Lift-O-Matik

A quick-lift lever that raises the three-point linkage and lowers it to the same depth without touching the setting lever; the cable type can be converted.

The manual hydraulic control lever that raises and lowers the three-point linkage system on tractors. Its function is to take the linkage to the transport position and bring it back to the same depth without disturbing the working depth set by the main adjustment lever. With electronic retrofit kits it can be made drivable by joystick or button.

What it is good for

The real gain is at the headland. An operator who moves the position lever on every pass and brings it back catches a slightly different depth each time; when the job is finished, an uneven profile is left in the field. The Lift-O-Matik lever reduces this job to a single movement: raise, turn, lower. Because the main lever stays where it is, the depth is the same on every pass. For that reason the arrangement does not take the place of position control, it is a shortcut added on top of it; nor should it be confused with draft control.

The cable-controlled type and electronic conversion

In common practice this lever is triggered by a steel cable running inside a sheath to the control mechanism. In the cable-controlled Lift-O-Matik mechanism, when the cable is pulled the linkage rises and when it is released it comes back down. Retrofit kits take over the end of this cable outside the tractor and make the same pull with a DC motor.

These values show how much movement and how much force the kit produces; the trigger distance and the resistance of the mechanism have to stay within these limits. The force is only enough to move the control lever — what lifts the load is the tractor's own hydraulics.

That is also why the conversion is attractive. The hydraulic line is never opened, the valve is not removed, the oil is not drained; the kit only takes over the outer end of the cable. When the kit is removed the cable is refitted in its old place and the tractor returns to its original state. For that reason the conversion does not change the hydraulic behaviour of the tractor either: lifting speed, pressure and flow stay as they were.

What it is not

Lift-O-Matik is not a height adjustment; where the linkage will come down to is set by the main lever. Nor is it a safety function: it does not hold the linkage up and it does not take the place of a mechanical support while working under load. It is also not found on every tractor. If the control is driven by a direct rod linkage or by an electronic control unit, there is no cable-triggered arrangement and the retrofit kits that attach to the cable do not apply.

There is one more limit of use: the lever must not be forced beyond the transport position, into the continuous pumping sector. In this sector the relief valve opens continuously, the pump does work for nothing and the oil heats up. Pushing the lever all the way so that it "goes up a bit more" does not increase the lifting height; it only raises the oil temperature and, in the long run, tires the sealing elements.

What to do in practice

To find this lever on your tractor, follow the connection that goes to the quick-lift lever. If you see a steel cable inside a sheath, you are on the cable-controlled type and electronic conversion is possible. Pull the cable by hand, measure the trigger distance and the force required, then compare them with the kit limits. If the lever works stiffly or the cable jams in its sheath, solve that mechanical problem first; electronic control does not put right a mechanical defect, it sits on top of it.

The context in which this term is used: What is Lift-O-Matik and how does it work?

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