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| Hey Guys,
As the title says, we have an early Magnum 245 (in that '06-07 short transitional run) that instantly developed a 3-point hitch problem. In short, it is acting like there is something in the hydraulic circuit that is constantly leaking off on the lift portion of the circuit.
Right now, I am about 90% certain it is NOT a lift cylinder seal problem. Reason being, I have felt the temperature of the fittings at both the top and bottom ports. The bottom ports give a definite indication of warmth when operating the hitch, while the top fittings stay noticeably cooler. AND the biggest symptom by far, the hitch will instantly drop from the highest raised position to the absolute bottom in about 10 seconds after shutting the engine off. When it does this, you can distinctly hear oil bypassing in the control valve right up to the point where the lift cylinders bottom out.
Another symptom, with a heavy load on the hitch, it will continuously drop about 6 inches and jump back up to its set height in about 4 seconds. With no weight on the hitch, it will gradually settle an inch and pop back up at approximately a 10 second interval.
There is no change in performance at all with the position of the drop speed control. In fact, it does not give any indication of controlling the drop rate of the hitch at all with both a heavy-load and no-load. The draft control has no influence as well.
Another characteristic that I have seemed to pick up on, is it acting like it cannot completely achieve its controlled set-height ... meaning it is always just a little short of raising to its true set-point. I noticed this by its finickiness to "Hitch Capture." To get it to capture, you have to raise it manually with the height control knob and then turn down the upper-limit control to basically "get them to briefly align" with one another. It also throws the "Hitch Capture" fault when the 3-point lockout on the drop control changes state from the lock to unlock position. Lastly, the hitch never gets above 93% of its raise height with no weight and 86% with a heavy load.
Anyway, I hope I've given enough information as to indicate what the culprit might be. I have my suspicions, but I want to run it by the great minds on here first. TIA
Mav
Edited by Mav 11/7/2025 16:04
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Gen 3 Magnum 3-Point Hitch Problem
