International 424 Top Link Pin

[pard]

I just bought an International 424 today. Didn't come with the top link pin, no big deal it's got a cat 1 hitch and I've got plenty of pins!

Nope. This is not your normal cat 1 pin. The tractor-side of the top link has got a 3/4" hole on the one side and an 1" hole on the other! My cat 1 pin don't stay in since one side of the bracket is too large. My cat 2 pin goes into the large side just fine but won't go through the smaller side since it's 3/4".

I've been looking and I can't figure out the pin I need. Seems to be some sort of step pin, likely with a 3/4" side and a 1" side. I looked around and there are indeed pins that'll work for both cat 1 and 2 top link buckles but I am unsure which of the various kinds to get nor how any of these actually will do the job.

I've ordered all the books I'll need for this tractor but they'll be a week or more and this machine is in working order so I'd like to get her into use sooner than the speed of mail. For the moment I'm using the pin off my truck's hitch, it's no where near big enough but for moving a few hay bales around it'll do until I can get something more suitable.

Anyone know what I'm looking for here?

 

[Mrfred54]

It is a step pin. 3/4 Pin with 1 in. step at the head. Most guys anymore find a
bushing and use a straight 3/4 pin

 

[M-MAN]

I use a bushing on the left side
and a 3/4 straight pin in mine.
Whoever came up with the step pin
was an idiot!

 

[wore out]

''Whoever came up with the step pin
was an idiot!''

Or, rather, pretty smart!

Depending upon if the stepped down area of the pin is long or short the pin will mate an upper link with either a 3/4'' or a 1'' hole to the clevis.

SMART, actually!

This post was edited by wore out on 02/06/2023 at 09:34 pm.

 

[caterpillar guy]

It had a 3/4 end on it so you put it in frpm the one side and then it was tight on the link and the tractor. Made for a pricey deal since they are sort of limited in availability. You could make one with a lathe pretty easy just cut down one end of a pin till it will go through and has the hole stick through the casting for keeper pin

 

[pard]

Thanks y'all. I got a longer pin that had a "head" wide enough not to slip through the 1" hole. I've got a few 3/4 to 1 bushings for my cat 2 tractor, I'll slip one on here and be content. Might find one of these stepped pins some day, but I'm not going to kill myself over it, I've got no need to run cat 2s on this thing, pretty much only own cat 1 implements anyway and the cat 2s I have wouldn't even work on a tractor this small.

 

[JimB2]

The reason for the step pin was if you had the correct Top Ling and 3pt links they could be reversed to become Cat II BUT over the years the original links were replaced with Cat I only.