Hydrualic top links.. What do you guys use?

I've scene some intresting set up for hydrualic top links, from guys paying over 2000 dollars for a John Deere one to an older feller using a old hydrualic cylinder for one. I'm wondering what I should look into getting.
 
A standard double acting cylinder works well as long as you can slow it down so you aren't rip roaring the implement up and back. I've got the remote slowed down and a reduction fitting in there at the same time to get it nice and slow. Cylinders aren't cheap. What I have is overkill but it was one laying around with the right pin size.
 
Got a nice one from Hay Dr or CC or whatever he is going by now.

Has the pressure valves that hold the link in place without leaking down. This is on my cat 1 utility tractor.

Got one with a 3pt forklift I bought, appears to be a regular cylinder with the special little swivel block pinned on it, see them in the back of farm magazines. This IPA cat 2.

Both work fine.

Paul
 
Having a ball socket on them is a better way too, and you can buy those and fab them onto a cylinder, this is needed to deal with the side to side action of the hitch.Years ago My Brother and I fabbed a top link cylinder and a side link cylinder to use on a 3pt post driver it worked well to keep the post lined up nice, we used it on hundreds of post.
 
Something like this?
Hope the pic uploads properly.
a184642.jpg
 
I found a used front three point hitch for one of my bigger, non antique tractors. I searched the Surplus Center catalog for the size cylinder I wanted for the top link.
 
i just use this double acting cylinder on my bale spear so i can load an unload a round bale wagon with ease.
RICK
 
I use one similar to that shown in Hank's post on my Cat 1 tractors with box blade, slip scoop, boom pole, etc.

It's very, very handy.

IIRC, mine cost around $275 with hoses, etc.

If you get one, be certain to get one with pilot operated check valves to assure that the cylinder stays in set position.

Dean
 
I have not had the need of one myself but have seen them used on tractors being used for competition plowing.
Had a customer at one time that was a landscaping contractor, he had a cylinder on both the top link and the right hand lift link for use with his box blade. Could he ever do a job with that. Sure kept his right hand busy.
 
I built a rear spear, making the mast taller, used it on my 706 with a cyl as a top link. Made setting bales on the trailer a piece of cake.
 
So-called "Top and Tilt" is the must have set up for the yuppie, first real tractor Kubota set, whether they need it or not.

Landscapers, can, however, make good use of top and tilt.

Dean
 
I built my own.
$25 hydraulic cylinder off of Craigslist and cut the swivels off of a $25 screw type top link.
I would never go back to a screw type.

P1010001-2.jpg


P1010005-2.jpg
 
You can buy top link hydraulic cylinders made specifically to be a top link either category I or category II. I have a "Prince" on one tractor and a "Dalton" on the other. You can look them up on the internet. I like the "Prince" the best.
 
Kubota kits run Gannon cylinders. As a dealer we order direct form Gannon (Woods) direct and save the customer a little money. Over my 30 years have sold many and found that it is really hard to beat the Gannon cylinders in that application. Some years we sell as many as a 100 + top and tilt kits , Thing is folks ever buy a tractor with the top and tilt they will always want it on their next unit.
 

Got mine from Gnuse. Spendy, I forget what I paid for it but nowhere near $2000. I had a regular 4" cylinder for a top link at first but eventually the end pulled off. It broke when I was going down the road with a rear bucket full of rocks. It scattered volleyball and bigger rocks all over the road and I had to scramble like crazy to get them off to the side before a car came along. We tend to remember situations like that. This is on the back of a 130 HP tractor so there is a lot of pull on the top link when the bucket is full and the ends need to be put on really good and strong. I wouldn't trust a cobbled up cylinder again.
 
(quoted from post at 10:26:16 02/28/15) Something like this?
Hope the pic uploads properly.
a184642.jpg

I bought one just like that about 5 years ago thinking it would be handy. First time I used it it rotated just enough for the fitting on the fixed end to hit the bracket on the tractor. Ripped the fitting out of the cylinder and bent the crap out of the tubing....it is still laying where I threw it.
 

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