Upgrading tractor hydraulics

I decided to upgrade my tractor’s hydraulics.  I am not getting younger and many of the fun experiences of my 20s are now having an impact in my 50s.  One of the modifications that I want to make is adding a hydraulic top link. The normal threaded rod used on the top link is just a pain—both metaphorically and literally.  I have arthritis in my hands that makes the rod very painful to turn, and I really need to adjust the top link most when backing up and attaching implements.  Flipping a simple switch to adjust the top link is much simpler.

I ordered from Summit Hydraulics.  They had all the appropriate kits and hardware needed.  I have plans to add a flail mower soon that has a hydraulic offset, thus requiring a second hydraulic circuit.  And I might add a hydraulic lift arm to the 3 point lift so that I can tilt my attachments if needed (such as mowing a ditch back).  With all that I went ahead and bought the kit that has 4 circuits just in case I ever need another one.

I got the box and let me tell you that these things are HEAVY!!  All the pieces look solid and good quality.  The kit itself doesn’t look like it should be too hard to install, but the challenging part is that I will have to take apart the back half of my tractor for installation.  I will definitely be getting assistance from my awesome neighbor who is a retired mechanic.

In the future I also have plans to add more hydraulics for a grapple, but that project will be for another day.

I will let everyone know how this works once installed.  I will see about getting pictures of my tractor undergoing surgery!

Eric

I have spent the last three days deep in a tractor project.  My extremely helpful neighbor has been helping me install a Summit Hydraulics set of rear hydraulics.  Actually this involves three separate kits.  Firstly I needed to install a Power Beyond which taps into the tractor hydraulics and brings the outlets to the rear of the tractor.  At that point it connects to the main block for the rear remotes.  Finally the hydraulic toplink is connected to the hydraulic block.  

But it is quite a process and the instructions leave something to be desired!  Today was the third day of 8+ hours per day tearing the tractor apart and putting in new components.  At the moment it’s pretty rough looking but tomorrow we will start putting the thing back together.  I do still have to buy one more hose but at that point I should have a functional hydraulic toplink that will make hooking up implements much easier and I can adjust them while I am operating the tractor, something that I can’t do now quickly or easily.

I included a few pictures to show progress.  I will add more as we reassemble things tomorrow.



Eric

I am looking at things, but I dont understand what you are actually replacing?

John C Daley,

The only thing I am actually replacing is the toplink on the 3 point hitch.  At the moment the toplink is the standard threaded rod type.  This is a real pain to do.  I actually can’t do it by hand as the attachments are too heavy (think 6’ bush hog).  That threaded rod will be replaced with a hydraulic cylinder which can be controlled by a simple rocker switch which I mounted on my ROPS/roll bar.

But to install this, I need to first install the Power Beyond which brings hydraulic attachments to the rear of the tractor.  These ports (3 of them) are mounted where the ROPS meets the fender on the left side of the tractor.  From there, the hydraulic diverter valves are located further up on the ROPS.  These diverter valves are a little bit high up, but we had to do so to ensure that connections could be made below.

And of course to do all of this we had to disassemble half of the back part of the tractor.  Between finding access for new hydraulic lines and getting electrical to the control valves, we have had a time.

Hopefully this covers your question.



Eric

Nice project Eric!
You will be pleased with the results.
I am most impressed with that beautiful, clean shop you are working in!
Might bit brighter and cleaner than my shop!

Thanks Eric all clear now

John C Daley,


Glad that lengthy explanation cleared things up and didn’t confuse you more.  I am prone to being overly verbose in my explanations.


Thomas,

Oh, I am SO looking forward to having rear hydraulics, especially a hydraulic toplink.  On my old subcompact JD 2305, I could twist that link to adjust a bush hog, but only with great difficulty.  Now that my bush hog is 6’ instead of 4’, I just can’t twist the link anymore.  This is made worse in the last two months as I have grown a bone spur on my right palm and I just don’t have grip strength that I once did.

If you look closely at the right side of the ROPS, the electrical controls for the hydraulics are located on the side, fairly far up.  This is so that the controls don’t impede access to my side fender controls & switches.  Also, I will only use the hydraulics when I am turning around to look at them so my left hand reaches them easily.  Further, I can still access them if I am standing behind hooking up an implement.  And it’s just a clean look.

And as far as that garage goes, it’s even better than you think!  When my neighbor bought that house, the layout of that building was a large (30’x60’?) heated/air conditioned out building.  But it only had a regular door for entry.  Attached to the building was a carport that entered in parallel to the main building.  My neighbor closed off the carport, making it a garage with the door added added so that entry was at a right angle to the main building.  At the other side of the garage he added another garage door leading to the main building which now is his shop.  So entry to the main building with the tractor is by driving through the garage.  And being a retired mechanic, he loves these projects, and he/we have a very nice place to work on them.


Thanks for the compliment Thomas,  I will post more pictures as this project comes together,



Etc

I should also add that now that I am in my 50s, I am paying for all the adventures I had when I was in my 20s.  I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything, but my body just doesn’t bounce back like it used to.  The last three days have been really punishing on my body.  There has been a lot of heavy and awkward lifting, twisting, turning, etc.  And as a result, my body is screaming at me to stop!  I have come home pretty achy each day and woken up sore, but in a strange way, it feels good.  Still, I am thankful that I have an appointment at noon today and there is no morning work.

In summary, I still have the aspirations of my 20s, but I am starting to have the physical limitations of someone in their 50s.  But it’s all good and fun!!


Eric

And still another thought for anyone else considering a similar project.


The kit I ordered from Summit Hydraulics has a four circuit diverter valve.  This is the most number of hydraulic circuits they offer for this type of kit.  I could have opted for a three or two circuit option, but four seems like the obvious choice for a couple of reasons.

First, I knew I needed a second circuit for an implement that I plan to acquire soon—a hydraulically offset flail mower.  So there is a second circuit I need immediately.  Further, I could consider adding a tilt function to my 3 point system so that I could tilt something like my grader blade or my flail mower (for mowing a ditch bank).  And if I ever need another circuit, I will have it.  The system is future proofed.

The second reason for going for the maximum number of circuits is that once all the requisite components are added up, adding in an extra circuit is almost trivial.  Basically, each new circuit costs about $100, a small price to future proof the hydraulics.


Food for thought for anyone else thinking about doing something similar.



Eric

You're certainly showing your age, Eric.
With the body aches, but much more so with your words of wisdom.

Let us all take a moment to tip our glasses to the aching aged permaculturists worldwide! .... ;-)

With that out of the way, Eric....nice additions and some questions.  My impression from the kit you ordered is that you are adding auxiliary hydraulic lines and ports to the stock tractor hydraulic system, is that correct?  Or have you also upgraded the hydraulic pump within the tractor in the event that greater flow and/or pressure is needed to accomodate those extra lines and potentially extra functionality.  To be sure, if the extra ports are there for extra flexibility when running only one extra hydraulic load at a time, the the stock hydraulic system may be sufficient....indeed, it may be of a good enough size to service ALL of the added ports/lines at one time.

I'm curious about this due to an issue I haven't resolved yet on the unit pictured below.  A friend welded up a front mount skid steer quick-hitch to go on the front of my Deere 1445 front mount mower/snowblower so that I could increase the flexibility of the machine for loading tasks.  Calculations were that the new implement should be fine for light to moderate loads because the hydraulics driving those lift cylinders already were able to lift the 500 lb snowblower and mower attachments as needed. (Both the mower and the snowblower use a PTO shaft to drive the blades/augers, so no hydraulic capacity needed here except for lifiting the units.)  Nevertheless, it  turns out that I'm just at the edge of functionality with this new implement since the hydraulic pump is either insufficient to make the lift or is so old that it needs refurbishing or upgrading for proper function.

Did you also consider those kits that add a pump and separate hydraulic reservoir to the rear PTO....I've considered this for my Kubota as it already has a skid-steer bracket on the loader arms and could work with the many hydraulic-motored snowblowers out there for skid steers.  But the limits on the internal hydraulic system of the tractor itself likely would necessitate beefing up the the hydraulic system to be able to successfully drive that snowblower motor as most units are cutting 5' swaths of heavy, drifted snow.  

Also to chime in....enviable shop and workspace!

John Weiland, Thomas,

Thanks for the kind words about my aching body and my age!!  But a whole lot of thanks needs to be directed at my neighbor who is absolutely relentlessly driven to see this project through.  He is up and working on it before I get there in the morning and is there after my wife drags me home for dinner.  He is the real hero of this project.

I am back from a fourth day of work and aching but I have some further good news.

One of the frustrations I have had with this tractor, which is otherwise great, is that the key is placed well below the steering wheel and easily gets bumped by my feet, legs, knees, or just about anything as I get on and off the tractor.  I have long wanted to move the ignition and since the tractor is torn apart, I decided to move it to the right side fender accessory assembly.  There is even a circular punch-out typically used for a mid mount mower that has an independent hydraulic lift.  Since I don’t ever plan on having a MMM, this spot is perfect for my new ignition location.


John Weiland,

I am only adding additional hydraulic circuits, no additional or upgraded hydraulic pumps.  I only plan on using these circuits for running hydraulic cylinders, not additional hydraulic motors.  But don’t get me wrong, hydraulically driven attachments sound like all sorts of fun!!



I added a couple of pictures of today’s progress.

Eric Hanson wrote:..............the key is placed well below the steering wheel and easily gets bumped by my feet, legs, knees, or just about anything as I get on and off the tractor.  

Ah, these little annoyances.  Good fix that you found for this and glad you had spare locations on the fender for extra bells and whistles.  Likewise, I like my Kubota as it's the larger tractor on the property and my wife likes its stability when pasture mowing.  However, as shown below, the standard key shape for the L-Series tractor has an asymetric head, crucial to my issue.  It's common to drive while mowing with one's back turned so you can see the mowing progress behind you.  In my case, however, my body pivots just enough (clockwise) when doing so that my left knee cuts across the center of the operator's station and hits that key juuuuuust right to turn off the engine when in full mowing stride!  (Grrrrrrrr!!...) Rather than moving the key location or cutting off that bulge in the key head to render it more symetrical, I opted for surgical knee cap resection so that now my knee passes past the key switch location with no contact to the key.


.... :-) .... kidding.

Really do need to cut that key down....... :-P    Nice to see your project coming along!

It’s early morning and I am getting ready for day 5(?)—has it been that long?  Whatever.  My body is protesting, especially some arthritis that is flaring up in my right hand—no doubt from gripping, twisting, turning and otherwise manipulating tools, especially in awkward positions where power tools won’t reach.  But the good news is that we are done disassembling and we are now putting things back together.  We will see how far things go, but I hope to make substantial progress today.  It would be great to get this project finished!

I had a thought yesterday.  I am putting in hydraulics in part to make easier work that I would otherwise do with my back—for instance, a grapple is in my future, and that hands down beats dragging branches by hand.  But I am wondering how much wear and tear installation is putting on my back so that I can save my back late.  But this is just an ironic thought that I had during one of my achy episodes.


I will post again in a few hours.



Eric

Eric Hanson wrote:.......But I am wondering how much wear and tear installation is putting on my back so that I can save my back late.  But this is just an ironic thought that I had during one of my achy episodes.

Here's another thought that has been plaguing me recently and you can ponder as you re-open wounds on the bloody knuckles from the past few days.  For sure, the aging process will have its way.  Yet it's equally clear that genetics along with behavior will influence to varying degrees the extent to which we still have good functioning going into the winter years.  The aging and genetics we can't control, but our exercise level and variety, given the admitted limits imposed by our aging/genetics, can make a pretty big difference in our advanced year functionality.  This past week, partially due to what I feel was induced by the hot humid weather, my back went into familiar but very painful spasms for several days....not really recovered even at this point.  Even though the routine chores on the property are still getting done since my stroke a few years back, I know my work rate has been much lower than before.  With this lower work-rate comes less exercising, stretching, and twisting of muscles and joints that assist in staying limber and as strong as one can be.  With all of this, I'm both grateful at the assistance provided by tractors, UTVs, hydaulic modules, etc. as well as wary about how the use of these detracts from using my body whenever possible as part of the exercise routine. It's there in the back of my head now each time I've getting ready to slide into the golf cart or UTV or fire up the tractor.  As much as it would be more comfortable NOW to use those machines, could I perhaps do all or part of the task without the use of the machines in an effort to exert 'good' stress and strain on my body?  The idea being that the extra stress and discomfort now will pay dividends later in reduced instances of back spasms, joint aches, insomnia episodes, etc.  I suspect such added exercise likely assists as well organ function since the ramifications of being too sedentary on organ decline are well documented.

All of this said, I'm glad for the various machine assistants that we have the property and my wife for sure is grateful that my interest in these items provides her with excellent resources for her tasks.

I will comment more in the future, but here are some pictures now.


Eric

Ok, I am writing this after getting a night’s sleep after yesterday’s events.  Actually, things went smoothly as we were basically reassembling and not tearing apart.  We finished the installation of the power to the switches that will operate the new valves and then we started putting the tractor back together.  The whole session there was about 6 hours so it was a short day after four long and arduous days.  

One nice little bit of installation that we did was putting in the hydraulic toplink.  The toplink itself just pinned into place, replacing the old threaded rod.  We then experimented with different positions to run hydraulic hoses from the toplink to the hydraulic block on the ROPS.  At this point we have what seems to be a workable solution.  However, if you look closely, you can see that the Power Beyond is not fully connected to the hydraulic block as we are short one hose.  This is ordered and should be arriving tomorrow at which point we can finish this project off.  One nice touch that JD added into the design was to include a dedicated compartment inside the right fender for running hosed and the like.  They even included a little door that can drop down and cut to size for the hoses.  I included a before and after picture in the last two images.

Overall the kit has been pretty solid, but there are a few points that we modified such as putting the switches directly on the ROPS and adding an extra bracket to stabilize the hydraulic block.  You can see this extra bracket in images from the left rear and the bracket is shiny, unpainted bare aluminum.  Although the actual product seems solid, I will say that the instructions are vague at best.  So far I can recommend the product but reading the instructions requires substantial interpretation and modification.

Soon this installation should be completed and I will report about actual use!!  And in the meantime I added a bunch of pictures.


Eric

John Weiland,

Ah, yes—those darn key issues.  I am sure that the key placement was the absolute last part of the design process so it just went wherever there was an empty place under the hood.

Maybe a solution for you, and one that I was seriously considering but opted against as this build is already pretty complex, is to replace the key with a push-button ignition.  I looked and there are a few out there that basically mount flush with the deck.  This can get a little tricky as you might need to mount two switches—one switch to turn the electrical on and one momentary switch to engage the starter.  The obvious downside is the need for two holes, but the upsides include flush mounts that won’t get accidentally swiped by your knees and the availability of these switches for affordable prices.

And again, this is just food for thought.



Eric

ALMOST done.  

At this point the hydraulics are installed and fully functioning.  All I need to do is get some dust covers for the quick connections and a few other very minor details and it will be done.

So today I added up my time spent on this project which by today has been six days.  The total time: 48 hours.  Actually this is a fairly conservative estimate.  My neighbor spent considerably more time, especially considering that he spent multiple nights up with his mind racing about how to do a series of specific tasks.  He REALLY rose to the occasion and I am trying to think about how to at least somewhat repay him.  Actually he really enjoyed the project as much or more than I did.  Today I had an appointment at noon.  When I got home he called me and told me to go outside.  He was there in his truck.  He had actually opened my mail to get the package containing the hose I ordered to make sure that I was going to work.  Please don’t get concerned, he wasn’t violating my privacy.  He is merely very engaged in the project and if I am the beneficiary of his enthusiasm, then who am I to blame.

On a related note, I have a new respect for mechanics, especially how their work takes a toll on their bodies.  These were some long and arduous days and as I have stated before, I ache and my body needs a break. I really feel for those mechanics who have joint and muscle pain and do their job anyways.  I tip my hat to them.


Eric

A Job well done!
He will not want to take it, but get him a $100 dinner certificate at a local eatery  and force it on him!
Or, if he has a significant other, give it to them.
Or mail it to him with a note saying it can not be refunded, so he has to go!

And if that doesn't work, buy him a specialty tool.

Thomas,

I might be able to get something to his wife.  But I can’t possibly conceptualize any tool in existence that he doesn’t already have.

Eric

I will need to get a picture, but I finally got to get pragmatic use of the new hydraulics recently.  Hooking up the rough cutter was easy!!  The hydraulic toplink (HTL) allowed me to adjust the pitch if the mower from the tractor seat using nothing more than a press of a button!!  And during actual use, I could mow closer to the ground and still get good ground clearance.  I wish I had this earlier, but now that I have it, it is just amazing!!  I would have loved to have had this on my old JD2305.  Sometimes hooking up a new attachment was terrible painstaking.  The flick of a switch is just amazing!

I am going to come out and say that this might be the single best modification one can make to a tractor.



Eric

Just a little more reflecting:

My tractor is parked inside the garage, but the bush hogging is not finished.  Normally there would be absolutely no way that I would take off the rear cutter before the job was done as attaching and removal was so laborious.  Now, what had been the hardest part is accomplished by the flick of a switch.

Moreover, I was actually able to mow quite low this year.  In the past I did not let the mower mow very low because if I did so, then I would not be able to lift the tail wheel off the ground very high.  I know that this sounds like an odd description, but what I really needed for transportation and maneuvering was for the top link to be short, thus bringing the tail wheel very high off the ground.  BUT, doing so meant that I could barely--if at all--mow in the first place.  And again, I could have done this in the past--by twisting that top link, but that was a such a laborious chore that I really did not want to adjust it once I got it set.

So the overall operation now is so immensely enhanced that I can barely understand how these machines work without the latest addition.  

So I am absolutely loving this project.  My neighbor gently teased me when he mentions that I spent $1500 all-in.  In return my response is that it was worth every penny, and If I had known how useful it is, I would have tackled this long ago.


I will get some more updates in the future, especially as I get new implements!


Eric

One other thing:

I should have mentioned this earlier, but after I got the whole project finished I enthusiastically tried to hook up my rotary cutter.  I couldn't do it.  The two lower pins linked up just fine, but the toplink was *JUST* too short.  I had to buy the next sized cylinder.  That new one is perfect.

So this brings me to two thoughts about anyone else wanting to do this or something cylinder.  


1) make sure that you measure carefully and allow for the unexpected to happen.  Avoid connections at the extreme ends wherever possible.

2) I have an extra hydraulic cylinder in my garage that I am not using.  Anyone want to buy an unused but discount priced hydraulic toplink?




Eric

Eric Hanson wrote:....... My neighbor gently teased me when he mentions that I spent $1500 all-in.  In return my response is that it was worth every penny, and If I had known how useful it is, I would have tackled this long ago.

I'm already realizing how much the hospital bill might be if I accidentally place an implement on my foot or knee at this age while struggling with the 3-point hook-up.  And I'm thinking it would be more than $1500!..... So you are ahead of the game with those expenses to make your tractoring easier -AND- safer.

Oh, John--you are so right about the future medical expenses!



And I can get there without even having things drop on my feet at all.  The sheer amount of awkward back work that I needed is greatly, almost completely gone.

So in say, two years and I look back at the decision to get the hydraulics, I can ask myself "Do I miss that $1500 because I should have put it elsewhere?".  And the answer is a decidedly "NO!"

Just this last weekend I backed the tractor up, tilted the 3pt and that was that.


To anyone reading this and thinking about getting a new tractor and considering the same, my advice is to buy the top link.  It is cheaper than the medical bills to say nothing of the time and frustration of hooking it up without.  And to be certain, I really do understand being on a tight budget--I have been on a very tight budget for almost all of my life.  Its true that my wife is a doctor, but does not make us rich and she had a bunch of debt from her education.  I needed a tractor because of the land we own and the house we built--which kinda maxed our incomes out at the time.  Fortunately, we both earn much more than in the past.  I originally bought a much smaller tractor than I thought was appropriate (but still an amazing machine) and I tend to buy just the necessities at the time and gradually improve over time.

But this one part is, in my opinion, well worth the relatively small cost (compared to the cost of the tractor)  in terms of damage not done to your body.  Your older self can thank me later.

Eric  

And one more thought on future medical complications:



I have five years before retirement, after which I plan on using my tractor much more frequently.  But doing so frequently involves me doing physical work that requires close medical attention to my back!  I have a couple of toys (did I say that, I meant tools!) that I want acquire before retirement.  

At the moment, the first attachment is a flail mower so that I can do good brush mowing along trails, next to overgrown hedges, and generally mow in places that are not conducive to using the zero turn (miserable on a slope!) and needs a better finish than a rough cutter.

The second is a grapple.  The reason should be obvious—I can pick up heavy materials, carry and place them without getting off the tractor seat and that will certainly be better on my back.


My original plan was to get the flail mower in spring’26, whick is why I got the hydraulics last summer (to operate the hydraulic side-offset on the mower).  But I am wondering if I should go for the grapple and save my back one more year of heavy back-work.  My back problems have already cost me a number of unnecessary sick days this year and it has left a negative impact at school,

Both attachments are about the same price, but I have a huge chipping project coming up and a grapple would definitely be great for productivity, but perhaps even better for back injuries not incurred.


I am not looking for permission, but I am looking to bounce ideas off other like-minded people.


Eric