MF230 hitch won't come down

[Kat802]

The arms on my 81 Massey ferguson 230 diesel go up, but not down. It worked fine when I parked it last fall.I pushed it down with a another tractor's bucket. It worked ok going up after, but again wouldn't go down.
When I checked the hydraulic control valve under the seat, it was pointed straight up. I thought it should be either forward or back, not half way.
Any help would sure be appreciated!

 

[Jim.ME]

The arms on my 81 Massey ferguson 230 diesel go up, but not down. It worked fine when I parked it last fall.I pushed it down with a another tractor's bucket. It worked ok going up after, but again wouldn't go down.
When I checked the hydraulic control valve under the seat, it was pointed straight up. I thought it should be either forward or back, not half way.
Any help would sure be appreciated!

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[Harry in Ky]

You have (at least) two possibilities. One of course is hydraulic. Something is not letting oil return from the lift cylinder. You can check that by loosening the the two bolts that hold the diverter valve onto the lift housing a couple of threads and slightly pry up on the valve. This will relieve the trapped oil, let it run out and make a small mess, but it will let arms drop.

Two, would be a mechanical problem with the rockshaft too tight in it's bushings and requiring more effort to move the shaft than gravity alone will provide. This would be my first guess since you had to force the arms down once already.