Hydraulic top link

[buck12]

I am looking to add a hydraulic top link to my Grand L 5460. I am currently building a cabin on our rural property and will have lots of grading to do this spring. I have one rear remote. I know very little about hydraulics. I would really like to order from Fit Rite because he always is willing to give advice on TBN but I really need something within a couple of months.

Does anyone have any experience with this company TOP-N-TILT ?

 

[RNeumann]

No I do not.

I have a kit from these folks and it has served me well.
http://www.gearmore.com/gearmore/documents/items/Top__Tilt_Cylinders/TT0004-10_Top_TiltKits.pdf

Gearmore is a regional wholesaler so you may end up having to get this through a dealer.

The top link is the easier of the two since both ends are fairly standard. I’m sure their are lots of top links out there.

 

[/pine]

I am looking to add a hydraulic top link to my Grand L 5460. I am currently building a cabin on our rural property and will have lots of grading to do this spring. I have one rear remote. I know very little about hydraulics. I would really like to order from Fit Rite because he always is willing to give advice on TBN but I really need something within a couple of months.

Does anyone have any experience with this company TOP-N-TILT ?

They used to operate under a different name (partnership) and often promoted their business on TBN...during hay season it was about impossible to get them to deal with anyone but their hay farming customers...
I bought a top link from them and it worked fine for a few years and then the check valve quit working right and soon after the end cap o-ring started leaking...they wanted $5 for the o-ring (they would not tell me the actual size of the o-ring) and they wanted another $5 to mail one to me...I told them no thanks...

 

[Fallon]

Fit Rite Hydraulics - fitritehydraulics.com

He's on here as MtnViewRanch. I got cylinders from him for my former L3200 & now L4060HSTC. They fit perfectly. One of my L4060 cylinders developed a pinhole out of the blue after a year or so. It was quickly replaced.

He's not fast (1 man show) or the cheapest, but great quality & support. Last I heard his backlog was a month or 2. I'll be hitting him up if I ever need another set.

 

[old and tired]

I bought from them but it was pretty long ago... Under the original name. It was before I knew about Fit Rite. The main nut holding the rod came undone. Lucky not much weight on the 3ph at the time. Screwed it back together, with locktight, and still going strong. But that was many years ago...

 

[ovrszd]

I was in a hurry for one also. I ordered from Surplus Center.


Surplus Center

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I am looking to add a hydraulic top link to my Grand L 5460. I am currently building a cabin on our rural property and will have lots of grading to do this spring. I have one rear remote. I know very little about hydraulics. I would really like to order from Fit Rite because he always is willing to give advice on TBN but I really need something within a couple of months.

Does anyone have any experience with this company TOP-N-TILT ?

I'm currently at about a 20 week lead time. I typically provide a 2 1/2" dia cylinder with a 1 1/2" dia rod with a working length of 23 1/4"- 35 1/4" similar to the top link of the T&T set pictured.

If you can find something close to that, you should be good to go. If not, contact me to get in line.

Good luck.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm currently at about a 20 week lead time. I typically provide a 2 1/2" dia cylinder with a 1 1/2" dia rod with a working length of 23 1/4"- 35 1/4" similar to the top link of the T&T set pictured.

If you can find something close to that, you should be good to go. If not, contact me to get in line.

Good luck.

Good stuff Brian. Thanks for posting!!!!!

 

[Threepoint]

I am looking to add a hydraulic top link to my Grand L 5460. I am currently building a cabin on our rural property and will have lots of grading to do this spring. I have one rear remote. I know very little about hydraulics. I would really like to order from Fit Rite because he always is willing to give advice on TBN but I really need something within a couple of months.

Does anyone have any experience with this company TOP-N-TILT ?

Buck12, yes, I've had their cat 1 hydraulic top link on my Kioti NX4510HST cab for six years. It's held up just fine for me, and I use it heavily for grading with an 84" 750 lb box blade, and also with an 84" 550 lb rear blade. Your tractor's 3pt is set up for both cat 1 and cat 2, so you'd probably want to go with their cat 2 top link if you source from Haytools.com

The company is owned/run by Mark Carter, who, as you can see from the disclaimer on the website, is careful to note that it's not associated with another ag equipment company run by some of his kin. The hydraulic top link is imported, and from what I can see from specs and artwork, is similar to other units in that price range equipped with an onboard check valve, offered by several other ag supply vendors.

Up until six years ago, Haytools also offered custom/semi-custom hydraulic side links as well, but at about the same time that I bought my top link, Mark was discontinuing them. He had run into a supply problem with the fabricators he was using in the U.S. (Midwest) that were making the side links up for him on an order-by-order basis. As you probably know, the side links must be carefully matched to the geometry of the specific brand and model of tractor because of the offset angle(s) and clearance required. As others note, Brian Scudder at Fit-Rite Hydraulics is a very well regarded source for those, and of course for top links as well. A good guy also, who's very helpful on this board. :thumbsup: I don't know if Brian now offers check valves on his units on request. Some folks want them, some don't.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

While a hydraulic top-link is totally awesome, experience informs me to avoid a tilting side link. My tilting side link that I purchased from Michigan Iron, a Kioti dealer, broke the yoke right off of the cylinder. At some point, I need to take 7018 rod, grind the old weld off of the cylinder and yoke, V-grove it and weld in several layers to fix it.

The top-n-tilt usefulness was limited due to the three-point wanting to float and because there is no provision in the bottom yoke to pivot as the ram is extended and retracted, this led to a fatigue break at the weld between the ram and the lower yoke. The OEM weld itself at the yoke and cylinder did not penetrate well (maybe only an 1/8 inch) and was a single pass.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Threepoint, yes I can provide the check valves on any of the cylinders that I provide if requested, I just don't push them.

As far as what MinnesotaEric mentions as far as a side link yoke breaking off, I have not had a single one crack-break off that I am aware of. I have done quite a few for the Kioti tractors from the CK2510 all the way up to the PX1153. None having any issues. :thumbsup:

 

[ovrszd]

Threepoint, yes I can provide the check valves on any of the cylinders that I provide if requested, I just don't push them.

As far as what MinnesotaEric mentions as far as a side link yoke breaking off, I have not had a single one crack-break off that I am aware of. I have done quite a few for the Kioti tractors from the CK2510 all the way up to the PX1153. None having any issues. :thumbsup:

I homemade mine and have used the snot out of it. No breakage.

A Hydraulic top link is nice. A Hydraulic side link is awesome. I can't imagine trying to use a BB without one...…

If anyone would report here that they broke either of FitRite cylinders I would accuse them of abuse.

 

[DK35vince]

Does anyone have any experience with this company TOP-N-TILT ?

That's where I got my hydraulic top link (probably close to 17-18 years ago)
Still working fine, never an issue.

 

[K5lwq]

I used FitRite for my Kioti and they fit perfectly. I ordered left and right tilt as well as top link. I needed, wanted the left to help with using quick hitch on my finish mower. The stock arm would not go low enough to hook up. I have found I like having the flexibility of dual tilt. I will be ordering from FitRite again for my Branson.

 

[oosik]

My hydraulic top link is from Fit Rite. Five years now - works great. Highly recommended. It's on my 10,010 pound Kubota M6040. It controls my 1050 pound Rhino 950 rear blade.

 

[buck12]

Thanks for all the replies. I will only have a hydraulic top link since I only have one rear remote. I really want to support Fit Rite as he is always willing to answer questions but I have put off buying a little too long. I may still order from Fit Rite but I am exploring other options that I can get sooner.

 

[Threepoint]

While a hydraulic top-link is totally awesome, experience informs me to avoid a tilting side link. My tilting side link that I purchased from Michigan Iron, a Kioti dealer, broke the yoke right off of the cylinder. At some point, I need to take 7018 rod, grind the old weld off of the cylinder and yoke, V-grove it and weld in several layers to fix it.

The top-n-tilt usefulness was limited due to the three-point wanting to float and because there is no provision in the bottom yoke to pivot as the ram is extended and retracted, this led to a fatigue break at the weld between the ram and the lower yoke. The OEM weld itself at the yoke and cylinder did not penetrate well (maybe only an 1/8 inch) and was a single pass.

Eric, ouch, that's surprising about your MIE side link. I've had a hydraulic side link from MIE for almost 6 years on my NX4510HST cab, and so far so good. My cat 1 3pt setup is slightly different than the dual cat 1/cat 2 on your NX6010HST cab, so there may be something about that difference that affects the distribution of forces. Below is a pic of my MIE side link, extended for full right tilt. On mine, perhaps there is enough play in the fit of the clevis/yoke ends on the upper lift and lower link arms to deal with changing stress as the 3pt floats.

 

[/pine]

For an economical quick solution (especially if you already have a remote) this one is hard to beat...been using one for the last few years with no issues to date.

Hydraulic Top Link-Tractor, 3 point | Agri Supply 90599

 

[buck12]

I'm currently at about a 20 week lead time. I typically provide a 2 1/2" dia cylinder with a 1 1/2" dia rod with a working length of 23 1/4"- 35 1/4" similar to the top link of the T&T set pictured.

If you can find something close to that, you should be good to go. If not, contact me to get in line.
Good luck.

Thanks for the great advice you give freely on TBN. I have done fair bit of searching and have only been able to find 10 inch stroke cylinders.

 

[Threepoint]

Threepoint, yes I can provide the check valves on any of the cylinders that I provide if requested, I just don't push them.
[snip]

Great to know. Thanks, Brian!