3-Point Hitch TC35DA 3 point lift

housemasters · Nov 16, 2007

Ever since I got my tractor back from an internal repair (split the tractor) the 3 point lift keeps hopping up and down a little but its starting to annoy me now. I've tried adjusting the short linkage on it but I can get it to stop hopping. Anybody know what to do?

Another subject is that my rear tires were supposed to be loaded from the dealer and I don't think they are. Is it just a simple thing to put the valve low and take out the valve stem and see if liquid comes out?

I would go back to the dealer by they're 200 miles away...if anything I'll make them come here.

lug nut · Nov 16, 2007

I don't know about the hopping 3-point problem, but I would not take the valve core out. All you have to do is depress the valve and see if anything other than air comes out.

have_blue · Nov 17, 2007

housemasters said:
Ever since I got my tractor back from an internal repair (split the tractor) the 3 point lift keeps hopping up and down a little but its starting to annoy me now. I've tried adjusting the short linkage on it but I can get it to stop hopping. Anybody know what to do?

Recently my 3PH "jumps" a little when the engine is idling, and the 3PH leaks down within 20 minutes when I shut down. I don't notice the jumping when my engine RPM is above idle.

Is that what you are experiencing? Does it do it only at idle, or also at higher RPM? Does your 3PH leak down pretty fast?

I'm guessing the jumping is the position control returning the 3PH to the set position to compensate for a leak. Why it doesn't work smoothly at idle is a mystery, because it should have enough pump pressure to keep it up smoothly.

Ideas welcome!

jinman · Nov 17, 2007

housemasters said:
Ever since I got my tractor back from an internal repair (split the tractor) the 3 point lift keeps hopping up and down a little but its starting to annoy me now. I've tried adjusting the short linkage on it but I can get it to stop hopping. Anybody know what to do?

Another subject is that my rear tires were supposed to be loaded from the dealer and I don't think they are. Is it just a simple thing to put the valve low and take out the valve stem and see if liquid comes out?

I would go back to the dealer by they're 200 miles away...if anything I'll make them come here.

When you mentioned "adjusting the short linkage." did you mean the small linkage shown in the attachment? That just adjusts the maximum height of the 3PH. If that is not adjusted properly, the 3PH will raise to the physical limit and keep trying to lift until the relief valve opens. That doesn't really do anything but stop the lift before it reaches the mechanical maximum lift.

I think you have a problem with the adjustment of your system pressure relief valve poppet or a leak that is causing the bobbing (hiccupping) of your 3PH. That's what the repair manual suggests. At any rate, if your 3PH was fine before you had the work done, then most likely the problem was caused when the tractor was being reassembled.

As lug nut mentioned, just roll your tire until the valve is away from the top. Remove the vakve cover and press the center of the valve. Water or liquid should spirt out if the tires are filled.

MJM99 · Apr 3, 2008

I am having the same problem (TC35A) with the 3ph not wanting to stay still. It will keep re-adjusting itself and it is very aggrevating, especially when you are lowering the front bucket (Woods FEL) and it gets to jerking. Is there anywhere online that shows where this "system pressure relief valve poppet' is and how do you adjust it? It seems to do it worse the higher the 3ph is raised. Any help is appreciated!

jinman · Apr 3, 2008

MJM99 said:
I am having the same problem (TC35A) with the 3ph not wanting to stay still. It will keep re-adjusting itself and it is very aggrevating, especially when you are lowering the front bucket (Woods FEL) and it gets to jerking. Is there anywhere online that shows where this "system pressure relief valve poppet' is and how do you adjust it? It seems to do it worse the higher the 3ph is raised. Any help is appreciated!

The troubleshooting section of the Repair Manual lists the following reasons for lift arms cycling up and down:

1. Faulty poppet valve and seat ( I believe this is the system relief poppet inside the lift cylinder)
2. Faulty check valve and seat (This check valve holds pressure and the position of the lift arms when the system matches the 3PH lever's position.)
3. Faulty O-rings on the poppet, check valve, valve cover, unload valve plug.
4. Poppet valve out of adjustment...not likely if it has not done it since new.

Nowhere does it say anything about the lift cylinder seal leaking, but that could also cause hiccuping of the lift arms.

The good news is that the cover and hydraulics can be removed without splitting the tractor. The bad news is that it will probably only get worse. It will not go away.

MJM99 · Apr 4, 2008

Thanks jinman, this is my father-in-laws tractor, its not that old and has 260hrs on it. I just wanted to fix it if it wasn't too big of a deal.

jinman · Apr 5, 2008

MJM99 said:
Thanks jinman, this is my father-in-laws tractor, its not that old and has 260hrs on it. I just wanted to fix it if it wasn't too big of a deal.

It's disheartening to see such a low-hour tractor with these problems. It's probably due to some foreign material that got into a valve or an oring that was defective or damaged from the time the tractor was new. Your FIL just had an unlucky "roll of the dice" and this ended up on his tractor.

Have_blue has a similar problem and commented earlier in this thread. His tractor has many more hours, but I still think his failure was unusual. Most tractors go for years and years and never show these symptoms.

searay · Oct 4, 2011

My TC35DA just started doing the hopping thing. I had noticed the the leakdown of the TPH was worsening rapidly over this summer. The tractor has 750 hours on it and that includes a lot of dirt moving and mowing with the rear mount 6ft Woods. It seems obvious that the TPH is leaking down and the hopping is the hydraulics trying to maintain the set height of the implement.
I absolutely have to get this repaired. I'm retired so I don't have the money to have the dealer do it. Also, the nearest dealer is about an hour away and I have no way to get the tractor there anyway.
Where can I find the necessary information to fix this myself? I need to know where the problem part is, how to get to it, how to remove it and how to repair it.
I also need to do this pretty quickly as I have to move another 5 or so tandem loads of dirt to repair damage to my property from hurricane Irene.
Thanks,

jinman · Oct 4, 2011

Go to messicks.com and enter TC35DA into the box on the right side of the screen. Click on "Search" and a list of systems for your tractor will appear on the left side of your screen. Click on "Hydraulic System." You will get a list of diagrams. Click on "07.01 Hydraulic Lift Cover & Arms". All the parts of the lift and the part numbers will appear. There's no info on how to do the repair, but only a list of parts. If you want to do the repair, you need to buy the Repair Manual either on CD or the paper copy. They are expensive, so be prepared. I will tell you that on a deluxe tractor like yours, you need to raise the operator's platform to do this repair. That is a huge job. There's a hole beneath the seat if you remove it, but I don't think you can get to the lift without raising the whole platform. You can also remove the right rear tire to give better access to the area.

What is the job you are doing that cannot be done with the lift hiccuping up and down? Are you using a box blade or mower? Are you sure the lift is jumping at every position or only at the top? There are lots of tractors out there with minor movement of the 3PH. I'm just wondering what critical application you have that requires the 3PH to be rock steady? If you just need the lift steady for mowing, you can add some check-chains that will hold the lift steady a lot /easier/cheaper than doing a cylinder rebuild.