Couple of Achers
Gold Member
Because of all the different opinions on what constitutes a cat1 hitch or a limited cat1 hitch, I thought I would take some time this morning and try to squelch any more bantering. It also gave me a good excuse to take these measurement once and for all, since it is something I have been passionate about ever since acquiring a Kubota BX22. These measurements are not myths, rumors, or one man's opinion. They are facts. And they are something you should all be aware of before buying any attachment for your tractor. If you have any question as to whether or not you have a full cat1 hitch or not, I would strongly suggest you take these measurements on your own tractor and take them to your dealer, and discuss it with him.
For these measurements I chose a Kubota BX23 and a Kubota L4740. I chose these two tractors for the following reasons.
1) They are of the same vintage. So I wasn't comparing a 50 year old tractor to a new one.
2) I was able to use the OE parts to take the measurements. (ie: top link, lower lift arms)
3) They both have OE R4 industrial tires on them.
4) They are from the same manufacturer.
5) I own one of each, so they were available.
All measurements where taken from the center of the pins. The distance between the top link pin and the lower lift arm pins was taken with both the lift arms and top link parallel to the ground, and on a cement surface. Here's the facts.
Top link length.*
BX -14 min. 21 1/2 max.
L - 21 min. 33 1/2 max.
Length of lift arms.*
BX - 20
L - 28
* The above measurements are extremely important when sizing your PTO to the tractor. You will need to cut off several inches off the shaft before putting it on a BX to avoid the PTO bottoming out and ruining either the PTO shaft on the tractor, or the gear box on the attachment.
Lift arms fully down.
BX - 5
L - 7
Lift arms fully up.*
BX - 22 1/2
L - 30 1/2
* This is important when purchasing any attachment. If the pins on the attachment start out at 16" when the attachment is on the ground, you will not be able to lift the attachment very far off the ground.
Distance between lift arm pins and top link pins.
BX - 12
L - 14
Spread of lift arms. (Without turnbuckles)
BX - 16 min, 34 1/2 max
L - 12 min*, 38 3//4 max *All tho the pin sockets where no longer parallel each other, but you can squeeze them down to 12".
These measurements are as close as I could get them using the tools I have. They are close enough to demostrate the differences between a cat1 hitch and something of lesser size. (Call it what ever you want too. Or don't call it anything if you prefer) I just did this to show that there is a big difference between the two.
If there are any other measurements you would like to see, let me know and if at all possible, I will get for you.
Hopefully this will help all of you when purchasing attachments for your SCUT or CUT, and eliminate any damage that may be caused by buying a piece of equipment that was not designed for your tractor.
For these measurements I chose a Kubota BX23 and a Kubota L4740. I chose these two tractors for the following reasons.
1) They are of the same vintage. So I wasn't comparing a 50 year old tractor to a new one.
2) I was able to use the OE parts to take the measurements. (ie: top link, lower lift arms)
3) They both have OE R4 industrial tires on them.
4) They are from the same manufacturer.
5) I own one of each, so they were available.
All measurements where taken from the center of the pins. The distance between the top link pin and the lower lift arm pins was taken with both the lift arms and top link parallel to the ground, and on a cement surface. Here's the facts.
Top link length.*
BX -14 min. 21 1/2 max.
L - 21 min. 33 1/2 max.
Length of lift arms.*
BX - 20
L - 28
* The above measurements are extremely important when sizing your PTO to the tractor. You will need to cut off several inches off the shaft before putting it on a BX to avoid the PTO bottoming out and ruining either the PTO shaft on the tractor, or the gear box on the attachment.
Lift arms fully down.
BX - 5
L - 7
Lift arms fully up.*
BX - 22 1/2
L - 30 1/2
* This is important when purchasing any attachment. If the pins on the attachment start out at 16" when the attachment is on the ground, you will not be able to lift the attachment very far off the ground.
Distance between lift arm pins and top link pins.
BX - 12
L - 14
Spread of lift arms. (Without turnbuckles)
BX - 16 min, 34 1/2 max
L - 12 min*, 38 3//4 max *All tho the pin sockets where no longer parallel each other, but you can squeeze them down to 12".
These measurements are as close as I could get them using the tools I have. They are close enough to demostrate the differences between a cat1 hitch and something of lesser size. (Call it what ever you want too. Or don't call it anything if you prefer) I just did this to show that there is a big difference between the two.
If there are any other measurements you would like to see, let me know and if at all possible, I will get for you.
Hopefully this will help all of you when purchasing attachments for your SCUT or CUT, and eliminate any damage that may be caused by buying a piece of equipment that was not designed for your tractor.
