[Willie Nunez]

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).

 

[jodyand]

Well i hope you get it on the 29 and i don't know why sears sells it for so much more. Guess they have to make there money somewhere and who does the research like yo.
Jody

 

[Old_Nodaker]

Willie - so does an actuator do the exact same thing as a hydraulic cylinder? I'm looking for a way to add tilt to my blade. Since my tractor only has two valves, I can just do the raising and angeling hydraulically. I can probably add another valve, but maybe the actuator would be easier and cheaper.

 

[Willie Nunez]

Old_Nodaker,
A Bear linear K-2 actuator might be a perfect solution to your problem. Yes, this K-2 is an electric equal to a hydraulic actuator. Take a look at it on:
www.bearlinear.com
I didn't get a price on a longer actuator(the 4" is $180 and the 6" is $185). It comes with 10' of cable and the rocker switch is $15. Talk to Jared at: 815-547-1106 ext 55#
A mix of hydraulic and electric might turn out to be a clever way to go.

 

[Willie Nunez]

Jody,
All I can figure is that someone at Sears might've entered the price of the older electric lift kit into the main computer. It consisted of many brackets and links and things, because it mounted underneath the tractor and was interfaced with the standard deck lift mechanism.
After I receive, and test, my manual sleeve hitch, I might just purchase the electric actuator by itself, and fabricate my own tab brackets. We'll see.

 

[jodyand]

Yes thats the way to go a $180. is alot better then $380.
Jody

 

[aegt5000]

Willie, looks like your on this like Hawk on a Rat.
Keep on it, your almost there.

 

[guest2]

I think Willie needs a new title! Something to better reflect his relentless pursuit of the facts.

 

[tjw in kans]

i think what everyone is describing is what i saw at tractor supply before purchasing my gt 5k, and i am sure it wont fit a craftsman, but it is the same idea. they had a rear sleeve hitch with an electric lift type ram to raise the rear implements only and it was close to 500.00, thats why i passed. maybe sears will get there stuff together on this type of setup. i know last years sears model lift worked off the manual lift of the tractor and didnt work independently from the mower deck. i add 100+ pounds of weight to my box scraper and i cant even begin to raise it with the manual lift. probably the rear electric type ram would work if available, it wasnt last year for the rear only, i went the cheap route and added an atv winch to raise the box scraper. the older mount sears actuator would probably be usefull for raising the front blade, deck and rear attachments if thats what someone wants, plus the mower deck has to be removed to use it for the front or rear attachments. sounds like the rear ram type setup is what sears is trying to say, but cant tell from their ads or from what the sales people know. good luck. will check back.

 

[GT5000]

Willie - You are wrong

Re: "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."

Yes, in order to MOUNT it to the tractor it is attached to the upper and lower tab brackets in the rear. But, to run the mid mount (and front) lift system, another "thru bracket" is run from the rear to the mid-mount lift arms (mechanism) [similar to the bracket in the current closeout sleeve hitch.

It's how you asked the question to the engineer Willie, plus common sense would dictate that $300 more than the manual 24535 sleeve hitch would get you much more than simply being limited to lifting rear attachments only.

Slow down my friend and read things twice.