BX 3 Point Float Control

[Grouse Feathers]

There have been several threads on the BX 3 point control. One of the problems is the BX does not provide a good method of floating a 3 point implement. Unlike the draft control on larger tractors where you can set the level at the lowest point and the implement will float, on a BX the implement will only float to the level set when the lever was last returned to the neutral position. I have considered adding a latch to hold the lever in the down position as that would give me float for my rear blade. Last weekend I put some carpet with slots cut for the levers over the fender. The carpet is to reduce air leakage into the cab. An unintended side benefit is the carpet binds up the 3 point lever in the down position and holds it there. Tonight I was moving snow and it really worked good having the lever stay in the down position. Often in the past the blade would drop on some packed snow and unless I held the lever down as I moved the blade would never drop all the way to the ground. Tonight the weight of the blade would cut through the snow when I moved and drop to the ground. For now the carpet works, but I will design some type of latch mechanism.
How does the float work on a BX with a rear blower or do you have the same problem?

 

[David Cockey]

On our BX2350 I can hold the 3 pt lever all the way down with my right leg.

But I've also thought that another method for holding the lever down such as a simple latch would be useful.

 

[GWD]

I've heard of people using a bungee cord to hold down the lever.

Another option is to adjust the return springs on the lever to allow the handle to stay down. The springs are on a shaft just behind the right tire. You can see them from the rear of the tractor.

It is much easier to adjust when the right rear tire is removed.

 

[CountryBumkin]

Unlike the draft control on larger tractors where you can set the level at the lowest point and the implement will float, on a BX the implement will only float to the level set when the lever was last returned to the neutral position.

I guess don't quite understand how the BX tractor 3-point float works.

I can put downward pressure on the rear implement (blade or rake) and it seems to stay there "with down force" applied even when the lever returns to neutral. So there is no float here. At least that's the way it appears to me.

If I lift the implement slightly off the ground (say 1") and then return the 3-point lever to neutral, does it now "float" up over humps/bumps and then settle back down (maintaining the 1" clearance)?

What does keeping the lever somewhere between neutral and down accomplish?

 

[bcp]

The down force is gravity, not hydraulic. Real implement down force would tend to lift the rear of the tractor after ground contact, just like the loader does for the front.

Bruce

 

[GWD]

bcp has it right. There are very few tractors that have down force on the 3PH. Definitely not the BX models.

As far as you question about holding 1" off the ground and then floating in the UPWARD direction, yes, the BX can do that. But, as you go over bumps and mounds, the rear tires lift and the implement also lifts (to more than 1"). After going over the bump the implement might dig into part of the mound. It really is not an efficient way to level if that is the goal.

Much better, IMO, is to turn the implement around (if it is a blade with rotation) and go at the bumps in reverse...or back drag with the bucket on the FEL.

I'm not sure what happens when the lever is held between neutral and down. If it is in neutral, the 3PH is fixed but free to float up. If it is in down, the 3PH floats both directions. Try it and tell us all what happens.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

I plan to rivet a catch under the fender to hold the 3 point lever down like the PTO lever on the left fender. The 3 point slot appears to be wide enough to slip the lever past the catch and hook it in the down position. If I get it installed this weekend I will post pictures.

 

[cerlawson]

Hi guys: Isn't it fun to run a BX and "fool" with the three point control? I know from the same experience as those above that I shudda checked every function of-the machine before buying. Having had two similar sized tractors before and a "standard" three point control on each, I am running out of cuss words when trying any sort of fine rear blade control on my BX. Fortunately I don't do much of that any more and for snow plowing the crude control does the job. My reason for this post is to advise any future buyers to check it out first.