Modifying your lower lift arms

Anyone here ever modify their lower lift arms to the 4000 style like is in the photo below?
Can you buy a cat 1 set like this?
I was thinking of finding a set and take some careful measurements and modify them to fit my 3000.
Might look a little clunky back there but
they are just so darned much easier to hook up to an implement.

My 5000 has those and I have Cat 1 and Cat 2 balls to interchange as needed for the implement.

I would look for them at salvage yards. One in NY has stacks of arms.

If'n those 4000 arms are pricey, might consider the Pat's system instead. I'm sold on 'em - have put them on 3 different tractors. Dang quick to use; I've dropped an implement and put another on in <3 min, and that included backing up to drop the 1st and then driving over to the 2nd.

I've heard they'll sell the unit without the pin section (where the pin goes thru the lift arm) so that it can be welded right to a cut-off lift arm. At one time, they said they'd even do the welding if you send them your arms. Haven't welded ours because the stocker unit adds a couple of inches that I want to help keep the bush hog a bit farther away from the rear tires.

I don't have any $s invested in the company, nobody I know works there, etc.
Pats Easy Change

I've never seen a cat. I Ford with flexible link ends. I'd bet you and Ken could take a set from a junkyard tractor and adapt them to your 3000's arms... cut and reweld right at the factory weld.

That looks interesting.
How do they hook on to your existing lift arms?

(quoted from post at 07:30:41 09/02/13) That looks interesting.
How do they hook on to your existing lift arms?

Click to expand...

another vote for pat's
a little pricey, but they are better than the cheaper knock-offs
pin thru them hooks to the lift arm ball, each has 4 set screws to
get the side angle right, and the u-bolt pictured has different spacers to set the vertical angle.
do it once when installing, and you're done.
They do move the lift point back about 2", and you might need a longer toplink for some implements.
one mod I made to them, was flipping the u-bolt UP, with a bracket, so I could turn my blade, rake, 360

I put a set on a Kubota that has those silly turnbuckles that have to be moved every time to spread the arms,
and on a Farmall when I modified the Fast-Hitch to accept 3-point stuff

A Cat I to Cat II lower link bushing cut to length would mount a dual category flex link draft arm to the pin on a 3000 trumpet housing.

You will like the feature if you are able to add a set to your tractor.

I have these on my T4050 and MF 2635. They are just about essential bayond a certain size as it is simply not possible to muscle around most Cat 2 equipment during hitch up.

Dean

NNP has it right about the connection - pin thru the arms. He's also on the mark about setting the angles, both with respect to the centerline of the tractor and tilt. When we got our first unit, I expected the adjusting nuts might vibrate loose but haven't seen anything in 5 yrs, including after heavy beating from a back blade clearing snow from a rocky gravel lane filled with #2's (did use Loctite).

Also, Pat's has extra-long pins, already cross-drilled, so that the stabilizer bars can fit on the outside of the hitches. If you do use the bars (I built some), then make one side adjustable, maybe like with a stubby cat 0 or cat 1 top link welded in. Then, you can match up to any implement width just by adjusting the stab link. As you know, fixed-length stab bars have the downside that implements aren't all the same width (same problem for fixed-width quick hitches like the u-shaped upside-down ones). It's great not having the 6' bush hog beating everything up swinging side to side. With stab bars, you don't need the optional spreader bar from Pat's (or just use a 2x4 like one guy did).

BTW, Northern Tool also carries Pat's, in case you're near one of their stores. Price might be a bit better. Reviews there are great (no, I'm not one of 'em - bought ours directly from Pat's). Link is below, for a Cat 1. The Northern stock # for the Cat 2 hitch is 12611-1451.

Since you've got a 4000 with more grunt than our 3000, if you have Cat 2 implements, then would suggest a Cat 2 unit, then use bushings on any Cat 1 implements.
Northern Tool Pats EZ Change

Found that they have a video, shows putting the hitch on & using it. I normally remove the linch pins and washers when I hitch up - keeps from bending washers & pins if I'm off center by a little bit. Have to hop off anyway to put on the top link, takes just a sec to put on the washers & pins. Hooking up really is as easy as the video shows.
Hitch video