Making a quick hitch

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
Getting old is no fun and the alternative is a good option. The older I get the harder it is for me to hook anything to my 3 pt. An older friend bought a quick hitch. His old equipment needs to be modified to connect the tip point. Nothing quick about that. I had to use my loader to assist him to hook up his grader blade.

So, does anyone have a better design to make my own quick hitch for older equipment? Or does anyone have anything to make it easier to connect 3 pt equipment?

I always park my equipment on the ground which isn't level. I try not to just dump it on the ground. I rest it on something.
 
CHANGE THE FIRST LINE TO. Getting old is no fun and the alternative is NOT a good option. Please put your posts below this post. I know I'm in trouble.
 
I think this is one of those situations where you'd have more work and expense in to something that "might work" than you'd have in one that's proven to work. If you're serious about using one,you'll just have to be more careful about where and how you park things,simple as that.
 
I've found the easiest way is to do one point at a time. Line up the higher of the two arms (in relation to the implement pins) first. Hook it, then pull or push the implement with the tractor until the second arm is in the right position, but lower than the pin. You can then lift that arm manually, and hook it. Finally, adjust the top link so that you can hook it up.

My Kubota has 3 point arms where the end section has a release latch, so that you can have about 4 inches of length adjustment to hook up. Seems like someone would make such after market arms available.

You might also consider making custom height blocks to block up the implement when you take it off, so it will be in the right position to hook up again next time.

Or, of course, the best solution of all for tractor collectors- get one tractor for each implement, and leave it on!
 

lots of folks brag about ""pat's quick hitch" system.. it fits on the end of your arms.. . I dont have them but see a lot of comments about them.

Most of my tractors have quick links... where the end pulls out,,,, and thank God for them.
 
I too have telescopic arms/links. Love em. Sure save time and effort when hooking up. And there is no need for the special stuff
required for those 'Quik hitches'.I even made a set for the Super M
 
Nothing better than a good 3pt quick hitch built to industry standards, and equipment built the same way. You won't build one cheaper than finding a good used one.

As you have found out, some old equipment needs updating to make it fit and that is not fun....

If you want things to work well, then you need to park on somewhat level ground to make hooking up fast and easy. Use adjustable stands or blocks when unhooking and that makes a big difference next time.

For me, the worst thing ever is a cultivator where the tool bar weight rides on the row units ride on springs. The solution was to make stands under the tool bar for parking and unhooking it. No problems at all now!
 
George the best hands off quick hitch I have ever seen or use is one that is shaped like a triangle/a frame. You have female part that is adjustable to your implement. Then tractor has a male half that lifts up into the female triangle. The tractor half has a latch that you an trip with a rope to unhitch. I sold several sets of these to some golf courses that change attachments many times each day. You did not even have to get off the tractor unless you needed to attach a PTO shaft. They bought a female attachment for each implement they used regularly and several tractor halves. The disadvantage is the cost but your totally hand frees once you get them set up. The top of the "V" goes right up into the female frame so you do not have to be setting perfect each time.

The cheap hooks that go on the end of the lift arms are not much of an answer as they push the load back about another 3-4 inch and then you still have to attach the top link an most top links are not long enough for these adaptors to work on many implements.

The traditional quick hitch only work if your implement hitches are all alike. There are not many of the cat I hitches that are the same. Also they leave a little slop in the pins so for thing like a rear blade you have less control. We use them on larger things but it seems like the hitches on the Cat III stuff is mush more universal.
A frame style quick hitches.
 
I thought IH had that problem solved years ago with the quick hitch. I never had to get off except to push the latches down sometimes. That system was to good and look what happened to it. Hooking up to 3 point is a 2 man operation if in the stock form. I haven't got to use some of the above fixes but anything has to be an improvement.
 
I have a commercial one that appears well made, and engineered. NEVER USE IT.
Seems like more trouble to be putting it on and off for applications where I can't have it on the tractor than it is worth.
 
I've done what your trying to do. I agonized over the cost for years but finally just did I it. The final straw was a hurt back, chiropractor and Dr. bills. Those and the time off work made upgrading my equipment cheap.

I put a landpride quick hitch on and modified or replace my implements. I should have done it years ago. The only thing I don't have quick hitch compatible is my post hole digger.
 
An older neighbor of mine leaves a 6 foot long digging/pry bar leaning beside a tree near his equipment. With cat 1 equipment the bar usually is enough for him to shift even a disc harrow a tad to get it attached. My father however prefers to complain he can't get things attached. He's entertained spending lots of money on various hitching solutions looking for the magic bullet fix but is afraid to leave a $30 digging bar beside a tree as it might be stolen. It's not going to disappear from where he leaves his stuff and if it does it's a cheap way to find out someone has been back there.

Making sure the tractor and implement are on level ground during connect/disconnect is the best way to ensure things go easily. Sitting the implement on a large pallet can often make shifting the implement easier too as it can't get imbedded in the dirt.
 
Get rid of the 3 point hitch stuff and get pull type equipment.
If your farm is that small that you need 3 point hitch equipment to even be able to turn around i would quit farming altogether.

The other alternative is to get a tractor dedicated to every implement :lol:
 
I have 5 different things that connect to my Jubilee and it's always a battle to get the
2 arms connected. My friend bought a quick hitch and frankly there is nothing quick
about it when you have 60-70 year old 3 pt equipment.

I have a design in my head. Just need to round up some box tubing, flat metal, find some
time to make one. Will post back when I come up with something better than a factory
quick hitch.

I'm surprised no one on YT has made one.
 
Do a Google search for "Pat's Quick Hitch". Lots of supplers selling them. For Cat1 cost is $175, Cat 2 10 bucks more. Buy from the supplier that includes the link bar that connects across the lifting arms to position and lock the arms to the desired width to fit your implement....all aren't the same width (on my farm anyway) and that's why you need Pat's design.

Oh, and if you have a PTO driven implement, remove the bar after you get hooked up and before you connect your PTO shaft and go to work. Now how do you suppose I know that...... Grin.

I just used mine a couple of days ago for the first time and for the same reason as you and man they are worth it.

Mark
 
(quoted from post at 03:30:47 04/13/15) I have 5[b:8aa283823d] different things that connect to my Jubilee [/b:8aa283823d]and it's always a battle to get the
2 arms connected. My friend bought a quick hitch and frankly there is nothing quick
about it when you have 60-70 year old 3 pt equipment.

I have a design in my head. Just need to round up some box tubing, flat metal, find some
time to make one. Will post back when I come up with something better than a factory
quick hitch.

[b:8aa283823d]I'm surprised no one on YT has made one[/b:8aa283823d].
more jubilee's are cheaper than one quick hitch that does not work anyway.
There's a couple new inventions in Europe but they cost prob 10 grand.
 
I like the ball and hook system. My tractor came standard with it and would really hate to go back to the old style at my age. I can also work the lift up and down standing behind the tractor.

This style you have to buy the balls and put them on the implements or move the balls from one to another.

The link I'm going to post may be in Europe but I'm sure you can get these through Agco since they sell Fendt tractors. These are weld on so it doesn't make the lift arm longer.
Hook for ball system
 
So far no one has posted any plans, just go buy one that I know won't work on the old
stuff. I found an old 3 pt grader blade today. Going to cut the front part off and weld
on a simple adaptor to grab the two lower pts. Will work on it in a couple of days.
 
Buy an older CASE tractor with Eagle Hitch. You can hook to 3pt equipment without leaving the seat.
The pic. is of the front mtd 3pt that I built for my Case 440. It is pinned to a std. Myers snow plow frame and utilizes the Myers lift cylinder. I plan to eliminate the adjustable top link and fab up a rigid strut with a U shaped yoke on the outer end, once I get the three point tools dialed in. I am not talking 3pt back blade or york rake for it but that is feasable also. Then I will be able to drive into implement, raise it and insert two 3/8" pins to secure it.
Loren
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