Levelling 144/265 Cultivator on CIH 265

Cotton265

New User
I'm a newbie, but a long time lurker of the board.

I just bought a 1990 Case IH 265, and this is my first offset tractor to own. I drove a CIH 265 in college at a research farm spraying small plots, but I never cultivated with one.

The 265 I bought has the 416 version of the 265 front cultivators, which is the "four sweep front section." This seems to be identical to the old 144 cultivators. I have never used a tractor with front/belly mount cultivators, so I am learning as I go.

I am having issues getting both sides the same height- the left side is higher, and I can't figure out what the deal is. On the square shank mount on the LH side it is around 2" higher. I want to get both sides the same height. Here is some info:
1. Per the owners manual, I have both lift rods at exactly the same length- 25" (which is max) at a lifted position.
2. I have adjusted the lift arm clevis yoke on the LH side making it both shorter and longer, and I couldn't tell much of a difference if any. What exactly is the adjustable clevis used for?
3. At the front of the tractor at the gang beam bearing, the main beams are both the same- 22 1/4" from center of gang to level concrete floor.
4. When I measure the main beam at the toolbar bracket, the LH side is 21 1/4" and the RH side is 22 1/4" from cent to floor.

I have read both 265 and 144 cultivator owners manuals, but they don't tell you much about adjustments. Is something out of adjustment or is something warped? I don't want to start dismantling and ordering parts if something is just out of adjustment.

I bedded up my garden with some disk hiller mounted on the square shank mount, and you can tell a slight difference in the beds, but that isn't a huge concern of mine. My biggest concern is when I start using the front cultivators to cultivate with when my plants are small. My beds are 42" and I only plan on using cultivator sweeps on the front diamond tool bar. I don't plan on doing away with the hoe entirely, but I will be happy with the rear cultivator cleaning out the middles between the beds and the front cultivators cleaning off some of my bed.

Also, the owners manuals say to lubricate the cultivator pivot points with SAE 30W oil. Is this the best to use, or is there something better now?

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
 
Not to be a wise guy, but sometimes we become to focused on the problem and not the cause. Have you checked tire pressure and matching rear tires?
If still an issue, I would just adjust one of the "lift rods". If a hard 25" was required, they wouldn't be adjustable to compensate for any variation between lift linkages.
If I understand what you call the "lift arm clevis yoke", it's for leveling the beam fore & aft.
 
(quoted from post at 07:00:52 03/06/17) I'm a newbie, but a long time lurker of the board.

I just bought a 1990 Case IH 265, and this is my first offset tractor to own. I drove a CIH 265 in college at a research farm spraying small plots, but I never cultivated with one.

The 265 I bought has the 416 version of the 265 front cultivators, which is the "four sweep front section." This seems to be identical to the old 144 cultivators. I have never used a tractor with front/belly mount cultivators, so I am learning as I go.

I am having issues getting both sides the same height- the left side is higher, and I can't figure out what the deal is. On the square shank mount on the LH side it is around 2" higher. I want to get both sides the same height. Here is some info:
1. Per the owners manual, I have both lift rods at exactly the same length- 25" (which is max) at a lifted position.
2. I have adjusted the lift arm clevis yoke on the LH side making it both shorter and longer, and I couldn't tell much of a difference if any. What exactly is the adjustable clevis used for?
3. At the front of the tractor at the gang beam bearing, the main beams are both the same- 22 1/4" from center of gang to level concrete floor.
4. When I measure the main beam at the toolbar bracket, the LH side is 21 1/4" and the RH side is 22 1/4" from cent to floor.

I have read both 265 and 144 cultivator owners manuals, but they don't tell you much about adjustments. Is something out of adjustment or is something warped? I don't want to start dismantling and ordering parts if something is just out of adjustment.

I bedded up my garden with some disk hiller mounted on the square shank mount, and you can tell a slight difference in the beds, but that isn't a huge concern of mine. My biggest concern is when I start using the front cultivators to cultivate with when my plants are small. My beds are 42" and I only plan on using cultivator sweeps on the front diamond tool bar. I don't plan on doing away with the hoe entirely, but I will be happy with the rear cultivator cleaning out the middles between the beds and the front cultivators cleaning off some of my bed.

Also, the owners manuals say to lubricate the cultivator pivot points with SAE 30W oil. Is this the best to use, or is there something better now?

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

POST PICTURES
 
I checked tire pressure when I first got it. Any time I get a new tractor I go over the maintenance schedule in the owners manual.

Tire pressure is fine. I ended up spending over an hour adjusting the lift rods and I got it pretty level now. Is it normal to have a difference of one inch from one side to the other?

The "yoke clevice" I was referring to is this: https://burchstoretractors.com/products/new-cultivator-yoke-clevis-for-farmall-140-130-super-a-100-cub-tractors-516766r1

So the yoke clevis is used to adjust fore/aft of the front diamond shaped tool bars? How often does this have to be done? I set them both at the same setting.

What is the best lubricant to use on the pivot points? The ops manual says SAE 30W- if that's the best how much has to be used.
 
Once you have the linkages adjusted to specifications, don't be concerned about keeping all at spec. The important thing is how the cultivator engages with the ground. You say the left side is higher. I speculate instead, the right side is lower. I'm guessing the cultivator was used as a step to get on the tractor and the front lift arm that the lift rod fastens to is slightly bent. Not a big deal. Adjust the lift rod and don't use the cultivator for a step.
Yes, 516766R1 is to level the diamond shaped tool bars. This may need to be readjusted in the field as the rear may pivot upward when engaging the ground. It should be level while cultivating.
Any oil is better than no oil. Just use enough to keep everything moving freely.
 

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