Do I need any type of clutch mechanism to run a tiller? The area I need to till is mostly decent topsoil with a little red clay mixed in. There is a possibility of tree roots on the outer portion but the possibility of rocks is slim. Thanks again!
That's it! The tiller isn't complete without that top link assembly, or the driveshaft. Thanks Carey! (I have a RS1400 tiller too - photo).
Everybody, watch out for ebay or roadside sellers who sell Japanese tillers without that top link.
Absent these components, all you've found is an incomplete project. The tiller may clear the tires on a larger tractor that has longer lift arms, but it can't be used on the intended size Japanese tractor without a lot of modification. People have posted here that they welded on new lift pins a few inches forward of the original ones, or like Flusher, put longer arms on the tractor to get the tiller away from the tires. It's easier if you set it up like Yanmar (or Mitsubishi etc) intended in the first place.
If it's the correct shaft and bracket for the tiller it should be good to go on any cat 1 tractor. The hookup has to match the implement, not the tractor.
Photo: YM186D 3-point details. Can someone with a YM1510 describe any difference they see?
Ernie hold on to those special tiller top links! (Like in Carey's post above).
Every time some new tiller owner comes on here and says 'my Yanmar tiller hits my tires!"....... There's another sale!
Most Craigslist tillers are missing the special top link. And it's been a couple of years, but there was an ebay seller in Southern California who never had the link for the tillers he put on ebay. I asked him about several of his listings and it seemed he didn't care. He's out of business now.