I have an uncle that is missing 2/3 of his left foot. When he was 12 he and a friend were playing around a tractor that was left with the bottom plows up. His friend was making believe that he was operating it, hit the 3pt lever dropping them on my uncles foot. End of foot, end of story.the obvious reason to lower implements is to prevent accidents... the last thing you want is for one of your kids to be playing under the bucket while the other one up on the seat plays with the controls...
other than that, dropping implements also removes hydraulic pressure from the system components, seals etc. no reason to subject things to hydraulic pressure for days on end.
just MHO.
Pete
Is your question more about lowering the implement while the tractor is still running vs lowering it after you have killed the engine?Are you supposed to lower the hitch and bucket when the tractor is turned off? I've heard people say both so which is true? Thanks
I think the question the OP is asking is lower everything with engine off or running. I have been told it doesn't matter one way or the other. If I think about it I lower them before I shut it down, if not I drop them afterwards. Just as long as they are lowered when you are not in control of your tractor.
It won't damage it- the hydraulic system doesn't know whether the pump is turning or not- load is load. As stated, it keeps the sustained pressure off of seals, but that probably is just a precaution and not a necessity- they are under more pressure when being used than by the static load of an implement or loader. So, the primary reason would be safety, which is enough for me.Sorry for the quickly worded question, I was posting from my phone. In reference to my original question, I was asking if the bucket and hitch with an attached implement should be lowered when you are done working with the tractor for the day. My question was geared more towards if will it damage the tractor but I do see the safety aspects as well now. My grandfather used to always lower his attachments but my dad never did so I was trying to clear up if it's needed or not.