Why is Hydraulic Tilt Useful?

[Bird]

Re: Top now, Tilt later?

<font color=blue>Is there any reason to consider doing both at once?</font color=blue>

Cost! I think you'll find it a lot cheaper to do both at once than to do one, then have to go back to do the other later.

Bird

 

[mikim]

Re: Top now, Tilt later?

Cost & the ol' kick me factor -- I added 1 for a top link but now wish I had 2 - kick me! If yer gonna do a job - do it right the first time or wish ya had.
mike

 

[John_Mc]

Re: Top now, Tilt later?

I've noticed many here are "rolling their own" TnT setups. Is the cost savings substantial over what a dealer would charge? I don't have ANY experience with hydraulics, and am a bit reluctant to dive in on my own. If the price difference is not all that great, I might be inclined to go with a dealer installation.

Are there other reasons (besides price) to consider a home brew rig? The slots are already in my right fender, so location of the controls is a no-brainer.

If I do go the dealer route, are there any particular options or features I should insist on? (e.g. to allow for future expansion, or insist on certain brand of valves, etc)

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

John

 

[Bird]

Re: Top now, Tilt later?

<font color=blue>Is the cost savings substantial over what a dealer would charge?</font color=blue>

That's hard to say; depends on how much labor charge is involved, I guess, and where you shop around to buy components if you do it yourself. I thought I was going to do my own for about $600 and spent a little over $800 and know of several things I'd do differently if I ever did it again./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I'm inclined to think the best thing is to let the dealer do it.

Bird

 

[Harv]

Re: Top now, Tilt later?

I can't afford to install anything right now, but when I do, I plan on at least 3 valves. It's just a matter of time (he said hopefully) before I get an implement that requires (or at least benefits) from an extra hydraulic feed. And like Bird says, it'll be cheaper to get 'em all at once.

Okay, so I'm the only one who lies awake at night thinking about a tip 'n' tilted box blade with hydraulic rippers. Geez! I used to think about girls.... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

 

[John_Mc]

Re: Three valves?

<font color=blue>when I do, I plan on at least 3 valves. It's just a matter of time (he said hopefully) before I get an implement that requires (or at least benefits) from an extra hydraulic feed.</font color=blue>

Of course that would leave me with another problem: My NH TC33D has two empty slots on my right fender. If I add 3 valves, where do I put the third one? I wish they made one that had lever action for one axis, and TWIST action for the other... then I could fit two controls in one slot (??) Or maybe this is a situation where one of those electric valves would work... I could probably fit a rocker switch somewhere on the fender. Has anyone else come up with a good way of mounting 3 on a NH 25/29/33 ?

John

 

[glennmac]

Re: Three valves?

John, maybe if you putty up those slots on your fender and paint them over, your hydraulic urges will go away.

Harv, I think about exactly the same thing, but I must be even more pixilated than you, given that I argue that a boxblade isnt even useful. I used to think I was a rational being. But now I seriously think of spending about $1500 to install hydraulics to control a $2000 implement that I dont need and that won't work even if I use it. Yeah, I can explain that to her. Time to return to the truck fantasy. I like that 200,000 ton Komatsu.

 

[glennmac]

I have been following closely Peter Hayden's thread, "Going down the Top N Tilt path". There is now a discussion going on between him and Bird that sounds to me that hydraulic tilt actually has disadvantages. I hope they clarify this, but they seem to be saying some or all of the following about a hydraulic tilt cylinder:

1. You can't tell when your implement is level unless you get off your tractor and eyeball it.

2. You can only tilt in one direction with the cylinder.

3. If you set the cylinder up to allow tilt in both directions, you compromise the ability to lift your 3ph up high, and, as in 1 above, you cant tell when you have returned to level.

Please explain these functional warts on the smooth veneer of hydraulic tiltdom.

 

[Rowski]

<font color=blue>1. You can't tell when your implement is level unless you get off your tractor and eyeball it.</font color=blue>

Level to the ground or to the tractor. Around here level to tractor is more practical. I have a sketck of a very simple diagram, kind of like the level indicator for a loader (tube and rod). Peter had another idea using a cable. See "Leveling Top and Tilt" thread in attachments.

<font color=blue>2. You can only tilt in one direction with the cylinder</font color=blue>

Need 2 cylinders, one on each side. Your tractor would then have more levers than a road grader.


<font color=blue>Please explain these functional warts on the smooth veneer of hydraulic tiltdom</font color=blue>

I like it!

Derek

 

[glennmac]

Derek,

Thank you for directing me to that thread on point. I must have ignored it because it posted at a time when I thought T&T was mainly and exercise in toymania and gadgeteering--a perspective to which I am rapidly returning.

So, my worst fears are being confirmed. Tilting may be useful only 1% of the time (unless you are a professional landscaper/grader), and playing with it can screw up your tilt for the 99% of the time you dont need it. Plus you can drive yourself to anxiety attacks by having to check your tilt every time you hop on the tractor with duelling dual tiltmeters, weirdo rod devices, or electronic tilt checkers. Hey, I've got news for you all: my adjustable link arm can't leak down.

By the way, when I install my two tilt cylinders, how the heck do they work anyway. Can you tilt one CW and the other one CCW, or vice versa? Wouldnt they "fight" each other? Can they be plumbed into the same valve "circuit", so that when you move one valve handle, the left cylinder closes and the right open opens, complementing each other. This would at least reduce by one the number of handles in Rowski's hose and handle nightmare scenario. (Who was that mythical creature with the head full of snakes?)