Go BottomShorter cat1 top link up for auction
 | Dwight
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 20 
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2002-12-13 46081
I've read several posts here on the CTB from compact tractor owners looking for shorter cat1 top links. I just happen to see some on an auction site for $9 if anyone is interested. They appear a couple inches shorter then the one that came with my BX2200. I've got one coming from one of their other auctions. They have some more up for auction at the link below.
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| Tom BX
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-12-13 46092
What is the standard length of a BX2200 top link when made short as possible? The site you listed say 13 1/2", I thought that was the lenght that comes with a BX
Tom ....
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada 
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2002-12-13 46094
The best terminology to use is to refer to the length of the body. The length that comes standard on the BX is 11 inches. The links mentioned are nine inches. Coincidentally that is the same length I decided was about right and I shortened mine to a nine inch body. I couldn't get any of my three point implements to work correctly with the 11 inch length. ....
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| Dwight
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 20
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2002-12-13 46098
I checked the fully retracted length of my original top link and it's around 14.5 inches. This top link should be at least 1 inch shorter which will help me with ground clearance on my 3pt blade. I'm not sure how much difference 1 inch at the top link will make at the rear of my blade but I will let you know. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-12-14 46111
I think the distance the blade moves would be the ratio between the distance between the top-link mount and the lower link pins and the distance between the link pins and the blade.
With my box scraper, the top-link is the sole adjustment that controls the blade attack angle. I couldn't use the top-link adjustment independently for another purpose such as ground clearance.
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| DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2002-12-14 46112
An inch or two makes a big difference, especially on the BX series. With the factory top link I could not even get my box scraper to attach unless I hooked up the lower links and raised them to create more space for the top link. ....
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| Tom BX
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-12-14 46113
I measured the top link on my BX and it was 13.5 inches, the smallest dimention between the two ends center to center on the pins on the tactor and snowblower. ....
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| Dwight
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 20
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2002-12-14 46115
Did you measure the body of top link? I had read some information somewhere that Kubota was working on a shorter top link. The body on mine is just under 11 inches. At 14.5 inches I still have some thread left but the ends are hitting something (or each other) inside the body. I also checked on the price for an original top link. The price I found was over $100 so $9 sounds good to me.
I never thought about the attack angle. A shorter top link might help make my back blade less aggressive by changing the angle at the blade. I've been using the back side of the blade for snow removal to take it easy on the gravel in our driveway. It works ok but it tends to float up on packed snow. ....
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| DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2002-12-14 46116
The dealer I got my BX from has not been able to get Kubota to budge on the issue and finally gave up. Now he just orders all of his common use implements with two sets of top holes from Gearmore.
Dwight, the threads do butt into each other inside. They are also difficult to completely unscrew without ruining the threads because of punch/peening on the threads. If you do little tricky work with a needle file you can disassemble the factory part for cutting and shortening. ....
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| Dwight
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 20
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2002-12-14 46117
Thanks Mark,
I did try to unscrew the ends and they started to tighten up on the way out so I stopped before I messed the treads up. I don't think I'll shorten the original anyway. If the one I've got coming isn't short enough I'll just shorten it a little more. For only $9 I probably should have bought more then one. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-12-15 46134
Dwight: I think many people turn their blade 180-degrees and push backwards. It sounds like that's what you're doing. I imagine that many blades have their own adjustments in addition to the top-link. If not, it would be good to be able to shorten up the top-link and preserve the gravel--at least till freeze-up. You might try strapping sandbags or something on top the blade so it won't float up as easily.
For our conditions here I want some snow pack on the gravel. That way the traction is decent and my blower doesn't make stone showers. The gravel also stays frozen during any brief thaws so skid shoes don't sink in. Frozen gravel is pretty indestructible by blade or blower.
The problem is managing the snow pack so it doesn't turn into a skating rink. No matter what is done, we do end up with a skating-rink sometime during the winter. The main thing is not to slick down the base with a blower of plow right before freezing rain is expected. Most times our skating rink (or ice fishing practice pad if you prefer) gets covered with new snow quickly, and then the surface is decent again. Other times I have to wait for a partial thaw and break up ice with a box scraper scarifiers, push it off with the loader and start over.
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