working on a category 0 3 point hitch for my 1054

[JUSS10 250]

alright so i posted up in the implement section that i picked up a GT-14 tiller the other day for cheap of CL. I've always wanted to build a cat 0 3 point hitch for my 1054 and this seemed like a good excuse to finally get it finished.

I plan to build this whole thing from scratch and without doing any permanent modifications to the sheet on my 1054. I have already gotten some .5 x 2 bar stock for my lower links and the bearings should be here today for those.

right now my biggest issue is how to get a top link mounted to this tractor. For those who know the 1054 they know there isn't anything but sheet metal above and around the rear end so i need to come up with some sort of bracket to mount the top link off from. I have been playing around with ideas in my head and have settled on this one based on fit in the limited space i have. the lower mount is similar to the GT14 setup but from there it needs to be pretty specific to the 1054. Since there is really nothing to bolt the top link to i used the lower bracket and extended it up to make some towers with a platform that extends out just under the tool box for the top link. i then added gussests from just below the top link down to the existing lift hitch for added support.

as for lift, i plan to keep the lift hitch in the rear and make a "T" bar that fits in there with links attached to lift with. So as of now there is no down force, just lifting.

as for right now i feel pretty good about the vertical forces of lifting and weight, however, should i be worried about the horizonal forces when pulling an attachment? there is a single bolt on the top of the transmission that i could potentially tie in to

here are some pictures of the tiller sitting behind the tractor, i plan to just mount a small engine on the tiller so i don't have to worry about running a huge belt all the way from the engine PTO

I was hoping to get to the bracket this weekend but its going to be a busy one so we'll see. maybe sunday afternoon. hope to at least get all my materials together by then

Justin

[ol550 829]

Were you wanting comments? My thoughts would be to move the lower lift link hook up as close to centerline

of the top link as possible. Just to give a more parallel lift. Just keep in mind that you will need at least a 10''

range at end of the lift links. 6'' of tilling depth and at least 4'' of transport clearance. You could extend the

base of the mount to attach to the frame ahead of the transmission if there is not a good place for a brace for

the top link. Maybe I should have taken geometry in school or did they even offer it back then? Mike

[JUSS10 250]

I had a friend take measurements of his GT14 and the top and lower links were around 6 inches apart. I went through the geometry and it doesn't stay level through the whole stroke but that's not as huge a concern. I found some documentation on cat 0 from the 70s and it showed the top link being further back than the lowers (not that that makes it right)

[Martin 2,130]

justin, i will be following along with much interest on this project of yours. have thought often about the possibility of hanging a 3 point off the back of mine.....

if you can get it to look 'right' on there, i think it would be a nice addition....

[Don1977 604]

I can see that you don't want to cut out the tool box on your tractor. I would cut it and move the top link in. I have a 59 JD the last of the two cylinders it has a short top link because of the design rear housing. The design does not work as well as tractors with a more equal top link and bottom arms. Looking at your drawing you can see that the top

link has to go more vertical to get max lift. It will work but it's not the best design.

[JUSS10 250]

i understand the reasoning for that, i just really want it to be an "add on" accesory that doesn't require modification on the tractor. I may just build it as is, and if i find it to be an issue, i will probably bring the lower links out somehow. whether i do that or decide to cut and move the top link in, i can still use the main frame design i currently have. like i said in my first post, my biggest concern is support for the top link point.

i plan to get the steel this afternoon and get started it on it some this afternoon and hopefully have a functioning mock up this weekend. i will probably pull the frame off the tiller just to get all three points moving with little weight to check the range of motion.

[JUSS10 250]

well i went and picked up the steel. ended up with the uprights being made of 2x4 (all they had on hand) instead of 1.5x3. seems it will be a good and bad thing, i can get my lower links back 1 more inch but now the slot they fit in is 1.625 inches wide, the spherical bearings for my lower links are only .625 in diameter to begin with so thats an inch of slop i need to try and make up somehow. will get pictures posted as progress is made

Justin

[312Hydro 473]

well i went and picked up the steel. ended up with the uprights being made of 2x4 (all they had on hand) instead of 1.5x3. seems it will be a good and bad thing, i can get my lower links back 1 more inch but now the slot they fit in is 1.625 inches wide, the spherical bearings for my lower links are only .625 in diameter to begin with so thats an inch of slop i need to try and make up somehow. will get pictures posted as progress is made

Justin

Maybe make up a couple of bushings,(maybe sch 40 pipe?)weld them in or weld flat stock inside to take up the space. That way your rod end will stay centered in the 2x4.If you even need to center it. I'm sure that you have already worked out a solution though. Nice work ,looks well thought out. That's a great 3-D program you are using, is it easy?

[JUSS10 250]

Well I stayed after work today to machine some of the pieces. Finally got home and started to fit everything. So far there has only been on one minor issue. The top link supports that run down to the hitch won't be able to be welded at the top as I had planned. As it sits, there is no way to remove Pinot install the pin needed to hold those up. I plan to just bolt them to the bottom of the top link mount to solve that issue. Hope to get that done and figured out tomorrow as well d get the lower links built

As for the software I use, I don't think it's terribly difficult but I've been using it for years. Its called Rhino and is really more of a product design software (I just graduated with a degree in industrial design) honestly if I had the access solid works would be my first choice

Here are some progress pictures

[CRE1992 135]

Its looking good!

-Charles

[Jake Kuhn 1,547]

Looking good Justin! Jake

[JUSS10 250]

made some quick changes to the cad model today. i plan to either use a pin or bolts at the top now to hold those supports in place and add ease of installation. this will allow me to install the supports first then bolt on the larger assembly.

[JUSS10 250]

Alright so after a few hours of cutting, welding and grinding here is the finished (until something needs to change haha) 3 point bracket. All I need now is to make my lower links. As you can see the lift hitch still has full functionality, which it will need since that's my current plan for lifting.

It's not perfect but I think it turned out pretty well. I will get a coat of primer on it then take it through a few tests. The Tiller I plan to use should do a good job of putting some stress on it to really see how well it works

To those who know the hydraulics on these machines, is the current pump and lift cylinder strong enough to lift cat 0 implements?

Here are some pictures from tonight

[clintonnut 126]

Sweet!

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Looking very good.

As far as the hydraulics...I think it will depend on leverage as much as anything. The hydraulics will/should have enough power, but the pivot points will be a big help.

[kpinnc 10,810]

To those who know the hydraulics on these machines, is the current pump and lift cylinder strong enough to lift cat 0 implements?

First of all, you've got some fantastic fab work there. Very well thought out and constructed!

I put a 3-point on my Bronco several years ago. I wanted seperate controls for the belly lift and 3-point, so I used dual cylinders and dual spools to control it. Point being, if PSI is an issue- you can use a larger diameter cylinder like I did from a D-series. The larger diameter moves a bit slower than a standard one, but is still plenty quick. The larger bore allows for much greater "force" exerted from the cylinder, and the larger rod can handle much larger static loads as well. My 3-point will lift my dual gang disc (200+ lbs) with me standing on it, which puts the total far over 400lbs. I'm sure it will lift much more than that, but I fear I'll just break something trying. The tractor can lift more weight than it can effectively pull.

[fireman 1,021]

That's a really nice job so far. Very well thought out!

[JUSS10 250]

thanks for all the kind words. it was really just thrown together. i did take a few measurements and the CAD deffinately helped piece it all together. There are quite a few things i would do differently if i did it again, and since i only have some $20 worth of steel into it, i may build a cleaner version at some point, maybe once i impliment a dedicated lift cylinder, guess we'll see Unfortunately i probably wont get around to testing it till next week as i am out this weekend and can only machine the holes for the spherical bearings after work so the lower links may take a little longer as i dont have the tools in my own shop to build those. I'm excited to get it work though.

Currently my plan is to slide a T bar into the lift hitch and use that as my lifting setup. Not sure if that will strain the lift cable too much or not. My next thought was to do a solid link from the mid lift, i think there is enough room to snake one through, similar to the GT14 setup.

I would like to just add a rear cylinder but this tractor is an odd ball in that its a manual with a pump for a lift but from what i have gathered there are no high pressure outs on the pump before the control valve that is built in. That being said i either need to:

1) remove the mid mount and run lines to the back to a cylinder (wouldn't be the worse thing as i dont mow with this machine, however i use it to plow snow)

2) add a double selector valve that allows me to select witch cylinder to control with the built in lift (this only allows control of one cylinder at a time, which isn't a huge deal)

3) i could add another pump, tank, and valve which i have these parts (no tank) but the motor direction is wrong on a wheel horse so that adds some more little issues.

All this brings me full circle back to the uniqueness of this machine and like all my mods i want something that doesn't affect the orignial machine and could always be removed. Guess I'll have to do some more thinking on it.... :eusa-think:

[JUSS10 250]

It works!!! Like I said in my last post I probably wouldn't get to building up my lower links so instead I decided to quick make some mock up ones with wood to test it (accidentally made them 2 inches longer than I planned). I am more than impressed with its lifting ability. It lifted the tiller plus a 60lb bag of concrete without even stressing the engine. For kicks I stood on it and it was able to lift all 6'4 235 lbs of me. I'm really excited to get the lower links finished now!

Here is a video

[312Hydro 473]

I like your approach to adding the 3pt.and using the implement hydraulics with the cable. After seeing it work it looks like the solution I've been looking for with the Sears 3pt.adapter on my 312H. Thanks for posting,great thread! That cad sure is slick.!

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,041]

Looks very nice !! The shorter the lower arms the more lifting power you will have.

[kpinnc 10,810]

Very nice work!

And just my two cents, but I like the cable idea. My 3-point has down pressure, and I have yet to find a use for it- aside from lifting the back wheels to show I have it. More often than not, the ability for the implement to "float" is far better.

I'm buiding a second machine now with the three point, and it will NOT have down pressure. These things are strong enough to lift a HEAVY implement, and that's all the down pressure you will ever need on such a small tractor.

[JUSS10 250]

Good to know about your thoughts on the down force. Since I know how much it can lift I can always just weight an implement if need be. We will see how well it works!

["D"- Man 827]

I have a suggestion (concerning uncertainty of the amount of stress this approach may put on the lift cable) if you would like, perhaps you could run two lift cables in parallel with longer clevis pins to attache them. Instead of the cable yokes straddling the hyd. lift assembly and (the other yoke) straddling the slot hitch you could just have one yoke from each cable on each side. This is certainly a credit to you and

your dedicaton to utilizing a Wheel Horse to it's fullest extent. Mark.

[JUSS10 250]

Twin54 the lift cable has been a place of concern for me. I'm not a huge fan of the way it's currently routed and think I may replace it entirely with either a solid link (need to prove if this is feasible yet) or a different cable like I did on my other tractors using a 1200 lb rated cable with D rings and cable clamps at either end.

I machined the holes for the sphericle bearings now. Just need to put the bens in the arms. They are 1/2 inch thick and I tried a torch at work this morning but it didn't seem like it wanted to get hot enough. I may just make a V notch with the grinder, bend to the correct angle then wel the seam back up...