dbchaplin03
Silver Member
Just wanted to show off my new Kubota L6060. It was delivered Wednesday which was followed by 2 days of constant rain. While the rain prevented me from getting things done with the tractor, it didnt stop me from getting things done TO the tractor!!
First and foremost, I want to thank Brian from Fit Rite Hydraulics. Without his advice, recommendations, and tons of information shared on these forums, I couldnt have done this. In fact without his advice I wouldnt have even known these Euro type hook ends even existed. Now after having them on and swapping from an 1950s 8ft Ford disc, landscape rake, HR2572 hydraulic scarifier box blade (also Brians recommendation and it was worth every penny over the light weight one the dealer was going to sell me!), and this 1100ish lb counterweight/trailer mover I built... I can say that i dont ever want to own another tractor without them.
These things are far superior to the Pats system or any of the 3pt quick hitches ive used. They are extremely strong and heavy duty, and when they lock on they are extremely secure but still allow for the full ball movement that the Pats system eliminated..
I built the Top and Tilt out of 2.5” cylinders with 1.5” diameter rods based off Brians recommendations in other posts. Top cylinder is 12” and the side cylinder is 6“. I also have 3 float valve rear remotes which was also Brians recommendation and Im very thankful the gave me that advice because that float function on the side link is freaking amazing when box blading. It allows the box blade to float along the terrain without gouging or digging in.
While this project wasnt exceptionally difficult, I would not recommend this as a DIY unless you already have all the tools, and you are VERY confident in your welding abilities. I grew up on a farm, and have been fabricating things my entire life. I spent a year working for a company that manufactures heavy trucks such as dump trucks and garbage trucks after high school welding and doing hydraulic work while i waited for my basic training date for the Air Force. I already have a really nice Millermatic 252 welder, heavy duty cutoff saws, belt grinder, and everything else needed for this.
The only reason i built this myself is because Brian had a pretty substantial lead time and I really enjoy doing metal fabrication. However with that being said, had I needed to buy any of the tools used to build this myself, it would have cost me substantially more to build it myself than to buy them from Brian. His prices are very good and top quality work.
I didnt do a lot of shopping around for components to try and save money. I ordered all of the hydraulic components, fittings, and hoses from Surplus center. The only thing I didnt order from them were the restrictor orface fittings for the hydraulic lines to slow the speed down substantially. I bought 4 of those in 1/2 NPT from TSP for $5 ea. They are just a bit too slow, so i plan to eventually pull them off and drill them out slightly larger. But for now Im still very pleased
Total project time For top and tilt was about 3.5 hours of fabrication. Cutting cylinder ends off, cutting Cat 1 ends to weld on, welding, and painting. Building the hoses took a fair amount of time, probably about 1.5 hours because I dont like leaks i take my time. A few odds and ends for that Id say the T and T took 5-6 hours total.. The euro style hook ends took 2.5-3 hours also.
I bought the hook ends for the 3 pt hitch and the top cylinder from Agri Supply USA. My tractor had less than an hour on it when i took the extendable links off the 3 pt hitch and cut the ball sockets off... That made me cringe a little bit because if it didnt work out those parts are over $300 each to replace.... Brian highly recommended them and I took his advice and Im very proud to say they are everything I thought they would be and more. I absolutely love them.
Brian offers these hook ends as well and he actually sells them cheaper with him doing the welding, than i paid for them from Agri Supply USA. If you are trying to look these things up it took me several hours of research and there is little information. Agri Supply USA and i suspect Brian, both order these from a company called AMA in Germany or Italy. If you look them up in the AMA catalog you can find them. Agri Supply USA is the USA dealer for AMA just so you know.
Anyhow i feel like I just wrote a book here so if you have any questions about any of it, please ask. Would i do it again? Of course. Would i build a set for someone else? NOPE! Ive seen lots of pictures of kits that Fit Rite has built and his fabrication skills are remarkable. Mine look good, but I wouldnt sell them lol. And to buy everything to build another set, plus labor... Better off buying from someone whos an expert. He must buy in bulk because this one-off build was probably within a couple hundred dollars of what his setup costs.
The best advice i can give you is DONT go buy a set from some retail store... Guarantee the cylinders wont be the right length and youll end up frustrated because the clylinder wont lift high enough or extend long enough.... I learned this the hard way 3 years ago when i took the cheap route and ordered a top link from Agri Supply... It was so frustrating that i took it off and left it on the shelf in the garage... Ive also read on here of people buying the Kubota T and T kits having the same kinds of problems. Dont waste your time or money. If they arent the right length, you will get frustrated, and you wont use them....
Also, the 3 float valves are fantastic as well and highly recommended for a T and T.
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