Why is Hydraulic Tilt Useful?

[glennmac]

With all the action and discussion over top & tilt installation, I have become relatively convinced that a hydraulic toplink has several beneficial uses. But how useful, really, is a hydraulic tilt cylinder on one side of the 3ph? Frankly, in a year of tractoring, I have never tilted my hitch with the adjustable arm for any reason at all.

The only thing that comes to my mind is tilting a backblade. But even for a backblade, it would seem you couldnt get as aggressive a tilt as you can manually or with a cylinder on the blade itself. Also, backblade tilting doesnt seem to be the kind of thing that requires constant adjustments like toplink controlled implements.

What uses for hydraulic tilt am I missing? Somebody must be using it because I read of people who have tilt cylinders on both sides of their hitches.

 

[Bird]

Glenn, I'll agree with you to a great extent. I use the adjustment on the top link all the time, but rarely the tilt on the side link. However, on the few occasions it is used, it sure is handy to be able to do it from the tractor seat. And using the box blade is the only time I've had a need for the side link tilt.

Bird

 

[Knight9]

Glen,

I think the side link is necessarily adjusted when you are crowning a driveway or doing any sort of ditch construction or maintenance. I have adjusted my side link (manual /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif) several times in maintaining my gravel driveway. I would love to have the capability of doing it from the seat. However TnT is just not in the cards for me this year at all.

Kevin

 

[beenthere]

If you haven't missed it, then you don't need it. Someday, when you least suspect it, the lights will come on and you will know. Be happy with what you have until then.

 

[gordon]

Glenn, a lot depends on what your doing with the tractor. Yes it might be a week that I might not touch the tilt on my tractor but other times I'm constantly adjusting it.

I wouldn't have a tractor without a hydraulic top link, that goes without saying. The tilt is next on the list for me and much overdue.

The reasons for it is when grading, a real timesaver. Also with the style of tilt adjuster on the 4310 at times it hits the hydraulic toplink cyl when adjusting. A real pain in the neck. So that is my reasons for the tilt. To save not only time but headache. I hate to stop doing something and get off the tractor. Really slows down what your working on to do this.

Gordon

 

[JATO_RaT]

Grading with a box blade or blade. Without tilt, your gonna take forever getting it right. Grading equipment on road construction use tilt constantly. If you need to make ditches, level unlevel ground where the tractor is not level you can level the box. Another bonus, when the grounds extra tough, I can put in full tilt and put just the right two rippers into the ground, especially handy on big roots. There are many more uses for me, I just wanted to mention but a few. Rat...

 

[hayden]

I've got a lot of road work to do,especially crowing and ditching. That's where I'm expecting to use mine, but right now it's a leap of faith

 

[GlueGuy]

Like everybody else, I mainly use the top link. The side link is almost only when using the boxblade, and that's when I'm working on the crown of the road or trying to level an area that's not level. Can't do that with a FEL, or at least not as easily. Besides, the TNT was a "kit".

The GlueGuy

 

[Alan L.]

I hadn't even thought about it until I visited my wife's sister in Galveston County Texas. He has an OLD rusty Kubota M- something (a 50 or more horse tractor) with Tnt and it works great. He was doing some landscaping around his new house and was able to change the angle using the hydraulic top link and cut ditches with the angle of the side link, all without getting off the tractor.

While I was there he was in the process of trying to trade for a new M tractor. He's in the water well business and says Kubota is the only way to go. He also owns a big Case backhoe.

Alan L., TX

 

[John_Mc]

Re: Top now, Tilt later?

I've just started using my new box scraper. Finally starting to get the hang of it. All of the manual adjustment is really slowing things down. I'm definitely going to add a hydraulic top link. I may at some point in the future add tilt. Is there any reason to consider doing both at once? If I do go with just the top now, is there anything special I should do if I might add the tilt later (different valves, etc.?).

I have a TC33D with two empty slots on the right fender where I could put these controls. Any reason not to use up both of these slots for this (i.e. is there something else more frequently used than the tilt which would better occupy this "prime" space)?