My Cat 0 3 Point Hitch Plans for a NF 122
 

ok using my sophisticated cad drawing program.......... i put down my sketches so you guys could see it.

this is the thread that inspired me and was exactly what i was looking for design wise......

http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=12137

i havent decided yet, but i might just remake the whole rear cover. it would be a bit easier, but also alot stronger to tie it into one whole piece and all the cover bolts would take the stress.

basically im going to run a bracket up to the axle housing bolts and put the front lift arm pins on them with "hopefully" a few mounting holes to adjust the arms forward and backward. then weld on a upper bracket for the top link and "hopefully" a few mounting holes to adjust it up and down.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1123-00202.jpg

now the interesting part...... the upper lift arms to get the lower lift arms to go up and down. with out cutting the rear panel out (picture above) so the upper arms could work and look like a normal 3 point hitch, im going to reverse them, and tuck them up into the space between the fender and seat mounting sheet metal. with reversing arms and redesigning the push arm, it will work just like the original, pull back on the handle and the 3 point will raise, push it forward and it will go down.

i will be fabricating all the parts except for maybe the lift arms themselves. i might get them from xtreme motorworks. but the local farm store has weld on cat 0 ball sockets so i could take some 1/2"x2" flat stock and make my own lift arms.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1124-00205.jpg

my hope by doing all this will be to keep the tractor as original as possible with out modifying hardly anything. i will also have to fab up a small rockshaft in rear for the upper lift arms. and now the real tricky part, stuffing a small hydraulic cylinder up in the trans tunnel and have it strictly dedicated to the rear 3 point. i figure a 1.5"x4"x.75" cylinder would be perfect, and there is plenty or room in there for it too.

the whole hydraulic system will be run off a pump on the front of the engine, and run into a 2 spool valve. 1 valve will be for front and rear hydraulics...... to run power angle on the plow, maybe a hydraulic motor in the rear for a tiller, or something else. and the other valve with have a selector valve in it, so i can use one valve to run the 3 point cylinder, and either another cylinder on the deck rockshaft or a cylinder in the front for the plow, and i ll leave the deck lever alone.

so let me know what you guys think and any advice and stay tuned, work is going to start this weekend with the small rock shaft in the rear.

I'm going to enjoy this thread! Looking forward to your updates. :ThumbsUp:

Looks good so far.

It ain't so late, go cut some steel!! :biggrin2:


Attachment 17751

unfortunatly i have to work today or i would have been in the shop working..... this weekend ill get some stuff done hopefully, then deer season starts monday!

I would recommend something more like this for the rockshaft arms, as what you've drawn will waste most of the lifting power with badly-angled linkage. This is better but still not really an ideal solution. This piece is going to have to be REALLY strong because of the L-shape.

Attachment 17764

The biggest problem here is that the seat bracket is made of steel that is only ~.100" thick, and the 3-point pivot pin is only 3/8" in diameter. The loads imposed on this rockshaft by a heavy Cat-0 implement will eventually crush the holes, and a 3/8" rockshaft will not be capable of doing anything. The OEM Cat-0 hitch has a 1" diameter rockshaft, and it pivots in two 3/4"-ish wide bushings welded into the hitch plate. You could bolt on a piece of heavy angle iron with a hole drilled to match the hole for the pivot pin on each side of the seat bracket to add some more bearing area for the rockshaft, but that won't solve the 3/8" rockshaft problem. You'll need at least a 3/4" diameter rockshaft to be safe.

I would also recommend tying the lower bracket into some of the axle tube bolts, as you don't really want to be dumping all of the load from the hitch into the trans by putting the rear cover bolts in tension. Yes, this is how the IH 3-point works, but notice that axle tube bolts are used in the thread you linked to, the picture CADplans posted, and also the OEM Cat-0 hitch. It's much better to load bolts in shear than in tension.

One last thing, what are you going to mount the hydraulic cylinder to? That mount needs to be very strong and mounted to something solid.

If I were you I would think this through a little more before you start cutting metal. I learned early on when I started making stuff that time is saved and less material is wasted when the item you are trying to make is completely thought-out before it is made.

Me too! :beer2:

thats not a bad idea matt, ill have to consider that one. after going back out last night, it might be jsut easier to notch the rear pan so the lift arms stick out the back, cause i understand what your saying about the bad angle and wasting lifting power. 2 small notches i guess wouldnt be that bad and it would be filled with the lift arms so it would look ok i guess.

also with the axle being in the way i couldnt show the part that would hold the lower lift arms, but yes they will be tied into the axle tube bolts.

yes, after laying in bed last night and thinking about it the rockshaft is going to have to be thicker then 1/2". im going to go atleast 5/8" or maybe even 3/4". the most outer portion will have atleast bushings, if not even a small pillow block would be good too, and the inner part where the original rear pivot point is im going to do exactly what you said, mount in a piece of angle iron with bushings with grease points.

as far as the 3 point cylinder, i dont know yet lol. what my idea was is to mount a thicker piece of steel on the inside of the seat pan, and then also tie that into the top of the transmission where all of the bolts are for the shifter. tieing them intogether should be plenty of strength. if it comes down to it, i might just put that cylinder on the original rockshaft and have that tied with a rod to the 3 point rockshaft.

also i doubt i will really use the 3 point to its full potential. ill never plow with it, but a box blade isnt out of the question, so it does need to be strong.

i guess i should just make it strong and modify the tractor cause im never gettting rid of this thing, i love my cub cadet 122........ so much that now im even considering scrapping the plow and building FEL for it.

Once you have it you'll use it. You can't go wrong with a FEL but with a rear blade or box blade they look so sweet! This is my old 122 and Danco RD-1000 loader that I no longer own. Nothing like being able to scoop and scrape at the same time!

http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/p...&pictureid=690

nice 122 methos...... i wish i could find a danco or johnson loader..... if i do decide to do that project ill have to custom make everything.

ok so i just got home from work a bit ago, and was only in the shop for maybe an hour tonight.... but this is what i have accomplished so far.

i got the fenders off and got a good look of what structure i have underneath the tractor. it is actually beefier than i thought. the seat structure seems to be a bit thicker than the frame and the other sheet metal parts. i grabbed a piece of round stock i had, and drillled the original holes for the sleeve hitch arm to 5/8" and slid her right in......

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1125-00210.jpg

tomorrow im going to make some brackets and small sleeves to support the rockshaft much better, then bolt the brackets into the seat frame. i would weld them in but i dont think it is necessary. i should have the rockshaft finished tomorrow, except for the arm that will attach to either a rod to the deck rockshaft, or a cylinder..... it is a bit tighter in there then i thought, i dont know if a cylinder is going to fit. i found some small meyers power angle cylinders today at work, but they are only single acting and i would really like to have down pressure on the three point.......

stay tuned more pictures tomorrow........