Hydraulic side (tilt) link

[Cougsfan]

I would like to get a hydraulic tilt link for my 4720ch. I got a hydraulic top link from Brian at Fit Rite. I am very happy about everything about it except the 3 month plus delivery. Brain is a single person operation and that is simply all the better he can do. Is there any other quicker choices?

 

[Sysop]

They need to be made to fit your tractor to ensure everything is at the proper angles and has the proper amount of adjustment. There are some "standard fit" types that will work on many popular tractors fine. Most of these provide a more limited adjustment than the manual adjustment the tractor shipped with, or they'll be missing a bend that allows proper alignment on the tractor. It will be up to you to notice any small issues and decide how best to correct them.

Brian takes all the guesswork and wondering out of the equation and provides you exactly what you need for a thought-free installation on whatever you own. You won't need to modify anything, guaranteed.

I think he has a life and a day job. I'm pretty sure he's simply providing the service of his knowledge and spare time. Perhaps if he had enough business to pay the bills, turn-around times would improve. Perhaps for a reasonable fee, you can have him 'rush' your order. Perhaps the 3 month wait you had on the top link is not typical and you'll receive the side link much faster. Have you contacted him and inquired about an ETA?

Even larger companies can have wait times while they prepare your product for shipment. I recently had to wait more than a week for everything attachments to build a grapple to ship to me. I don't mind. When a company is building a product for a customer with a name, I think more care is taken than if it is being made to put on a shelf to wait for a customer to come around.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

They need to be made to fit your tractor to ensure everything is at the proper angles and has the proper amount of adjustment. There are some "standard fit" types that will work on many popular tractors fine. Most of these provide a more limited adjustment than the manual adjustment the tractor shipped with, or they'll be missing a bend that allows proper alignment on the tractor. It will be up to you to notice any small issues and decide how best to correct them.

Brian takes all the guesswork and wondering out of the equation and provides you exactly what you need for a thought-free installation on whatever you own. You won't need to modify anything, guaranteed.

I think he has a life and a day job. I'm pretty sure he's simply providing the service of his knowledge and spare time. Perhaps if he had enough business to pay the bills, turn-around times would improve. Perhaps for a reasonable fee, you can have him 'rush' your order. Perhaps the 3 month wait you had on the top link is not typical and you'll receive the side link much faster. Have you contacted him and inquired about an ETA?

Even larger companies can have wait times while they prepare your product for shipment. I recently had to wait more than a week for everything attachments to build a grapple to ship to me. I don't mind. When a company is building a product for a customer with a name, I think more care is taken than if it is being made to put on a shelf to wait for a customer to come around.

Thanks for the insights, but my 70+ hour a week day job is building top & tilt units. I have NO FREE TIME. I'm a one man operation and typically have 60-80 orders in line. I currently have 95 orders. People have told me for the past 3 years that I should raise my prices, a lot to thin out the orders and still make the same amount of $$$. I just can't bring myself to do it. I charge what is a fair cost for what I build and what my costs are.

There are other units available. A person just needs to decide what it is that they can be satisfied with.

 

[ericm979]

I got top and tilt on my 3725 that's made by the dealer, Dave's Tractor. If you can't wait for Brian you might call them and see if they'll sell just the tilt cylinder.

 

[motownbrowne]

Brian, if you have 95 orders in line, I definitely agree about raising your prices!! You gotta have some free time in your schedule.

To the OP, why not just make one? It isn't hard to figure out what size cylinder to use etc. Yes, you will have some trial and error, and may even have to redo part of it. No, it won't be as pretty and elegant as a FitRite cylinder, but if you can weld or have a friend that can weld, I think you oughtta be able to make your own in an afternoon.

 

[Sysop]

Actually, having 95 orders in queue, and working 70+ hours per week to fulfill them, I think ya need to hire a part-time assistant. If prices need to go up to cover a wage; well, that's the cost of a growing business and folk will surely pay to get their product in a timely manner.

Fact that this conversation is even taking place should fully make the case that "changes are needed".

 

[Cougsfan]

Just to be clear, Brian does run a first class operation. The unit I got from him is top quality, and it went on the tractor with about a 10 minute install time with no problems since. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his product to anyone. You just have to be patient though.

One thing I did to mine was cut off the end of an old tape measure and taped it to the cylinder body, sticking out over the ram so I could look back and tell exactly how far the ram is extended at a glance. On mine, a 5-7/16" inch extension is a neutral position for the front and back blades on my box blade. The tape measure makes adjusting the degree of cut with the box blade much more precise and easy to change and judge in the field.

Something I found I don't particularly like about my Branson is that the linkage on the controls for the aux hydraulics is really crappy. There is no "feel" to it like there is on the FEL control. The detents are weak, and it is hard to adjust it one way or the other just a little bit. I think if I could find some more restrictive flow restrictors it would help compensate for the crappy linkage.

 

[RNeumann]

Check out Gearmore. They have a few other names depending on region. The website for TnT isn't good but they have good products and I have been happy with mine.

 

[oosik]

Well, that's what you have to expect when you provide a superior product with exacting fit, finish & function. The word get out, the orders pile up and the wait time increases. I got my hydraulic top link in December of 2013 and the wait time was around one month. Unlike many other products, my Fit Rite top link works as advertised, all the time, and has never let me down. I will pay more & wait for any product like that.

 

[Branson Bob]

Just to be clear, Brian does run a first class operation. The unit I got from him is top quality, and it went on the tractor with about a 10 minute install time with no problems since. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his product to anyone. You just have to be patient though.

One thing I did to mine was cut off the end of an old tape measure and taped it to the cylinder body, sticking out over the ram so I could look back and tell exactly how far the ram is extended at a glance. On mine, a 5-7/16" inch extension is a neutral position for the front and back blades on my box blade. The tape measure makes adjusting the degree of cut with the box blade much more precise and easy to change and judge in the field.

Something I found I don't particularly like about my Branson is that the linkage on the controls for the aux hydraulics is really crappy. There is no "feel" to it like there is on the FEL control. The detents are weak, and it is hard to adjust it one way or the other just a little bit. I think if I could find some more restrictive flow restrictors it would help compensate for the crappy linkage.

Hey Cougsfan (and others).

I’m interested in installing a Top and Tilt system for my 2016 Branson 3520H Tractor which I purchased from Dave’s Tractor in Red Bluff, CA. Dave will sell me everything I need to install it myself but unfortunately the price is the same whether the dealership installs it or I do and the cost of transporting the tractor to the dealership is pretty high.

Though I haven’t installed hydraulics, I work in construction and am pretty handy however I have a few questions regarding the installation if I were to buy the parts through Fit-Rite or Gearmore or another supplier.

1) I have the dealer-installed backhoe on the tractor. Will this enable me to tap off the existing rear remotes to provide the hydraulics necessary for the Top and Tilt?

2) Besides Cylinders, Hoses, and Valve and Bracket Assembly, what else would I need to buy?

Thanks.