How much should top link plate move on an L2850?

[jcsmith]

Since I've had this tractor, the draft control lever never did anything, I noticed I'm missing the two 030 nuts pictured here on what I assume is the control.

Right now the plate is as far forward as it will go and I can't get the rod to reach the saddle to put the nuts on. Should that plate be able to push back flat with the housing by hand when the tractor is off? At the moment I can't even more it with a hammer.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

The 'top link plate' ( has 8 holes ) should EASILY rotate on #070 ( the dogbone shaped pin). Sounds like ZERO amount of grease has ever been in the Zerks so someone remove #030s, possibly to prevent damage 'inside' . There was a similar post months ago,took the OP hours (?) to free up everything and he had to buy some parts. There wasn't a lot of room to fix while on the tractor, I recall.
Somehow ( gently please) you need to disassemble ALL of it, steel wool/oil/ grease/lube everything and of course get two of those #030 nuts.
If you can get the whole 'unit' off and onto your workbench, it'd be a bonus ! That way you can methodically oil/heat/remove numbers until it's all apart.

 

[jcsmith]

The 'top link plate' ( has 8 holes ) should EASILY rotate on #070 ( the dogbone shaped pin). Sounds like ZERO amount of grease has ever been in the Zerks so someone remove #030s, possibly to prevent damage 'inside' . There was a similar post months ago,took the OP hours (?) to free up everything and he had to buy some parts. There wasn't a lot of room to fix while on the tractor, I recall.
Somehow ( gently please) you need to disassemble ALL of it, steel wool/oil/ grease/lube everything and of course get two of those #030 nuts.
If you can get the whole 'unit' off and onto your workbench, it'd be a bonus ! That way you can methodically oil/heat/remove numbers until it's all apart.

Thanks, I'll see if I can get it apart.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Thanks, I'll see if I can get it apart.

i dont know squat about the draft control rocker or how it works but the two missing nuts are on the feedback linkage rod. Without them position control will not work for sure.

Edit: Like I said I dont know squat. Looking at that drawing again that linkage is probably not used for position control. I would also expect several hundred pounds of (draft) force is needed to move that rocker. I would suggest a good read of the WSM description of how ot all works.

Dan

 

[D2Cat]

If you're having trouble getting things to move you might mix acetone and auto trans fluid at 50/50 mix and apply with a small brush to rusted/seized areas.

 

[TheOldHokie]

Right now the plate is as far forward as it will go and I can't get the rod to reach the saddle to put the nuts on. Should that plate be able to push back flat with the housing by hand when the tractor is off? At the moment I can't even more it with a hammer.

Not knowing anything about how Kubota implements draft control this question piqued my interest so I went looking. I could not find a WSM for L2850 but I did find manuals for other models with draft control that are close to that vintage.

As I speculated earlier the answer is no - you cannot move that rocker by hand., I figured there had to be some sort of tensioning mechanism for sensing draft and what looks like a pivot pin in the drawings is actually a torsion bar. It takes a substantial force to move that draft control rocker and there is a special tool for that specific purpose. It looks to be a pry bar around 5 feet long and is used with a set of hitch arm weights for adjusting the feedback, Here is a snap of the WSM page for adjusting draft control linkage on a L3800. The pry bar is used to force that rocker back against the top link bracket. The bar is nothing special - should be able to make one pretty easily.

Dan

 

[fried1765]

If you're having trouble getting things to move you might mix acetone and auto trans fluid at 50/50 mix and apply with a small brush to rusted/seized areas.

Also known as use..... "Kroil"

 

[Chanceywd]

Not knowing anything about how Kubota implements draft control this question piqued my interest so I went looking. I could not find a WSM for L2850 but I did find manuals for other models with draft control that are close to that vintage.

As I speculated earlier the answer is no - you cannot move that rocker by hand., I figured there had to be some sort of tensioning mechanism for sensing draft and what looks like a pivot pin in the drawings is actually a torsion bar. It takes a substantial force to move that draft control rocker and there is a special tool for that specific purpose. It looks to be a pry bar around 5 feet long and is used with a set of hitch arm weights for adjusting the feedback, Here is a snap of the WSM page for adjusting draft control linkage on a L3800. The pry bar is used to force that rocker back against the top link bracket. The bar is nothing special - should be able to make one pretty easily.

Dan

View attachment 106677

View attachment 106676

So that pin as you say is a torsion bar doing the same thing as my 8N uses a coil?

Interesting , I wondered at a glance how that was working and going back I see the left side is pinned to the bracket and the moving piece is pinned to the shaft on the right side.

That explains the grease fitting only on the right side of the bracket.
thanks for the explanation Dan,
Bill

 

[TheOldHokie]

So that pin as you say is a torsion bar doing the same thing as my 8N uses a coil?

Interesting , I wondered at a glance how that was working and going back I see the left side is pinned to the bracket and the moving piece is pinned to the shaft on the right side.

That explains the grease fitting only on the right side of the bracket.
thanks for the explanation Dan,
Bil

Yes - an updated version of the Ford draft sensing spring. Clever. I was trying figure out where the tension came from - clearly that rod was not up to the task

Dan