"New" Tiller Draw Pins Too Close Together

[etpm]

Thank you for the suggestion, DL- I've been noodling along those lines and will take another look with your thought of using a spacer like that. I was also thinking of getting a 7/8" grade B7 threaded rod, and using a Cat 2 bushing over it to reduce likelihood of it bending. But your idea is probably better if I can choose square tubing that will contact more of the mount bracket. I'll look at that today.

I wonder about the Cat 0 idea in that it is a 5'5" tiller. While I don't know much about it that seems like a large attachment to be pulling with Cat 0. Also, the draw pins are 7/8" which leads me to think maybe it is more of a bastardized Cat 1. Driveshaft and clutch arrive tomorrow, so I should be able to connect it directly to the tractor to get started while I sort out the QH connection.

The Yanmar 5 foot wide tiller I have was made to be pulled by a cat 1 3 point hitch and it too has the narrow pin setup. Don't use 7/8 rod covered with a bushing, it will not be strong enough. You could use some 3 inch square bar to make the wider mount. Drill and tap each end the same thread that your pins are. Bolt the bar to your tiller and screw the pin into the bar. Because of the leverage the plate where the pins originally were mounted may start to bend. If this happens you may need to add some bracing to the tiller.
Eric

 

[etpm]

Whoops! I just looked at your pictures again. Just use 2 inch or larger round bar. You still may have some problems with bending.
Eric

 

[LD1]

Quick hitches are still relatively new in the tractor world. And as you are learning alot of old equipment just isnt compatible.

Aside from all of that, it looks like the top hook may give you fits too.

Can you cut and weld metal? If not, loose the QH and hook up the old fashion way

 

[bcp]

I've seen a photo or two where someone had a badly arranged implement or a tongue-pulled implement, so they bought and welded on a cheap trailer mover.

Walmart:

Tractor Tow Drawbar Adapter​

Robot or human?

 

[caine]

The Yanmar 5 foot wide tiller I have was made to be pulled by a cat 1 3 point hitch and it too has the narrow pin setup. Don't use 7/8 rod covered with a bushing, it will not be strong enough. You could use some 3 inch square bar to make the wider mount. Drill and tap each end the same thread that your pins are. Bolt the bar to your tiller and screw the pin into the bar. Because of the leverage the plate where the pins originally were mounted may start to bend. If this happens you may need to add some bracing to the tiller.
Eric

Thanks for the idea of the square stock, Eric. What model tiller to you have, and what do you pull it with? Are you using a quick hitch or just connecting directly?

As I look at the casting where the current pin is mounted, I don't see a way to get much more than 1-1/4" diameter of contact area with the mount although with a 2" piece of square bar the extension material itself would obviously not flex.

Your idea seems to be the best alternative I've come across so far. But unfortunately, I don't have the ability to weld or thread material that large so I would have to contact a machine shop and see what they would want to charge to do it.

Old dopey me didn't understand anything about gray market attachments but I'm getting the proverbial sheep-dip now!

I may end up punting on the quick hitch. Thanks again.

 

[3gunr]

I have that same tiller and you will find that the pins set back to far and when you lift it up all the way it might hit your tires or be very close, I built brackets that moved the pins out about 6 inches. Bought a new driveshaft with slip clutch, Tiller works great now.

 

[etpm]

Thanks for the idea of the square stock, Eric. What model tiller to you have, and what do you pull it with? Are you using a quick hitch or just connecting directly?

As I look at the casting where the current pin is mounted, I don't see a way to get much more than 1-1/4" diameter of contact area with the mount although with a 2" piece of square bar the extension material itself would obviously not flex.

Your idea seems to be the best alternative I've come across so far. But unfortunately, I don't have the ability to weld or thread material that large so I would have to contact a machine shop and see what they would want to charge to do it.

Old dopey me didn't understand anything about gray market attachments but I'm getting the proverbial sheep-dip now!

I may end up punting on the quick hitch. Thanks again.

I'm not sure which model I have. I did post about it when I bought it late last year. I think bmaverick told me what model it probably was. I could try tomorrow to find the model number. If you were to search the Yanmar forum I'm sure you could find my posts about the tiller and pictures of what it looks like.
The reason I suggested square stock at first is because I thought your tiller was more similar to mine than it actually was. But yours has bosses that the pin flange locates against whereas mine has flat plates.
I did post yesterday some pictures of the extension plates I had to make so that I could use my tiller on my YM2310 tractor. But my extension plates extended the pins away from the tiller, not wider. This had to be done because the tiller was too close to the tractor when connected to the 3PH arms. The tiller was so close that even a shortened Yanmar PTO shaft was too long by several inches.
Back to the tapped round stock. It would not be very expensive to have a machine shop drill and tap a length of 2 inch diameter mild steel round stock. If you go this route then you could buy the larger diameter CAT 2 pins that I assume your quick hitch uses and have the machine shop tap the extensions for the threads on those pins. So one end would probably be tapped for a 3/4 inch thread and the other end whatever the CAT 2 pins use. By using CAT 2 pins you wouldn't need to use bushings over the pins.
Eric

 

[xrjohndeere]

While I'm not a total novice, I'm no tractor expert at all. My 33 HP TYM HST has held up well over the years, and I have no trouble swapping my brush hog, box blade, or rake on and off my 3 pt hitch.

I bought a tiller (Shibaura RS 3147, also sold as Yanmar) for a song and a dance. I've ordered a new driveshaft and clutch. But lo and behold, the draw pins are set much closer together than I need. I have located "extra long" draw pins (6-1/2" long) but even those are not long enough for me to attach this to my quick hitch. It looks like I need more like 9"!! (Yes, I know what you're thinking...) Yes, I will add bushings to reduce rattle in the quick hitch, but I need to solve the length issue first.

I searched through the forums unable to find a post related to this problem. Does anybody have any suggestions or resources? Photos attached should convey what I'm grappling with.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I think it is time you visit harbor freight and get you cheap mig welder. Perfect project to justify the tool. Practice a little bit and make it fit your tractor. Never to old to learn a new skill.

 

[jyoutz]

Looks like one of the tillers that came on many import used tractors, that was intended to stay on that tractor for its lifetime. Non-standard hitches. etc. Sometimes reverse rotation on PTO.

I've seen them at low prices because they don't fit any standard tractor without modifications.

Bruce

That is exactly what I was thinking when I saw the photos. This may not be a useable tiller without modification including a pto reverser.

 

[caine]

I'm not sure which model I have. I did post about it when I bought it late last year. I think bmaverick told me what model it probably was. I could try tomorrow to find the model number. If you were to search the Yanmar forum I'm sure you could find my posts about the tiller and pictures of what it looks like.
The reason I suggested square stock at first is because I thought your tiller was more similar to mine than it actually was. But yours has bosses that the pin flange locates against whereas mine has flat plates.
I did post yesterday some pictures of the extension plates I had to make so that I could use my tiller on my YM2310 tractor. But my extension plates extended the pins away from the tiller, not wider. This had to be done because the tiller was too close to the tractor when connected to the 3PH arms. The tiller was so close that even a shortened Yanmar PTO shaft was too long by several inches.
Back to the tapped round stock. It would not be very expensive to have a machine shop drill and tap a length of 2 inch diameter mild steel round stock. If you go this route then you could buy the larger diameter CAT 2 pins that I assume your quick hitch uses and have the machine shop tap the extensions for the threads on those pins. So one end would probably be tapped for a 3/4 inch thread and the other end whatever the CAT 2 pins use. By using CAT 2 pins you wouldn't need to use bushings over the pins.
Eric

Makes sense- thanks.

 

[caine]

I think it is time you visit harbor freight and get you cheap mig welder. Perfect project to justify the tool. Practice a little bit and make it fit your tractor. Never to old to learn a new skill.

Welding is on my bucket list but time is at a premium at the moment.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have that same tiller and you will find that the pins set back to far and when you lift it up all the way it might hit your tires or be very close, I built brackets that moved the pins out about 6 inches. Bought a new driveshaft with slip clutch, Tiller works great now.

That is what I was thinking. Weld on a piece of channel steel on each side. Drill the channel and put your pin there.

 

[caine]

Quick follow-up-

So in the end, it looks like I did not buy a "pig in a poke." While the tiller sits close to the tractor, it is similar to what I've seen for Yanmar tillers on Yanmar tractors. For the moment I'm operational (as soon as the ground dries out a bit more). Also, the direction of rotation is correct.

Hooking it up only required the obvious- adjusting the "chain checks" and trimming the driveshaft an inch or so. So while my ignorance could have been very costly, it looks like it won't take too much to have my cake and eat it too.

My intention is to follow all the good advice here and adapt it to fit my quick hitch. That will move it 4-1/2" further back from the tractor as well as make it more convenient to mount and dismount.

My thanks to the community here for your valued insight and suggestions!

 

[etpm]

Quick follow-up-

So in the end, it looks like I did not buy a "pig in a poke." While the tiller sits close to the tractor, it is similar to what I've seen for Yanmar tillers on Yanmar tractors. For the moment I'm operational (as soon as the ground dries out a bit more). Also, the direction of rotation is correct.

Hooking it up only required the obvious- adjusting the "chain checks" and trimming the driveshaft an inch or so. So while my ignorance could have been very costly, it looks like it won't take too much to have my cake and eat it too.

My intention is to follow all the good advice here and adapt it to fit my quick hitch. That will move it 4-1/2" further back from the tractor as well as make it more convenient to mount and dismount.

My thanks to the community here for your valued insight and suggestions!
View attachment 740781

 

[etpm]

As they say in the tractoring community that's "Farm Out!". And "Right Arm!"
Cheers Man,
Eric

 

[LD1]

Quick follow-up-


My intention is to follow all the good advice here and adapt it to fit my quick hitch. That will move it 4-1/2" further back from the tractor as well as make it more convenient to mount and dismount.

My thanks to the community here for your valued insight and suggestions!

That will most likely require a new drive shaft now since yours is now cut to fit without the hitch

 

[seville009]

Post number 2 covers it nicely. You might want to remove that quick hitch so you can actually position the lower links on the pins that will need bushings anyway. diameter is too small.

agree with 5030 here....get rid of that quick hitch.

i tried one of those many years ago; could not get anything to attach correctly. Big pia...... the quick hitch has been sitting in the weeds ever since

I didn't read thewhole thread, so maybe this was already resolved.

 

[5030]

It's my view that if you have extendable lower arm balls like I do, there is no need for either a quick hitch or the 'Pats' attachments.

I don't 'own too many implements that are 3 point mounted anyway. Most of my implements are drawbar pulled. I have my big Landpride 9 foot wide shredder, the Kuhn Masterdrive rake and a rear bale spear that are 3 point. Everything else is drawbar pulled. The disc mowers, the round baler and the sprayer are drawbar.

Had a box blade and sold it. Don't really have a need for it and one of my customers that I rebuilt his bucket for asked about it so I sold it to him I get quite a few bucket reworks where owners put the 'smile' in the lower sheet and then cannot get it out. Only way to remove the 'smile' is to cut the side sheets and then press the bottom sheet back to straight and then reweld the side sheets. Tractor owners aren't the only ones guilty of the smile. I do excavator buckets as well..... Big ones.

 

[caine]

That will most likely require a new drive shaft now since yours is now cut to fit without the hitch

It may... but currently it is installed without a slip clutch (which is on its way here). Not sure of the exact length that will introduce but suspect it will be every bit of 4-1/2". I did buy another driveshaft in case I need it, but this little one came with the tiller (as did a new set of tines).

 

[frcnLS]

I had a similar problem. Bought a Quick Hitch from Harbor Freight. Worked fine with my Titan field mower but there was no way to get it to work with my Gearmore rear blade. The top hook would not fit properly. I finally gave up on it. With three rear impelments I wanted something to make it easier to switch.
I tried Pat's Quick Hitch (#1 Tractor 3 Point Hitch - Quick, Easy Change System). Works great! Allows you to attach any width the lift arms can be moved to. Being that it is independent from the top link it gives more flexibility in movement.

Take your time mounting it and after the first five or ten minutes of use, re-torque the mounting hardware, then keep an eye on the torques occasionally during the first few uses as it seats in.
Another tip which may not make sense until you get it: There is a roll pin that holds a spacer (or spacers) in place. The top of the pin where it passes through the spacer may rest on the lift arm. That may drive the pin out, or it may not give the pin enough "bite" to stay in the spacer. Drive the pin in past the tapered tip and grind the pin flush.
You also may consider the spacer bar which holds the arms at an adjustable distance temporarily while attaching the implement.