Ford 2n/8n lift lever problem

[ksdaddy]

I have a 1944-47 2N with a 1950 8N engine. I wish there was some way I could determine the exact year but apparently the only number is the engine number. I only know it is mid
1944 or later by the tubular radius arms.

The problem I am having is as follows: I use this tractor with a 6 ft Sitrex finish mower, which has four casters. I basically drop it on the ground, as the casters determine
the cut height. My lift lever will not stay down. I tie it down with a piece of wire while using the finish mower, otherwise the lever will raise up about halfway, like it's
spring loaded. The mower won't necessarily come up when the lever springs up, but the potential is there and it's just easier for me to tie it down. Today I switched over to a
48 Woods bush hog to do the annual mowing of a small (1+ acre) patch across the road. I've used this bush hog for the past 4-5 years. I could NOT keep the bush hog at a
consistent height. I would set it where I wanted it, and within 50 feet or so, it would either raise or lower itself. The lever itself isn't moving. In years past, it might
wander a little up or down but this year it's downright dangerous, as I'm trying to keep an eye on it's height and also watch where I'm going. There is a 'stop' on the lever,
held in place by a carriage bolt and wingnut if I recall, and that has typically served me well as to maintaining a consistent height for the most part, but this year all bets
are off.

I imagine the wandering height and the lever that wants to spring up to the middle are related. Where should I start?

 

[Dave G9N]

There is a cork friction disc (21) that can be adjusted to control the effort needed to move the lever by turning the castellated nut (42).

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/C5NN518B_Friction-Disc-for-Hydraulic-Control-Lever_17203.htm

Edited to replace the diagram that will not open until I log in with one from an (link to) Old lift lever thread
Also to add my lament that tractor folks don't seem to use anti seize on the parts that always stick, especially aluminum parts, such as the friction plate, (21).

This post was edited by Dave G9N on 09/30/2023 at 08:06 pm.

 

[Tim PloughNman Daley RIP]

An 8N engine has nothing to do with the 3-pt lift. What was wrong with the original engine? Model year is not important. ALL 9N/2N units were basically the same. Electrical was the same from 40 til end of 2N production. Steering boxes changed a bit but ALL had only DRAFT CONTROL and NO POSITION CONTROL. Did you check hyd oil level and condition? Is dip stick OK? Is oil a murky brown or milky white color? If so, oil is contaminated with water. Have you ever cleaned pump? Do a Leak Down test. Raise 3-PT with a load, leave it UP then shut down power and leave it UP. How long does it take to drop down? Load should stay raised for months. If it drops; a fast, within minutes or hours drop is a critically worn system, then you have a worn cylinder and need a new one. Can try removing inspection cover and checking wishbone linkage that it is connected right. Replacing the Safety Relief Valve may help. Limiter Chains can allow the mower to be set at a certain height and some fellas use an aftermarket device formerly known as The ZANE THANG, that adds POSITION CONTROL to the 9N/2N models.

Tim Daley (MI)

 

[jimtrs]

As Tim said, the 9N's & 2N's do not have position control, only draft control. That is why you can't set and hold position with your lift. They are either fully up, or fully down. These systems were designed for use with a plow in the ground

Regarding the friction adjustment on your quadrant lever, my guess is the disc is disintegrated from age, and the friction plate (#13 in Dave's pic) is frozen onto the shaft. The castellated nut is probably corroded beyond recognizable. The plates are usually aluminum and break easily when trying to remove one that's frozen on. If that's your situation, you may want to think twice before trying to R&R the disk. A Lever Stop Assembly may work for you.

Quadrant Stop

 

[Jim L WA]

You might be interested in what used to be called the Zane Thang.
It's now made my Red Rock manufacturing. Go to their site and click on miscellaneous, then scroll down to: Position Control for three point hitch.

 

[ksdaddy]

Thanks for the replies. I was able to tighten the castellated nut and finish mowing with little problem. I still had to keep an eye on it but it stayed still fairly well. As to why it has a 1950 8n engine, I have no idea. Its how I bought it.

 

[boler76]

could the top link be too tight putting tension on the big spring ??

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 14:15:55 10/01/23) could the top link be too tight putting tension on the big spring ??

ension does nothing.....it is compression of the spring that causes lift. See my "art work" below.

 

[HFJ]

(quoted from post at 15:30:11 10/01/23) See my "art work" below.

your "art work" is magnificent when compared to my own. i suppose it's just as well. had i actually become proficient at it, i can hear the lifetime of "Photoshop" accusations.

my photoshop skillz are essentially limited to typing text into the "upper" and "lower" input sections of memegenerator.com

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 18:53:23 10/01/23)

(quoted from post at 15:30:11 10/01/23) See my "art work" below.

your "art work" is magnificent when compared to my own. i suppose it's just as well. had i actually become proficient at it, i can hear the lifetime of "Photoshop" accusations.

my photoshop skillz are essentially limited to typing text into the "upper" and "lower" input sections of memegenerator.com

hank you......I think.

 

[boler76]

yes compression you are right

 

[Btzj02]

I will second the limitimg chains for the rotary mower. Once the chain lengths and the mower rear wheel height is set where you want it is rock solid.

 

[Dave G9N]

(quoted from post at 00:40:03 10/02/23) yes compression you are right

had a hard time understanding this until I replaced a cylinder. Once I had a lift cover apart and reassembled it I finally understood how the spring moves. It is shown in JMOR's picture, which illustrates it better than any other diagram I have found, but you have to know how it works to see it there.

This is a sketch cobbled together from shapes in Excel, which is not the best drawing program. The Yoke is threaded onto the Plunger, which passes through a hole in the Plate. The Spring rests on the Seat and Yoke, but without any applied load it is snug, but not really doing anything. Any tension on the Yoke from the top link pulls the plunger hard against the Plate, which is bolted to the top cover, so nothing happens. If the top link pushes on the Yoke, the plunger is pushed through the hole in the Plate, compressing the Spring. When the plunger moves, uhm, well, it, no... you have to ask JMOR what happens. He already described the 8N innards, but the 2N is not quite the same.

While I am at it, I will take the liberty of recommending that you liberally apply anti seize compound to the threads on the plunger. Next time you take it off, you won't need the torch.

 

[HFJ]

(quoted from post at 00:36:50 10/02/23) thank you......I think.

if i really needed to, i know how to add text to an image. but i only know how to do that with GIMP - which takes like 5 minutes to open, so i rarely use it. but i can crop with the best of them. that's about it.

i have a large collection of pics of large mountains for desktop backgrounds. sadly, quality images which meet my criteria are hard to come by. happily, i have a friend who produced documentation for ages and became quite the photoshop guru. many of my desktop backgrounds bear his artful touches, like the disappearance of the guy standing at the bottom of the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, the tallest mountain face in the world. his neon red and blue jacket and pants were dealbreakers beyond my abilities to cure

 

[Duner Wi]

ksdady, here is what I do when brush hogging and don't want lift to wander .
I tighten my yoke against the yoke spring to take slack out of spring.
It sounds like your yoke and spring are set for earth engaging implements which is what it was designed for. If you yoke is rusted be careful as it is easy to break things. I use my stop to know keep it where I want it once I have lowered it to correct height. This won't work very good on a finish mower but does OK on brush hog.

 

[JMOR]

Problem solved.....by many, many.