Pat's Easy Change Modifying a Yanmar tiller for Pat's Easy Change hitch

[John N]

Hey folks,

I have a Manindra 2615 I'm using with a Yanmar 1401 tiller. I've added a set of Pat's hitch(s), but I'm having two problems,

One is that the lower link pins on the Yanmar are a little short and have to be aligned nearly perfectly with the hitch (that is relatively easily solved with longer lower hitch pins.

Of more problem is that the lower pins are placed so that the quick hitch hangs up on the tiller when I'm attaching it. Yes it can be made to fit, but I have to lift and jockey the tiller around to make things work (negating the value of the quick hitch).

I think this could be most easily solved by moving the lower link pins forward a couple of inches. BUT, the material on the tiller that holds those pins today looks to be about 3/8", and I don't have the tools to easily cut steel of that thickness and a drill bit of that size is pretty pricey. Of course I could take this to a machinist, but the same problem.

Is there a source for pre-made lower pin brackets? Something like this seems it would benefit from economies of scale, and most everyone modifying equipment must have roughly the same problem.


Apologies for the long post.


Thanks!

John N

 

[kebo]

As you mentioned, if you visit your local TSC, they have (or can order) pins that are longer than the ones on your tiller. If so, that should solve one of your problems. Regarding your 2nd problem, I had a very similar problem with a 5ft BB and the PEC system. Wound up having to take a sawzall and cut a small chunk of angle iron out from underneath the pins so the PEC would clear the angle when raising the draft links up. I could have moved them forward, but cutting them really looked like the easy thing to do. I put pic's of how I fixed mine in another thread here if you want to search for it, but I understand that my fix won't work for your tiller either. Good luck getting your tiller figured out.

 

[John N]

Thanks,

I'm a bit reluctant to chop into that leading edge of the tiller. It's a box structure and would take some work to reinforce things if I chopped a hole into it.

You're indirectly confirming what I found, no one seems to make weld-on tabs for the lower link pins.


John N

 

[kebo]

John, I didn't really search to see if there were any "weld on tabs", there might be something out there you can buy. But, my guess is you will have to fabricate something to go that route. Here's a pic of what I had to do to my boxblade:

 

[Inspector507]

This is the issue I have with my Yanmar tiller and the Pats system. Take a look at this picture. There's no way they will work together without a lot of work. The picture is not the greatest, but I think you can get the idea.