Hydraulic Lift on a Tractor: How It Works

Video Transcript

"Okay, now we want to talk about the hydraulic lift on your tractor. And this tractor, like most in the US, is equipped with what's called a category one three point hitch. And three point hitch, refers to the one, two, three mounting points in the hitch. And category one just defines the dimensions and sizes of everything. It's by far the most common type of lift on a tractor, it's been in use since the early forties in the US. And most implements that you're going to want to use will hook up in this way. This system is driven by a cylinder and piston, housed in the top of the transmission here that's pumping hydraulic fluid, and allows you to raise and lower this lift and any implement on the back of the tractor. The things that are important to bear in mind about this system, is that you need clean hydraulic fluid, and a clean hydraulic filter. On this particular one you check the hydraulic fluid level right here. And then you want to do some adjustments to make sure that the lift goes down at a controlled rate. On this particular tractor that adjustment is under the seat. But that will vary depending upon your tractor. And finally you've got your control lever for the lift, and it's very simple. You raise it up to raise your implement, and you push it back down to lower your implement. And that is the hydraulic three point lift in a nut shell."