Complete Joystick Kit for International Harvester Tractors

Complete joystick kit for IH tractor models 886, 986, 1086, Hydro 86, 1486, 1586. The images below show how the joystick and valve are installed on these tractors, as well as how the pressure, return, and power beyond ports are accessed. 

2-Function versus 3-Function Joystick Kit:

The 2-function joystick kit is for a tractor with a front end loader that does NOT have a grapple. This kit has two cables that control the raise and lower loader functions and the tilt and retract bucket functions.

The 3-function joystick kit is for a tractor with a front end loader that DOES have a grapple. This kit has two cables that control raise and lower of the loader arms and tilt and retract for the bucket. It also has an electric third function for controlling the grapple. Buttons are built into the joystick handle, and are used to open and close the grapple. A wiring harness running from the joystick to the electric 3rd section on the valve control the grapple.

If you don't have a grapple at the time you're purchasing a joystick kit, but might add a grapple later on, it is a good idea to get the 3-function kit upfront. The features of the 3-function kit won't cause any problems with the 2-function functionality, and then the buttons and 3rd section are there and ready to use when you add a grapple later. The wiring harness and extra hoses and couplers could be set aside to be installed when the grapple was installed later. On the other hand, we also carry a 3-function conversion kit, which allows you to purchase the items needed to turn our 2-function joystick kit into a 3-function kit. The drawback to this is adding the 3rd function section to the valve, which doesn't necessarily require a hydraulic technician but is more difficult than if the valve is already purchased with the 3rd section included.

Items included in the joystick kit:

The 2-function joystick kit includes the following:

Joystick without buttons, 2 cables, 2-section hydraulic control valve, cable connection hardware, pressure return and (if applicable) load sense hoses, hoses from valve to loader steel lines, 4 Pioneer quick coupler sets, and a way to tap into the pressure return and (if applicable) load sense on the tractor. Tractor-specific brackets for mounting the joystick and valve are included, as well as all needed fittings and installation hardware. Written installation instructions with pictures are shipped with the kit.

The 3-function joystick kit includes the following:

Joystick with buttons, 2 cables, wiring harness, 3-section hydraulic control valve (2 manual sections, 1 electric section), cable connection hardware, pressure return and (if applicable) load sense hoses, hoses from valve to loader steel lines, 6 Pioneer quick couplers sets, and a way to access the pressure return and (if applicable) load sense on the tractor. Brackets designed for the specific tractor model are included for installing the joystick and control valve. All needed hydraulic fittings and and installation hardware are included as well. Written installation instructions with pictures are shipped with the kit.

This is called a complete joystick kit because it includes everything you need for controlling a front end loader on a tractor. Typically this kit is being used in a situation where a loader is being put on a farm tractor that has never had a joystick kit before, or a setup where there is an existing FEL on a tractor but it's being controlled by the rear remotes, and the user prefers to upgrade to a joystick to control the loader.

The pictures below show the current joystick used in these kits. The joystick used in the 2-function kit does not have buttons in the handle, whereas the joystick used in the 3-function kit has two buttons built into the handle, which control the grapple. This is a high-quality joystick built in Italy, made of heavy duty components and with a nice feel when operated. Note: the pictures of the installed kit may be an older-version joystick, as some of these pictures were taken by the R&D department at the time the joystick was developed, and the specific joystick used in the kit may have changed since then.

Like the joystick, the cables are high quality, built in Italy with heavy duty materials, and move smoothly when the joystick is operated. The length of the cables varies between kits, depending on where the valve is placed in relation to the joystick. The picture below shows the cable: 

The hydraulic control valve included in this kit is also made in Italy. The brand of the valve is Bondioli. The pictures below show the valve. The valve used in the 2-function kit has two manual sections. The valve used in the 3-function kit has three sections: two of the sections are manual, and the third section is electric, controlled by solenoids:

What makes the joystick kit tractor-specific?

We offer complete joystick kits for a wide variety of farm tractor makes and models, including John Deere, New Holland, Case, Case-IH, Massey Ferguson, McCormick, AgCo, International, etc. As listed above, each kit contains the same type of items, for example a joystick, cables, control valve, brackets, hoses, etc., but some of these items are designed specifically for the tractor. For example, the way that the joystick and valve mounts is going to be unique for most tractor model series, so the brackets for installing the joystick and valve is specifically designed to match the tractor the kit is going on. Since the way the pressure, return, and load sense is accessed also varies by tractor models, the hoses from the tractor to the valve have fittings and lengths that vary by tractor. The distance from the valve to the loader steel lines will vary as well, so these hose lengths will be different between tractors also. The cable length will vary depending on where the valve is installed, also. The control valve hydraulic setup in each kit matches the tractor's setup: open center, closed center, or load sense.

Installing the components:

While the specific installation steps will vary depending on the tractor model, these steps give an overview of typical installation tasks. It typically takes about 8 man hours to install the complete joystick kit from start to finish. (For reference, an experienced mechanic can usually install a kit in about 4-5 hours. Most of our kits are installed by the farmer that owns the tractor and is working in his own farm shop; installation typically takes about 8 hours in this case.)

Joystick and cables: The joystick bracket is typically being installed either on the front-right post of the cab, beside the seat, or on the side of the cab wall.

The cables and wiring harness go down through the floor of the cab to the control valve. In most tractors, a hole needs to be drilled in the floor for the cables. In some cases there already is a hole there for this purpose. This video shows how to attach the cables to the joystick base:

Hydraulic control valve: Most of the kits have the control valve installed under the front-right section of the cab, and if possible existing bolt holes are used. In some cases, though, there is not enough room to install the valve in this spot, so in some kits the valve is installed on the rear of the tractor. In this case the cables do still go down through the floor, but then are bent back to go to the valve on the rear, typically right under the rear cab window.

Pioneer couplers: In most kits, the Pioneer couplers are attached to a bracket that is installed on the loader mounts. With this setup, there is a set of hoses running from the valve up to the couplers, and then another set of hoses running from the couplers up to the loader steel lines. In several kits, the Pioneer couplers are installed directly on the control valve, and the hoses run all the way from the control valve up to the loader steel lines. Hose clamps and hose wrap is included to keep these hoses tidy.

Pressure, Return, and Load Sense: Most of the kits include a power beyond block, which taps into the pressure, return, and (if applicable) load sense of the tractor, supplying the oil flow to and from the midmount valve. For the tractors that have pressure, return, and load sense ports built in to the tractor, the correct hoses and fittings are provided for connecting to these ports. In tractors that require teeing in, the correct items are included. This part of the kit varies the most between tractor models. The installation instructions that ship with the kit include written instructions and pictures of how this is installed.

Hydraulic fittings: All needed hydraulic fittings are included in the loader control joystick kits. Since the kits are tractor-specific and are being used with a variety of loaders, the one time you may need to modify the kit slightly is adding hydraulic adapters between the tips of the hoses in the kit where they connect to your loader's steel lines. The tips of our hoses where they connect to the loader lines are typically JIC.

Cable connection hardware: The cable connection hardware assembly is the same in each kit. This video shows how to assemble this hardware:

Wiring harness: The wiring harness plugs into a pigtail on the joystick, and is run with the cables down through a hole in the floor of the cab to the control valve.

Warranty information:

All components in the joystick kit are covered by a 1-year warranty.