Which tractor models does the lift retrofit kit fit?
Compatibility is decided by the lever mechanics, not the brand: if there is a cable-controlled mechanism, room for the actuator and battery supply, it fits.
What determines compatibility is not the brand/model but the mechanical structure of the hydraulic lever. The kit works with an actuator mounted onto the existing lever without removing it. Even if the brand of your tractor is on the list, the kit will not fit if the mechanism is different; and even if it is not on the list, it will fit if the mechanism is suitable.
Three things needed for compatibility
- A hydraulic lever or valve plate that moves manually
- Enough space to fix the actuator
- A 12V or 24V battery supply
Do not plan an installation before all three of these items are met. The second one in particular is the item most often skipped in the field: even if the volume the lever moves through looks empty, the lever still has to be able to make its full stroke once the actuator and the mounting bracket are fitted.
Which kit fits which structure
The products differ according to the type of mechanism. LFT20 and LFT54 are for the cable-controlled Lift-O-Matik arrangement; they take over the outer end of the existing cable. ELF-812, on the other hand, moves the hydraulic control lever directly with a linear actuator and needs no cable. In other words, if there is a cable on your tractor the cable-pull kits come into question, and if the lever moves directly, the set with the linear motor does.
| Structure on the tractor | Suitable approach |
|---|---|
| Steel cable inside a sheath, outer end removable | Cable-pull kit |
| Lever connected to the valve directly by a joint | Set with a linear motor attached to the lever |
| Lever moves with difficulty by hand | Mechanical service first |
| No mounting space around the lever | On-site assessment required |
If you are not sure which class to put your mechanism in, the page what is a cable-controlled Lift-O-Matik mechanism makes telling them apart easier.
How to check it yourself
Look at three things without starting the engine. First follow the movement of the lever: does the movement leaving the lever travel through a cable inside a sheath, or does it go to the valve through a direct metal linkage. Then move the lever by hand through its full range; if there is sticking, stiffness or failure to return, have the mechanism serviced before fitting a kit. Finally, look at whether there is a surface that can be fixed to, around the lever and on the chassis, away from vibration and from the hot exhaust. For a step-by-step diagnosis you can look at the page can a kit be used on my tractor.
The model year and the equipment level can be decisive as well. Within the same series some machines were built with a quick-lift mechanism and some without it; and on a second-hand tractor the mechanism may have been removed later. That is why the decision is made not from the machine's plate but from the arrangement you see in the cab at that moment.
Cases where it does not fit
On tractors that left the factory with electronic lift control there is no manual lever to convert; on these machines there is also nothing to be gained by changing the position of a lever with an actuator. If there is no place to fix the actuator in the area where the lever moves, or if the lever falls into the operator's foot area and the mounting bracket blocks the passage, suitability has to be assessed on site. A lever that moves with difficulty by hand is not suitable either; the kit is designed not to compensate for a mechanical defect but to drive a soundly working lever remotely.
Machines other than tractors
The same criterion holds for garden tractors and construction machinery as well; the only thing that changes is how often the mechanism is found. On small-class machines the cable-controlled arrangement is often absent altogether, and in that case cable-pull kits cannot be used. The details are on the garden and compact tractors and combine harvesters, loaders and construction machinery pages.
What to do in practice
If you send us photos of your tractor, we assess installation suitability in advance. In the photo, the whole of the control lever, the path the movement leaving the lever follows and, if there is one, the connection at the outer end of the cable should be visible. Tell us as well whether you have difficulty moving the lever by hand; that information is often more decisive than the photo.
The full topic: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control