3-point implement hook up problems

[TGKY]

Hello- here is my second I’m new to this tractor question
On my l4701 it seems like my sway bars will barely open wide enough to get around the pins in my 60” tiller and 60” bush hog.
I do have the pins all the way out so the sway bars will sway freely.
Is there another trick or do the lift arms on these just not spread open much. It seems odd. Makes things hard to hook up.
Thanks in advance.

 

[ayak]

Compare the orientation of yours to these pics, especially at the ‘angle-out’ of the forks of the side links.

 

[Russell King]

You may have to turn the pins towards the inside of the implements if that is possible.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

RK beat me....
CAT 1 opening is 26"ish...I'm thinking the tiller may have 'combopins', CAT1/2 style,so remove pins ,reinsyall pointing in. Picture of the tiller or make/model would help.

 

[NCL4701]

I have the same issue with mine. For our old Howse rotary cutter with fixed pins facing out, there’s a total of about a 1/2” clearance to get the arms on. The movement of the lift arms is limited to prevent potentially hitting the R4 tires with wheels adjusted to a mid-width position.

Options I know of:
1.With some implements you may be able to turn the pins around to the inside. Some hitch geometry won’t allow that without binding at some point in the hitch travel.

2. Use a quick hitch or Pat’s so you have a cup mating to the implement pin instead of a hole. With the cup, it just has to go under the pin, not around it.

3. Accept your fate and deal with it. Not a terrible plan if it’s something you don’t deal with often or something light enough you can throw a hip into it to jog it around a bit. Most of my implements are on castered dollies on a concrete floor so they’re easy. The rotary cutter is on blocks in a dirt floored shed, so it requires the hip check alignment. That’s what I do now. However, as I get older, I reserve the right to change to another option.

 

[rkidd]

I can see from your picture that your sway bars will open up more, but your backhoe attatchment bracket is what is not allowing it to open all the way. Not sure how to get around that one.

 

[ayak]

I can see from your picture that your sway bars will open up more, but your backhoe attatchment bracket is what is not allowing it to open all the way. Not sure how to get around that one.

Actually those aren’t the OP’s pics—they’re mine. And I can hit the last hole in that sway bar to fully widen, the pic angle just doesn’t show it.
It’s pretty easy to get the angle on the two side link forks going ‘in’ instead of ‘out’—that’s all I was trying to show in case it was something nice and easy.

 

[TGKY]

Thanks everyone. When I get home from work this evening I’ll compare my set up to those pics and if I need to I’ll check my tiller to see if there is room to flip the pins.
Appreciate the help

 

[TGKY]

I ended up solving this for me by removing the cotter pins from the clevis pin that attaches the telescoping stabilizer to the lift arm so I can quickly detach the telescoping arm. Get full motion of the lift arm and then put it back. It’s not ideal but it’s way better than the killing myself I was doing.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

yes...., the stab arms MUST be undone to get implement on, then readjusted, as required to LIMIT the left-right swing of the implement. How much swing ,depends on implement.
Kinda like the top link....change an implement, you have to readjust, every time.

 

[CGMKCM]

I ended up solving this for me by removing the cotter pins from the clevis pin that attaches the telescoping stabilizer to the lift arm so I can quickly detach the telescoping arm. Get full motion of the lift arm and then put it back. It’s not ideal but it’s way better than the killing myself I was doing.

The first thing I did when I brought the tractor home was ditch those little pins. After 120 operating hours I have had no problems.