about the C/L. Also, is the term "stabilser" the same as "sway chain" in these comments. I apologize, just isn't clear and I know it's me not understanding.
Also, you said the stabiliser (sway chain) is mounted too high, I didn't think that was adjustable.
There are 3 holes in the lower link, when I bought the tractor the sway chain was connected to the aft most hole in the lower link, and I assumed the lift arm (the arm that actually lifts the lower links) could attach in either of the other two holes.
Are you saying that the stabiliser (sway chain) connection on the tractor, near the wheel, should be at the same level as where the lower link attaches to the tractor?
Also, I don't have a draw bar and no photo from the right side, but I will check when I go back out there, and take a photo.
Sorry about all the confusion.
 
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   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #18  
As others have stated, the stabilizer chain pivot point should be in-line with the lift arm pivot points. That way the chain will never get tight as it moves through its range of motion. In the below photo, the bracket the chain is attached to should be free to move and that is why the attachment bolt has a castle nut and cotter pin as it is left slightly loose.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...854097-attachments-rubbing-tires-100_2085-jpg
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending
  • Thread Starter
#19  
As others have stated, the stabilizer chain pivot point should be in-line with the lift arm pivot points. That way the chain will never get tight as it moves through its range of motion. In the below photo, the bracket the chain is attached to should be free to move and that is why the attachment bolt has a castle nut and cotter pin as it is left slightly loose.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...854097-attachments-rubbing-tires-100_2085-jpg
Thanks, a photo is always great!
 
   / Long 460 Lower Link Bars bending #20  
Do you understand now?
 
 
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