jenkinsph
Super Star Member
I just finished a job tonight but will post the cylinder info in the am.
Box blade and hydraulic top link on X739?
- Thread starter Eric102
- Start date
Installed the hitch over the weekend and all went smoothly, no parts missing, no blood spilled and I got by with the tools I had on hand.
As others have mentioned in previous posts accessing the hydraulic fittings is the hardest part of the project, very little room to turn wrenches but with a little patience it is doable. Didn't need to remove the seat or foot well pans as the dealer had suggested (although that probably would have made accessing the hydraulic fittings easier) and didn't even need to jack the tractor up, did everything with the tires on the ground.
The labor cost savings will pay for a large chunk of the box blade I have on order from my local dealer, his quote was $600 plus tax for the same model as shown on the Mutton site: Frontier 4' Box Blade BB5048L
The length of the manual top link has a range of 12 1/2" to 17" eye to eye but until I get the box blade I won't really know what the actual needed length for a hydraulic link would be .
As others have mentioned in previous posts accessing the hydraulic fittings is the hardest part of the project, very little room to turn wrenches but with a little patience it is doable. Didn't need to remove the seat or foot well pans as the dealer had suggested (although that probably would have made accessing the hydraulic fittings easier) and didn't even need to jack the tractor up, did everything with the tires on the ground.
The labor cost savings will pay for a large chunk of the box blade I have on order from my local dealer, his quote was $600 plus tax for the same model as shown on the Mutton site: Frontier 4' Box Blade BB5048L
The length of the manual top link has a range of 12 1/2" to 17" eye to eye but until I get the box blade I won't really know what the actual needed length for a hydraulic link would be .
Gittyup
Elite Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2007
- Messages
- 3,159
- Location
- Mid Atlantic
- Tractor
- Kioti CK25 Shuttle Shift, loaded tires, JD X739
Nicely done. Glad to see all went well. I really like the little 3pt hitch and the small implements on these GTs for yard work. Easy to attach and operate in tight spaces.
Thanks, looking forward to using it once the box blade shows up.
I wonder how much front ballast would be needed when using the 360lb box blade? I have four 42lb weights on hand and four more on order from Home Depot. The operators manual isn't very helpful on ballast calculations.
ber72564
Member
I too just installed my 3PH and have done some light work with the Box Blade. It does fine. I originally purchased the Limited Cat1 BoxBlade from KKuter. But the mounting pins forced the lift arms too close together. They were squeezed up against their limits and then some more push after that leaving stress on the free movement. That is why I went with the standard box. Pounds wise not that big of a difference. The Limited has 3 teeth, and the standard has 4. I kept the 325 lb 60D mower on for ballast, added 2 42 lb front weights, and run 66 lbs of rim guard in the front wheels. My quick calc on the weights, you will need around 6 42 lbs or more.
I also just purchased a TopLink for my X748 from Brian at Fit Rite Hydraulics - fitritehydraulics.com (a sponsor). I measured my TL with my KK 48" box level on the ground and the TL was approx 17". Brian is making one that will go from approx. 14" to 20". Great price. The Side link is too short for tilt function. I have not purchased the rear ports yet, but aux-hyd.com X-Series Rear Hydraulic Kit has a kit specifically designed for the X700. At first I thought it was a bit pricy, then I priced it all out for me to build and believe it is a good value and will buy one when delivery of my TL is closer. (6-8 weeks). Note your Tractor Side Eyeball joint is 1" wide but most Cat1 TL require 1.5-1.75". According to Brian at fitrite, not ideal but workable.
While I was under the hood so to speak, I also added 7 mm in shims to my PRV, taking my lift pressure from 940+/- to 1200 +/- PSI.
I also just purchased a TopLink for my X748 from Brian at Fit Rite Hydraulics - fitritehydraulics.com (a sponsor). I measured my TL with my KK 48" box level on the ground and the TL was approx 17". Brian is making one that will go from approx. 14" to 20". Great price. The Side link is too short for tilt function. I have not purchased the rear ports yet, but aux-hyd.com X-Series Rear Hydraulic Kit has a kit specifically designed for the X700. At first I thought it was a bit pricy, then I priced it all out for me to build and believe it is a good value and will buy one when delivery of my TL is closer. (6-8 weeks). Note your Tractor Side Eyeball joint is 1" wide but most Cat1 TL require 1.5-1.75". According to Brian at fitrite, not ideal but workable.
While I was under the hood so to speak, I also added 7 mm in shims to my PRV, taking my lift pressure from 940+/- to 1200 +/- PSI.
Last edited:
Thanks for the info. I had PM'd Brian a few days ago and he had mentioned he was going to build a top link for a X700 series machine, so that must be yours! Keep us updated on your install.
The rear hydraulic kit seems like good solution, I had e-mailed them a week or so ago and got the installation instructions which are quite good with lots of photo's. The only issue is that my 2014 frame is different than the earlier models so some of the bolt holes they show for mounting the hose supports don't exist on mine. But there are other holes that could work or I could break out the drill or just use heavy duty zip ties.
The rear hydraulic kit seems like good solution, I had e-mailed them a week or so ago and got the installation instructions which are quite good with lots of photo's. The only issue is that my 2014 frame is different than the earlier models so some of the bolt holes they show for mounting the hose supports don't exist on mine. But there are other holes that could work or I could break out the drill or just use heavy duty zip ties.
Last edited:
Gittyup
Elite Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2007
- Messages
- 3,159
- Location
- Mid Atlantic
- Tractor
- Kioti CK25 Shuttle Shift, loaded tires, JD X739
The kit is the way to go for most users. I wanted 1/2" couplings so I could use a dump trailer with either the X739 or the bigger tractor without needing additional adapters. So I made my own bracket to hold the larger couplers and welded it to the click-n-go bracket. I don't have a good photo straight-on, but you can see it a little in the attached photo. I do like my location better; higher; more out in the open; easier to get to. It just fits under the fender.
ber72564
Member
Eric102, I purchased KingKutter BB-48 $450 at local Farm Implement store 2 miles from house. It had some scratches on it and was an older blue model, I suspect it was used but the blades looked new and the mounting pins were pristine. A young man who works as mechanic there lives next door to me picked it up and delivered to me for free. I gave him $20 for the help.
I found the TL with the kit just barely made my blade level at its full extent. This was unusable, and dangerous cause the TL would invariably stress and fail at its full extent. Having not decided to do the Hyd TL yet, I purchased a 15"-19" manual TL. Since the kit requires a 5/8" ball at the tractor, I also had to purchase a 5/8 to 3/4 bushing, then I had to grind the shoulders off of the manual TL since the kit is 1" wide at the tractor.
So, I used the blade a bit, and realized how important a Hyd TL was. That is when I contacted Brian at fitrite. I will post pic when I am complete.
I found the TL with the kit just barely made my blade level at its full extent. This was unusable, and dangerous cause the TL would invariably stress and fail at its full extent. Having not decided to do the Hyd TL yet, I purchased a 15"-19" manual TL. Since the kit requires a 5/8" ball at the tractor, I also had to purchase a 5/8 to 3/4 bushing, then I had to grind the shoulders off of the manual TL since the kit is 1" wide at the tractor.
So, I used the blade a bit, and realized how important a Hyd TL was. That is when I contacted Brian at fitrite. I will post pic when I am complete.