Yanmar SA Mods

[sa324owner]

I found some time to finsh getting the bucket grab hooks in place yesterday. I'm not used to welding such thick material. I don't think I'll have anything to worry about as it seems quite solid.

 

[sa324owner]

Next major undertaking... attaching a 7'6" Western plow I've had sitting around for years to the front of the SA324.

 

[sa324owner]

I have stared at the plow and tractor for a total of three evenings and I finally came up with a plan using stuff I had laying around.

Strongly considering the size and weight of the plow, I've decided to build a subframe on the front of the tractor. The previous owners of my property must have had an Allis-Chalmers 5220 or 5230 because they left the brand new ROPS in the barn. Lucky me! The beefy ROPS has become the basis for the subframe. I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect thing to start with.

The subframe will (tentatively) attach at the rear mid-mount mower lift point, the front mid-mount mower lift point (rear of the front-end loader mounts), and the front "bumper". The primary issue that the hacked-up ROPS is going to solve is clearing the front axle with the axle at full articulation and steering at full lock. The mock-ups I've done make it seem VERY promising.

 

[sa324owner]

I've also mulled over how to handle the plow lift mechanism on the tractor side. Some more staring lead me to the leftover mount of the repurposed ROPS. It is going to become the new permanent front bumper on the tractor. I drilled some holes and did a quick test fit. I lifted the front of the tractor with the loader and check for clearance between the tires and bumper. Plenty of room and it looks like some monster off-road bumper you'd find on a Jeep!

The "bumper" will be fitted with two upright arms to support the plow's lift arm. It will ultimately look sort of like a brush guard and function as one since the original will have to be removed. The plow lift arm and plow lift cylinder will pin-on so they can be removed when the plow is not attached.

 

[sa324owner]

More progress...

 

[sa324owner]

The lift cylinder that was on the plow had some pitting/peeling on the cylinder itself, so I ordered a replacement. I decided to go with a 1.5" x 10" (instead of the stock 8" stroke) so that the lower mount worked out a little better. I don't think I'll actually need the extra lift height unless I'm making some big snow mounds.

I also got the brush guard cross bar installed.

The entire lift mechanism pins on and can be installed/removed in a matter of minutes.

Due to the extended lift height, I had to notch out the back of the lift arm to make room for the cylinder.

 

[MACflyer]

The lift cylinder that was on the plow had some pitting/peeling on the cylinder itself, so I ordered a replacement. I decided to go with a 1.5" x 10" (instead of the stock 8" stroke) so that the lower mount worked out a little better. I don't think I'll actually need the extra lift height unless I'm making some big snow mounds.

I also got the brush guard cross bar installed.

The entire lift mechanism pins on and can be installed/removed in a matter of minutes.

Due to the extended lift height, I had to notch out the back of the lift arm to make room for the cylinder

Is the plan to remove the bucket and use those hydraulic lines for the plow?

 

[sa324owner]

Is the plan to remove the bucket and use those hydraulic lines for the plow?

Yes! The overall idea is to make the plow and components as quick-attach as I possibly can. Using the tractors existing hydraulic system helps make that possible. I'm shooting for < 5 minutes on/off.

All the hydraulic hoses on the plow need replaced anyway, so I'll replace them with lines long enough to run to the existing connections on the tractor.

 

[sa324owner]

I've been making slow plow progress because I had to divert to reconfigure my leaf collection equipement to prepare for Leaf-ageddon 2021.

I took a few days off work to (hopefully) make some progress.

I welded up the main rails of the subframe yesterday. I was able to tack it in place to test clearances. My primary concern was the subframe-to-driveshaft clearance. Nothing hits so far!

 

[Willieintn]

I bought my SA324 back in April and I've been scouring the Internet ever since looking for modifications to make. I wanted to share what I've done so far and I'd like to see what other people have done as well.

View attachment 573119View attachment 573120View attachment 573128
Fabricated 2 Inch receiver in place of original drawbar. Most accessories I already have for my truck fit a 2" receiver so this was far more useful to me. Used a cargo carrier I fabricated for my wife's old car to carry a large cooler. We would fill the cooler full of water for watering plants around the yard.

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T-slot aluminum for ROPS-mounted lights. T-slot aluminum for versatile mounting for shovels/rakes/gas trimmer, etc. Wiring for lights is fully integrated into the main wiring harness at uses fused accessory circuit. Switch fits perfectly in pre-existing hole.

View attachment 573124
Obligatory steering knob.

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Cross drawbar from TSC. I drilled out the two outer holes to fit some shackles. Seems to work well for general purpose stuff, including pulling small trees with the 3-point.

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Last, and certainly not least, a lever in place of the brake pedal-actuated differential lock. In my opinion, this (or something like it) is how the tractor should have come equipped originally. The lever gives a MUCH improved positive feedback on whether or not the differential lock is engaged. As an added bonus, the lever will engage the lock if moved forward OR backward. The 3-point sliding lock can also be used to lock the new lever in the locked position if need be. I rebent the 3-point height control lever so the handle grip angles inboard so the two levers do not interfere with one another. The lever is currently unfinished. I will likely 3D print a handle grip similar to what's already on the machine. Since the brake pedal no longer does double-duty, I took all the slack out of the braking mechanism. The brake now operates as you'd hope/expect.

Now... show me what you've come up with!

I just bought a SA324. I have a similar cross drawbar that you show above. The problem is that it is 3" too long to fit between 2 bottom links. I want this to lug around my splitter. The drawbar that came with it is very low, for my old back to deal with.

Similar problem on the old box blade I have. The bottom links on the 3pt need to open to 29inchs, which won't happen. So, I'm gonna have to remove 2 big pins to get the box on. Lining up the hole could be a pain, and I don't have a 1 5/16" socket. Is it worth it to look for a quick connect?

So far during the breaking 50 hr period I've not challenged this little tractor at all, but carrying around and using the 450# box might just be that challenge. I'm wondering if I'm going to need weight other than the FEL in the front.