How to rig a curtis plow ?

[Blackbeard]

Ihave a chance to buy a curtis plow with power angle and i have a jd 4510 with no rear remotes how can i rig thefront quick disconects by the loader hook ups temporary how mutch is it for dealer to add rear remotes / thanks for info iam new to this. Can i use the bucket tilt to use power angle instead of tilt?

 

[SeymourBota]

that is what I did with my Curtis- set the plow angle, disconnect the hydraulic lines and attach to the plow angle. Works fine as long as your dump cylinders don't leak by!!!

 

[keeney]

You could just get some hoses and the appropriate quick-connect fittings and make extensions. Route them from the front conenctions to the back in a way that doesn't interfere with anything or hang down too much. If you do a good job, you could probably leave them on the tractor.

Or, don't worry about routing the hoses and just lay them over the top of the operator platform, along the middle and then udner the seat only when using the blade.

Disconnecting the dump circuit on the loader should be fine for short term use - it will probably stay pretty much in the position its in when you disconnect. It might be tricky to run the rear blade without also lifting or lowering the loader if its on the same joystick. It will be a PITA if you use both the loader and the blade for snow-removal - you will have to stop and switch the hoses back and forth each time.

- Rick

 

[mhalla]

<font color="green">I am planning on doing something similar for my FEL but with a John Deere 60 inch blade that is ordinarily used on John Deere front mount mowers. This blade includes an angling cylinder that I want to activate using my FEL's dump circuit from the joystick.

I am thinking about adding a 12 volt solenoid operated double selector valve so I won't have to do so much unplugging and plugging among the hydraulic hoses.

A manual valve would cost less and work just as fine.

Acquiring the selector valve puts me in an ideal situation to add a hydraulic top link to my 3-pt hitch. Then the only switching of hoses I would need to make would be between the top link and the angling cylinders and that wouldn't be often for me --- more of a twice in the winter changeover. The again I could just add a second joystick control for these two additional cylinders but that might be adding to much to the amount of $$$ spent.

Mike
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[SeymourBota]

The Curtis blade is front mounted- it takes the place of the bucket.

 

[RickB]

If the Deere's bucket control spool is the regenerative type using that spool to run power angle won't work. NH has gone away from regenerative valving, hopefully Deere is non-regenerative. Most Curtis plows come with a lift chain welded to the plow's A frame. If yours has a chain, a common installation is to weld a grab hook to the loader's torque tube to capture the chain. Connect the plow to the loader boom only using two pins. Retract the bucket cylinders and uncouple the hoses, connecting the power angle hoses to the valve. Use the chain to set the plow level or one link shorter than level so the leading edge of the angled plow does not dig in. This approach eliminates the cost of extra valving. No undue strain will be placed on the bucket cylinders; they will not be asked to hold position indefinitely under load. The plow will have some degree of vertical float, usually desirable when plowing snow.

 

[keeney]

The bucket spool on the JD's I have seen have four positions. One is regenerative dump, but you can avoid tha position when using it to angle a plow. The same valve on my 4100 is used when the front plow is mounted instead of the loader.

 

[colestin]

I think RickB is right on. I just got a Branson 3510 with a curtis plow like yours. Haven't quite figgered it out -- but rickb's explanation of the chain may help me. The angle of the "dump" is important: If it is off, your blade will tilt whenever you use a left or right angle.

 

[gcrabb]

Blackbeard,

I have been using a setup similar to the one you mentioned for years, the only difference is the setup is for a Western Plow with power angle.

The plow is setup with JD Utility Quick Attach, there is also a 1/4" quick disconnect with 1/4" hose running the same path as the dump. The 1/4" hose then is converted to a JD 3/8" quick disconnect and plugs into where the FEL dump is located.
The 1/4" quick disconnect connects at the front of FEL to angle on the plow.

The JD Quick Disconnects are pretty expensive compared to normal Quick Disconnects like Pioneer at a farm store.

I have not had a problem with the dump cylinders leaking down over a period of 3 months.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/811

JD4600 with 460FEL with grapple fork, pallet fork and 7'6" Western Snow Plow, JD LX279, 84" KK finishing mower, 84" KK Landscape Box, 84" KK Landscape Rake, 84" KK Blade, and 72" KK Bush Hog, 7' Northern Tool Backhoe, Bri Mar 6X10 Dump Trailer, 20' Rugged Road Equipment Trailer.

Greg

 

[gbirky]

I ran into this very problem putting a JD 54" power angle blade on my Yanmar. The blade has a single angle cylinder and a single lift cylinder. I removed the loader and used the loader lift circuit for the lift cylinder so I could use the float. I hooked up the curl circuit to the angle cylinder and found that it only worked one way - of course the opposite way of what I wanted. Hooked up one way it worked fine, but the other way I could only extend the angle cylinder. I finally determined that the curl circuit is regenerative, and if hooked up backward, the difference in piston area would only allow extension.

I guess I'll just have to get used to the blade angling opposite of what I consider intuitive.