3pt Hitch Lever Won't Stay Up - B1750HST

[mjp1966]

I have searched this on the web and apparently it is a very common problem. Even though others have offered advice, no one has ever came back and said what fixed it. The 3 pt hitch lever wont stay up without using something to hold it in place. I use a bungee cord. It moves the hitch up and down fine but will not stay up. The lever seems very sloppy. Some have talked about a washer that needs to be replaced as a possible cause but again no one has said if it worked. Anyone come across this problem and fixed it?

 

[bulldog_shotgun]

there was a post on this a couple weeks ago, but think it got lost in the server crash.

basiclly there are a pair of bellevue washers (curved sprng washers) that provide the tension, thay can be adjusted and or replaced to tighten it up.

Numbers 440 in the parts diagram.

 

[Novasail]

I have the same problem with the same tractor. This evening I removed the lock nut at the end of the shaft but the handle would not come off so that I could inspect and/or replace the Belleville washers (I presume it's supposed to slide off the end of the shaft after the nut is removed). I tried the PB Blaster/wait/tap routine a couple of times but no joy. How DOES that handle come off?

 

[Novasail]

I have another observation I want to share. From Bulldog's reply (thanks, that parts illustration is useful), it looks like the handle (430) is prevented from rotating on the shaft (460) by the nut (420) and two Belleville washers (440). The problem I'm having, and perhaps mjp1966 too, is that the handle isn't rotating (or slipping) on the shaft, the shaft itself is rotating. The handle is tight on the shaft. In fact I can't figure out how to get it off but regardless, it seems that no amount of tightening on the nut or further compression of the Belleville washers is going to have any benefit when it's the uncommanded rotation of the shaft that is causing the problem. I wonder if there is something going on inside the valve housing that is the root cause but I hesitate to crack it open without guidance.

Anybody?

 

[freewheel3]

I have another observation I want to share. From Bulldog's reply (thanks, that parts illustration is useful), it looks like the handle (430) is prevented from rotating on the shaft (460) by the nut (420) and two Belleville washers (440). The problem I'm having, and perhaps mjp1966 too, is that the handle isn't rotating (or slipping) on the shaft, the shaft itself is rotating. The handle is tight on the shaft. In fact I can't figure out how to get it off but regardless, it seems that no amount of tightening on the nut or further compression of the Belleville washers is going to have any benefit when it's the uncommanded rotation of the shaft that is causing the problem. I wonder if there is something going on inside the valve housing that is the root cause but I hesitate to crack it open without guidance.

Anybody?

The hole in the handle isn't round, it is squared on two sides and so is the shaft. If you look close at the handle in the diagram you can kind of see that. And its a very tight fit, the handle has to be aligned just right to slide off the shaft. Make sure you remove the guide that the handle goes through. The handle and shaft rotate inside the collar (560). I just replaced the collar and washers on mine and it didn't help, the handle still flopped around no matter how tight the nut was or what orientation the washers were installed. I think you are right about it being something worn on the inside that causes it. I ended up putting an O-ring on the shaft behind the collar to provide tension, works great so far.

 

[Novasail]

Freewheel, I took your word for squared sides on the shaft and handle (my eyes aren't good enough to see that) but the handle still won't come off. The handle will not rotate on the shaft so I can try to align it. I move the handle (with the nut (420) removed) and the shaft (460) moves. I can't figure out how to grip the shaft (without damaging the threads) so that the shaft will remain still wile I try to work the handle into the correct position to line it up with the squared sides of the shaft.
What's really got me puzzled is why the handle and shaft always move, fairly quickly, to the lowest position regardless if the engine is running or not, whether there's weight on the 3pt hitch or not, or whether the MM is attached or not. It's as if there's a spring or something under tension inside the control valve enclosure that's causing it to rotate. Dare I remove the valve cover (400) and take a peek? I see there is a gasket (390) sealing the cover. Do you know if its reusable or of a type that must replaced.

 

[freewheel3]

Freewheel, I took your word for squared sides on the shaft and handle (my eyes aren't good enough to see that) but the handle still won't come off. The handle will not rotate on the shaft so I can try to align it. I move the handle (with the nut (420) removed) and the shaft (460) moves. I can't figure out how to grip the shaft (without damaging the threads) so that the shaft will remain still wile I try to work the handle into the correct position to line it up with the squared sides of the shaft.
What's really got me puzzled is why the handle and shaft always move, fairly quickly, to the lowest position regardless if the engine is running or not, whether there's weight on the 3pt hitch or not, or whether the MM is attached or not. It's as if there's a spring or something under tension inside the control valve enclosure that's causing it to rotate. Dare I remove the valve cover (400) and take a peek? I see there is a gasket (390) sealing the cover. Do you know if its reusable or of a type that must replaced.

You don't have to grip the shaft to slide the handle off. If the handle is still on the shaft then they are already aligned. The handle and shaft are supposed to rotate together, but to separate the two, you have to pull the handle straight off the end of the shaft, or the close tolerances between the two will cause it to bind. The shaft (460) slides on to 490 and is held on there by a roll pin (470). The collar (450) then slides over this connection. The collar does two things, 1 it holds the pin in place and 2, it is what normally provides the tension we're missing to hold the lever in place when you tighten the nut. Like I said, I replaced the collar and both washers and the lever was still floppy. If the collar was even 2 mm longer it would probably solve the problem, so that is what makes me think there is something inside that is wore a bit.
I had the cover (400) off of mine but couldn't see much as I was only able to pull it out about an inch because the piston inside was still connected to the cover. I was able to reuse the gasket. On mine it seems to be just gravity that makes the handle fall down, but like I said, I temporarily solved that by sliding an o-ring over the shaft so that it sat between the collar (450)and (540). This filled the gap for now, I will tear into it this fall or winter and fix it properly then.

 

[Novasail]

Freewheel,

I hear you but the lever handle won't come straight off the end of the shaft. I understand that after removing the nut the lever handle should have just slid off the end of the keyed shaft but it doesn't. Hence my problem. I think that the previous owner might have seriously torqued on the lever handle and jammed it on the sides of the squared shaft. That's why I was trying to figure out a way to keep the shaft still while I rotated the handle so as to align the sides again.

If someone has a suggestion as to how to do that, well, then I'd be like a weevil in cotton - still a pest but a happy one!