Need advice on 3 point linkage hookup

[jb15426]

I have a Kubota L3901 tractor and a Landpride RCR1872 bush hog. I'm having trouble setting the cutting height of the mower and still have acceptable clearing height when I lift the mower all the way up(the trailwheel isn't very high off the ground). Here are pictures that show how the pto linkage is set up. Any advice will be appreciated.

JohnB

 

[Diydave]

Re: Need advice on Kubota PTO linkage hookup

3rd picture shows what's wrong. Go back to your mower manual, and see what you did wrong. I think your a brace is too far back, and the bolt(s) are through the wrong hole(s) A-brace should be nearly vertical, the sway link should be mostly behind it, IMHO...

Remove the top bolt, rear strap brace, and toplink, slide A brace forward, put bolt through lowest or middle hole, and put toplink in the other one...

 

[Russell King]

Need advice on Kubota PTO linkage hookup

You kind of want that to be the case-hard to pick up the rear end. That allows the mower to float over the highs and lows of the land. But you can move the top link down to the bottom hole of the tractor and that may help pick it up faster.

You need more slack in the top link if possible so it will stay down as the tractor goes over a hill.

Make sure also that the PTO drive shaft is cut to the correct length and is not bottoming out when you are raising the mower


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[scdeerslayer]

Re: Need advice on Kubota PTO linkage hookup

This is one reason why I want a hydraulic top link. I can shorten it for travel and lengthen it for use.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Note: I changed title as it's three point linkage, PTO is Power take off (only applies to the PTO shaft and not the lift.).

I agree with Diydave, and Russell, the top link setup looks way off (stretched out too far), and you can increase the height by moving the top link down, and also moving the connections on the lower arms to the outermost holes.

scdeerslayer,
In this case you would just be wasting money, as even with a hydraulic top link it still wouldn't work right because it's needs to start out being assembled / setup properly.

 

[Grandad4]

John, you can get the back end of the cutter to come up off the ground more by using the middle position on the back of the tractor for connecting the toplink to the tractor, instead of the top position, as shown in your first picture.

But that does not solve the other issue of why your toplink is fully extended and there's no "slack" to allow the cutter to move over minor hills and dips as you mow.

Looking at several images of Landpride RCR cutters online, it appears to me that the "A brace" Dave mentioned (the bracket assembly where the toplink from the tractor connects to the mower), does lean back from vertical in many of the photos... that must be the way they are designed by Landpride, and it's a bit unique, I think. Most of the cutters I've seen have that "A brace" standing straight vertical, not leaning back slightly toward the rear wheel.

That's not a major deal, but it does mean there's several inches more toplink length needed in order to get that U-shaped bracket to drop slightly while mowing (the "slack"), so the deck will follow the contour of the field. I think a longer toplink would solve the problem. Not too expensive at places like Tractor Supply.

 

[Tooljunkie]

As i waS mowing today, i forgot to adjust top link, every little hill, mower was lifting the back wheels. Loosened the top link so short link was beyond vertical-pointing rearwards. Then mower floats on rear wheels and lower three point arms.

 

[MadMax31]

I have a quick hitch, so if i use the top anchor, its got no movement. I tried it out a few times, and my land is too undulating. Tried to modify the swivel brace by elongating the eyes. not much better. Just run 6" of heavy chain now. it allows the mower to flow with land but still allows the 3pt to pick the tail wheel up.

My old neighbor, a REAL farmer, told me to keep my ROPS up and seatbelt on if I insisted on running it like that. I dont mow uphill much any, sidehill as much as I can, and I have a HST, any trouble pops up she stops as soon as you get off the pedal. I could see how fast a gear tractor could flip right over if things got hairy...

 

[urednecku]

I just use a chain in place of the top link on my 3ph mower. Here, I have to worry more about a hole or ditch more than a 'hill'.

Then mower floats on rear wheels and lower three point arms.

Like it's supposed to?

 

[jb15426]

I talked to the dealer service dept yesterday and he suggested that I set the height in the front and then adjust the back wheel for the 1" extra height. He said to loosen the top link for more play. How it's setup is how it came from the dealer except for me leveling it a bit better. He also said that I need to lift the mower when I drop down into a dip to keep the mower from bottoming out. Lower it after I rise out the other side.

JohnB

 

[bcp]

Most cutters have a flexible joint in the top linkage. For use on a quick hitch, you can often just reassemble it so it is behind the A-frame instead of in front.

Below is one example.

Bruce

 

[Grandad4]

Dealer is right, BUT... it looks like your toplink is already loosened about as far as it will go. Make it much longer and it will unscrew completely and fall apart. That's why I suggested you need a longer one.