quick hitch

hank junkman

New User
I have a ford 600 tractor I use it for brush hogging plowing disking cultivating and am getting tired of switching all the implement getting too old has anyone used a quick hitch for these implements or is it not worth the trouble
 
Before you buy one you should measure all your implements to make sure they are all made to the
industry standard width beteen the lower pins. Category 1, which I assume you have, should be 26"
between the inner shoulders of the pins (what the ball rests against). I've seen some implements,
such as the 5-ft disk I once had, that were different and this could make using a quick hitch
impossible if it is off by too much. Manufacturers seem to take more liberties with the ASABE
standardized dimensions with Cat 1 tools than with larger implements.
 
if using modern implements, great. Using old stuff prolly means a lot of changes to the implement or it may be impractical to change it.
 
Place I worked at had a 2020 Deere that I drove part time with a 7' rotary mower and part time without. I had the job of hooking up and unhooking , they had the quick hitch on it, cat 2, and it was anything but quick or easy to hook up. You had to be a contorsionest to get in there to hook up the PTO. My 4000 Ford was a dream without a quick hitch as compaired to the nightmare that hitch was an that Deere and they set the implement farther back from the tractor. At that time I decided I would never own one. Have seen some cat 1 hitch that is what you have on auctions and they went for junk. Nobody except junk buyers would bid on them.
 
As others say, work great with a couple considerations:

It moves the implement back a couple inches, which can affect pto shaft length, or a heavy impliment can be harder to lift or bring the front end
up if it was 'close' on weight already.

Many older implements were not perfectly set up, an inch or two off in width or the height of the top link. You need to rebuild anything that is off,
or change the top link height for each different implement design. Some old implements don't have room below the top link pin for the big hook
to slip in. So you have to get off and pin it anyhow. If all your implements are the same and fit, then it's wonderful!

If you put on and off a lot of wagons, or other stiff on the drawbar, your head develops a crease from hitting that quick hitch, if you aren't using it
then it is a little bit in the way for hooking up wagons, pto, etc. not a big deal, but something you notice.....

In general the quick hitches are a great thing, I got a cheap on from Harbor Freight, it is very light for taking on and off if I don't want it in the
way. Works well. If you are plowing and disking a lot of heavy pulls, you might want a better made, heavier one.

Paul
 
they do look cool and very handy on the commercials

but for my old Fergy and old equipment I just keep a can of silicone spray beside the tractor in the storage shed.
each time I am going to change a piece of equipment I give each lower arm ball a good spray and the top link,
its not perfect, but if I get lucky and get halfway lined up to the implement the silicone spray helps with the hook up especially the new type rotatory cutter pto clamp.

so far a long pri pole and a good spray of silicone has worked fairly well for me.
 
I bought Pat's, on sale many places around $165 for the Cat1, for the same reason as you describe. Ensure that you buy from the seller
that includes the interconnect bar with the purchase, not sells it individually (for a reason). It does take probably an hour to get it adjusted
to suit your implements and tractor.

The thing about Pat's and my reason for purchasing rather than a full 3 pt unit is the spacing of my implements is not uniform and not to
Cat 1 spec. Since Pat's only controls the lower arms and has the adjustable cross bar, you can set it for any implement. Once you have the
right dimension and can aim your tractor, just back into the implement and lift slightly. Connect your 3rd member and you are good to go.
Yes to answer your question.
 

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