John Deere M with a 3 Pt Hitch

I know you can fabricate your own, or buy kits to put have a 3 point hitch on a John Deere M. My question is for the people that already have them, how much range of lift do you get? How high will I be able to lift an implement? What do you use for a top link? It seems like a standard threaded top link would contact the seat frame after only a minimal amount of lift.

I made a Boomerang type top link for my back blade so I could pick it up high enough..
& also have used it on the brush hog. Without the frt weights on it , neither works the
best. So really when I need to use the 3pt equipment I use the 530 for small jobs.

Would you mind sending me a picture of your boomerang style top link? Or describe it further? I do have the 50 lb front weight set. With weights will it be okay to handle implements?

You are so correct. The aftermarket ones will smash the tool box under the seat.
They work much better on models MT

I built my own made like a quick hitch adapter and the whole thing just slips onto the existing framework with no modifications needed. It worked really well on a blade and a finish mower. I have the cast type front wheels with a set of weights on them and it is not too light on the front.

I have a Deere M with a 3-point hitch that was built by a weld shop many years ago. It involved removing the stock drawbar and installing a heavy angle iron frame between the drop housings that the draft arms and sway limiter turnbuckles attached to. The third link mounting bolted on at the same place the belt pulley gearbox was before its removal. The mounting is relatively long fore-and-aft and a rather short third link used to provide enough clearance to the seat frame. The lift links attach to brackets that bolted onto the rockshaft arms. Everything is purely bolt-on and the tractor could be returned to the original configuration without any evidence that the 3-point was ever there.

The hitch does a good job with implements weighing up to about 500 lbs (5-ft disk, 4-ft rotary mower, 2-row planter, etc). I don't have any front ballast but the hydraulic capacity wouldn't lift much more anyway so that hasn't ever been a real problem. There are two holes in the draft arms and for heavy implements I move the lift links to the rear holes to get more mechanical advantage. This also limits the lift range, of course, so I only do this when necessary. However, even in the rear hole the hitch has sufficient range to get the implement high enough off the ground. The only problem comes when I load the tractor with an implement onto my trailer - I have to place 2x12 boards on the ramps to lessen the angle and keep from digging into the ground. When the adjustable-length lift links are in the front hole and set short the third link does come close to the seat frame so I have to be careful when adjusting it up for maximum lift height.

I'll try to grab a picture and post it this weekend.

Mine bolts to the drawbar. Never measured how high but mine will lift a plow, disk harrow, scrape blade or drag pan plenty high enough to transport and drop low enough to put them in the ground. I used the shortest top link I could find. At full lift it does touch the seat bottom. Mine doesn't have a tool box. I aquired another M I need to make the conversion pieces for & I'm going to just set them back two inches to eliminate the top link touching. The good thing about the bolt on is you can use any standard three point impliment or any of the origonal equipment without doing anything but hook it up.