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241 Posts
At this point, it appears that Sears is kinda messed up on their sleeve hitch information. They show the 24535 manual hitch(the one with the long handle) as being totally independent of the other lift mechanisms. Then, they show the 24545 electric lift kit as being specifically made for this hitch. And, the photo clearly shows everything mounted on the rear hitch plate. BUT, the text to the right of the photo indicates that this electric lift connects to mid and front mounted implements.
I've been frustrated because none of the Sears people have been able to answer any questions, and by the fact that my 24535 has been back-ordered twice. Also, I couldn't understand why the price of the 24545 was so high($380).
Today, I set out to attempt to find answers. I burned the internet search engines, and I burned the telephone lines. I ended up talking to 3 engineers, 2 at Agri-Fab and 1 at Bear. I talked to the engineer that did the develpment work on the electric lift kit. Of course, he didn't know anything about the confusion at Sears, but he did explain all about the hitches. He said that the new electric lift kit is very simple and does not connect to anything except the the upper and lower tab brackets. He gave me the specs for the actuator. The stroke is 4", it's got an overload clutch, the gear ratio is 20:1, the full-stroke speed is 3.5 seconds, it's rated for 1,200 lbs, and it's very high quality.The retail price for just the actuator is $180, so there is no explanation as to why the Sears price is THAT high.
He also told me that oders were being filled, and that my new delivery date of March 29 was realistic. He revealed that these new items were exclusively made for Sears.
Bear is the supplier of the actuator, and I was able to find a tech person there as well. I had been looking for general information on actuators, as I can see where just the right actuator might exist such that it could be readily adapted to several tractor applications. I'm now satisfied that Bear makes the best suited actuators in the industry(for small tractor inovators). They faxed me some interesting information. The K-2 actuator is available in different configurations, and in strokes from 4" to 24"(in 2" increments). Very exciting stuff(for me).
I've been frustrated because none of the Sears people have been able to answer any questions, and by the fact that my 24535 has been back-ordered twice. Also, I couldn't understand why the price of the 24545 was so high($380).
Today, I set out to attempt to find answers. I burned the internet search engines, and I burned the telephone lines. I ended up talking to 3 engineers, 2 at Agri-Fab and 1 at Bear. I talked to the engineer that did the develpment work on the electric lift kit. Of course, he didn't know anything about the confusion at Sears, but he did explain all about the hitches. He said that the new electric lift kit is very simple and does not connect to anything except the the upper and lower tab brackets. He gave me the specs for the actuator. The stroke is 4", it's got an overload clutch, the gear ratio is 20:1, the full-stroke speed is 3.5 seconds, it's rated for 1,200 lbs, and it's very high quality.The retail price for just the actuator is $180, so there is no explanation as to why the Sears price is THAT high.
He also told me that oders were being filled, and that my new delivery date of March 29 was realistic. He revealed that these new items were exclusively made for Sears.
Bear is the supplier of the actuator, and I was able to find a tech person there as well. I had been looking for general information on actuators, as I can see where just the right actuator might exist such that it could be readily adapted to several tractor applications. I'm now satisfied that Bear makes the best suited actuators in the industry(for small tractor inovators). They faxed me some interesting information. The K-2 actuator is available in different configurations, and in strokes from 4" to 24"(in 2" increments). Very exciting stuff(for me).