Rear Ballast Box Fell Off From One Side of 3pt Hitch

[UpNorthMI]

Had an interesting experience at the weekend while I was in rough woodland cover running my L3901, one side of the rear ballast box came unattached. I was doing a lot of grapple loader work, back and forth loading tree roots that were piled up in many places of an area I had previously been clearing. At one point I went forward into a pile of stacked roots with the grapple and felt a jolt at the back of the tractor, looking down I saw that I had lost the lynch pin from the left side of the rear arm and the ballast box pin had come out of the 3pt arm.

I guess a branch or root had some how popped out my lynch pin.

I could not move forward as I was against a pile of roots and could not reverse due to my ballast box which was hanging off the back of the tractor at an angle in the soft ground. I turned the tractor off and dismounted, there was no apparent damage I had just lost the lynch pin. It's at this moment you realize what 600 lbs of rear ballast means!!! There was no way I was moving that no matter how hard I pulled, my friend came back with the dump trailer and together we tried to move the ballast box, not a chance, it was sort of wedged and at a 30 degree angle. It was a 15 minute ride in the back of the dump trailer back to the barn to pick up the MX5800 with front loader, forks and a lifting strap as well as get a new lynch pin.

It took 30 seconds with the MX to lift the ballast box level and reconnect the 3pt arm, all was well again. Not sure what I would have done if that was the only machine I had and it was stuck in that way, I guess I would have just had to empty my ballast box of the gravel thats in there, not much fun. Had it been solid cement I could not have emptied the ballast box.

Rough woodland clearing environments can do a lot of damage to a tractor, I try to be real careful and on this occasion it was a 30 minute issue with no damage. Maybe I'll start zip tying the lynch pins in place on my 3pt hitch attachment

 

[NHSleddog]

Before I used the QH, I jammed up a 6' rake 1/2 on 1/2 off on a job and couldn't move. I used a come-along to the ROPS bar to get it back out so I could fix it.

I have seen people "creatively" use straps/chains/cable etc, from the bucket up over the ROPS and from the bucket down under the tractor to the back. The curl can give a little forced motion when needed.

 

[chim]

I run my stabilizers loose enough so the implements can move, but tight enough they can't spread to the point they'll slip off the pins.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I run my stabilizers loose enough so the implements can move, but tight enough they can't spread to the point they'll slip off the pins.

I try to do the same but there is a lot of side inertia on a 600lbs ballast box when you are traveling over the moonscape of a woodland clearing with craters everywhere from having ripped roots out with a bigger heavier piece of equipment.

As soon as I get the area cleared I will get in there and level the ground out so it will become a lot more tractor friendly.

 

[je1279]

Wow never expected that could happen. I have a quick hitch with the large category 3 bushings that should prevent this but good to know.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

could you not have raised the one side still attached, put 'something' like rocks,log,?? under that side, lower the 3ph, reconnect the other side ?

as for the lynch pin 'disappearing', I use a bolt and nylock nut...NO more PITA reconnects !

 

[Magicman]

Maybe I'll start zip tying the lynch pins in place on my 3pt hitch attachment

All Lynch pins are not created equal. There are the regular "dollar" pins and then there are the heavy duty pins that will bust your fingers when you latch/unlatch them.

Been there, done that, and have the T shirt. Get good heavy duty pins.

 

[ctfjr]

all's well that ends well

 

[UpNorthMI]

could you not have raised the one side still attached, put 'something' like rocks,log,?? under that side, lower the 3ph, reconnect the other side ?

as for the lynch pin 'disappearing', I use a bolt and nylock nut...NO more PITA reconnects !

I tried to lower, the 3pt arms but they did not move, I had a hydraulic top link and tried to lift the box but it did not move, it was hanging badly at an angle I was concerned with breaking or bending something. The fact that I could not move the tractor forward was another issue. I took the safe route and got my other larger tractor to lift it and sort out the problem, it worked out ok in the end.

I like your idea of a bolt and nyloc, there are so many branches, bushes and similar in this environment, the tractor is in and out of deep holes. It is easy to shed a lynch pin, I guess I need to look at how to protect things more. I’m sure this will not be the last issue, I’ve even damaged my Case 450 dozer while clearing!

 

[Orange man hero]

Had an interesting experience at the weekend while I was in rough woodland cover running my L3901, one side of the rear ballast box came unattached. I was doing a lot of grapple loader work, back and forth loading tree roots that were piled up in many places of an area I had previously been clearing. At one point I went forward into a pile of stacked roots with the grapple and felt a jolt at the back of the tractor, looking down I saw that I had lost the lynch pin from the left side of the rear arm and the ballast box pin had come out of the 3pt arm.

I guess a branch or root had some how popped out my lynch pin.

I could not move forward as I was against a pile of roots and could not reverse due to my ballast box which was hanging off the back of the tractor at an angle in the soft ground. I turned the tractor off and dismounted, there was no apparent damage I had just lost the lynch pin. It's at this moment you realize what 600 lbs of rear ballast means!!! There was no way I was moving that no matter how hard I pulled, my friend came back with the dump trailer and together we tried to move the ballast box, not a chance, it was sort of wedged and at a 30 degree angle. It was a 15 minute ride in the back of the dump trailer back to the barn to pick up the MX5800 with front loader, forks and a lifting strap as well as get a new lynch pin.

It took 30 seconds with the MX to lift the ballast box level and reconnect the 3pt arm, all was well again. Not sure what I would have done if that was the only machine I had and it was stuck in that way, I guess I would have just had to empty my ballast box of the gravel thats in there, not much fun. Had it been solid cement I could not have emptied the ballast box.

Rough woodland clearing environments can do a lot of damage to a tractor, I try to be real careful and on this occasion it was a 30 minute issue with no damage. Maybe I'll start zip tying the lynch pins in place on my 3pt hitch attachment

I use 60lb bags of gravel I buy at Home Depot. They are tough plastic mesh material and easy to take out of the box one by one. You probably can only fit 300lb in the box which so far seems good enough for me.

 

[B737]

Before I used the QH, I jammed up a 6' rake 1/2 on 1/2 off on a job and couldn't move. I used a come-along to the ROPS bar to get it back out so I could fix it.

I have seen people "creatively" use straps/chains/cable etc, from the bucket up over the ROPS and from the bucket down under the tractor to the back. The curl can give a little forced motion when needed.

this is very creative idea!

All Lynch pins are not created equal. There are the regular "dollar" pins and then there are the heavy duty pins that will bust your fingers when you latch/unlatch them.

Been there, done that, and have the T shirt. Get good heavy duty pins.

I recently learned this while buying the pins with the round rings that fold over. The guy at the parts counter told me "no". He then showed me pins that you have to squeeze to rotate the lock, they are more squarish looking. I wish I bought more of them after reading this.

 

[Magicman]

Picture?

 

[B737]

They look like this, you have to squeeze them to unlock which then allows the ring to rotate

 

[Magicman]

Thanks, I have never seen those and I am a sucker for a new mousetrap.