Looking to replace lower links with longer.

[Pete Judd]

I picked up a middle buster, and even with the shortest top-link, I still need it to dig deeper. Posted on the attachments form, and was told to add longer lower links. Are lower lift arms pretty much standard, or are there some things that I need to look for? Also, what effect if any will on my tractor?

 

[winston1]

Your side link arms should have about 3 adjustment holes like this. Also one side made for level adjustment. Yanmar Tractor Parts: Fixed side link

 

[clemsonfor]

Id like to get longer arms as well. It will keep wide-pin placement implements from causing the tires to hit as easy, yes i know you can swap pins but some implements are shared by larger standard tractors. Also i could then use my buddies tiller maybe that wont fit my yanmar cause of the short arms (drive shaft is too long). I have to borrow another friends tractor which is a yanmar made JD 855 or either just yanmar engine, but stuff on it looks yanmar i dunnot, anyhow it fits her tractor just fine and its smaller than my yanmar by a few inches i think.

 

[Pete Judd]

Winston, not the side link arms, but the lower link arms. Seems I need a couple of inches as I can't go any shorter on the top link.

 

[deepNdirt]

Just to give another option I might suggest modifying the buster not sure which style you have, if is the one with the cross bar rather than the A-frame you could simply weld up on the tops side some extra brackets to install the pins up higher, therefor will allow it to drop down more,
actually I'm in the middle of building something similar to a buster, but the use will be for trenching, my main concern was having it to dig deep enough at(24") but also needing it to lift high enough to clear the ground when in travel,

 

[winston1]

Winston, not the side link arms, but the lower link arms. Seems I need a couple of inches as I can't go any shorter on the top link.

My bad, I thought you were needing to go deeper. What is the center to center of your existing lower lift arms? According to Hoye's it should be about 23-1/2". That is if you have a 186.

 

[Pete Judd]

As the crow flies, 24 1/2 inches center of the pin to center of the pin. On the lower lift arms.

 

[shawnjvl]

Yanmar Tractor Parts: LOWER LIFT ARM (OFFSET)

Here's the ones I would get.

 

[Pete Judd]

Shawn, unless my math is off, a 27 centimeter lift arm is only 10.9251 inches long. I need at least 27 or 28 inch long lift arm. Correct me if I am wrong. Or if Hoye has made a mistake, and they are quoting metric, and should be quoting inches.

 

[winston1]

What about this one? Yanmar Tractor Parts: Lift arm - 27.75 centers What about a shorter top link? Yanmar Tractor Parts: Top link - 9 tube - Cat. 1

 

[Andy in Gap]

Pete, I have a 187D and in order for me to get the middle buster to dig, I purchased a CAT 0 top link that I can make very, very short. You can then angle the point of the blade to dig very aggressively. You'll have to use cat 0 pins in the top link and there will be a bit of slop in the holes of the middle buster, but I haven't had any issues. I suppose you could get bushings for the implement holes if you wanted, but you'll stop the tractor before you tear anything up. I'd hate for you to have to buy new arms when a $20 top link might fix it. :thumbsup:

 

[Andy in Gap]

What about a shorter top link? Yanmar Tractor Parts: Top link - 9 tube - Cat. 1[/QUOTE]

This looks like a good solution, looks like it would be short enough.

 

[Pete Judd]

Decided to take a old top link that I don't use anymore, and I will try to cut and weld, to make a real short one. Winston, I did not have my readers on when I read the post, thought that the 27 inch centers, where 27 centimeters. Opps.

 

[deepNdirt]

Today I test my home built buster/trencher and right away it would dig to 8" depth, I tried a 2nd and 3rd pass over the same rut but it would not go down any deeper, I think now I understand why must have a shorter top link as the cutting spade drops lower it levels out therefor not having the ability to dig any deeper, I turned in on the top link to about 2 inches shorter and was able to make another pass that dug another 4" deeper giving a total of 12" depth, Not quite what I wished for but on the right track:thumbsup: I had hope to have built it to dig a trench of approx 24" deep, x 10" wide...
Although I do think you are on the right track with using a shorter top link, the top link I have will only go as short as 15" and is not enough to let my trencher go any deeper, I think I'm going to have to make up a slip tube from 2 pc's of pipe, one just small enough to fit inside the other and can be shrink down to 10" and stretch out to about 18", will need to drill a series of holes through both pipes at about 3" increments so it could be as easy as to just pull a pin slip it to the next shorter length re-insert the pin and make the next pass over the trench, I might be realistically looking at only a -20" depth but this will be below the frost line here in our area,.....
but anyhow! I think the key is to using a shorter top length , Yes extending the lower arms would prove to work the same way, but more of an expense,

 

[Pete Judd]

Deep, I agree with the cost. I will be hitting the toplink with the cutoff saw and see if I can get it to adjust down to 8-9 inches. I picked up a 14 1/2 inch compressed, and I am only getting down around 10 inches. My 3plh still has a couple of inches of down left at that point.