Just bought my new Saginaw hitch for my JD 70. Here's my observations:
Cost was $700 delivered to my friendly local JD dealer. (business delivery is less expensive than home delivery.)
The Hitch was fully assembled, wired to a pallet. It loaded easily in the back of my truck.
The hitch came complete with all pins and necessary hardware EXCEPT bolts to attach it to the axle housing itself. It was explained that many use the studs normally found in the axle housing, which I did too. 4 large flatwashers are included, however.
I found that it was easiest to disassemble the hitch on the pallet, and reassemble it as I installed it. By doing so, one person can easily handle any portion of it. Its best to put the two bottom supports on first, then the top link bracket, followed by the lift arm assemblies. I had the entire thing off the pallet, installed on the tractor and operational in 45 minutes.
The only bad things were that neither the original PTO shield or flpper shield can be used with this hitch as there isn't enough clearance. The hydraulic outlets are still accessible however, an it appears there is adequate room for a pto shaft to be attached easily. Additionally, the pin holes were pretty tight, requiring a hammer to remove them. A few seconds with a air grinder and burr bit removed the burrs inside the holes alleviateding the problem and makeing the pins go in easily. Part of the problem was the upc stickers on the new pins.
The lift arms attach easily to the rockshaft, requiring only a bit of assistance by a rubber mallet, to get past the paint. Two 15/16" wrenches and two 3/4" wrenches were all that was needed to install everthing.
The hitch came with a new toplink and was ready to use immediately after installation. I like the fact that the lift arms can be quickly and easily adjusted, but they do require a large wrench to loosen or tighten the jam nuts.
The anti sway bars are easily adjusted by use of a set screw set up and could be removed entirely in seconds.
I'll report back on actual use after we get some dry weather and I get a chance to do some mowing.
Cost was $700 delivered to my friendly local JD dealer. (business delivery is less expensive than home delivery.)
The Hitch was fully assembled, wired to a pallet. It loaded easily in the back of my truck.
The hitch came complete with all pins and necessary hardware EXCEPT bolts to attach it to the axle housing itself. It was explained that many use the studs normally found in the axle housing, which I did too. 4 large flatwashers are included, however.
I found that it was easiest to disassemble the hitch on the pallet, and reassemble it as I installed it. By doing so, one person can easily handle any portion of it. Its best to put the two bottom supports on first, then the top link bracket, followed by the lift arm assemblies. I had the entire thing off the pallet, installed on the tractor and operational in 45 minutes.
The only bad things were that neither the original PTO shield or flpper shield can be used with this hitch as there isn't enough clearance. The hydraulic outlets are still accessible however, an it appears there is adequate room for a pto shaft to be attached easily. Additionally, the pin holes were pretty tight, requiring a hammer to remove them. A few seconds with a air grinder and burr bit removed the burrs inside the holes alleviateding the problem and makeing the pins go in easily. Part of the problem was the upc stickers on the new pins.
The lift arms attach easily to the rockshaft, requiring only a bit of assistance by a rubber mallet, to get past the paint. Two 15/16" wrenches and two 3/4" wrenches were all that was needed to install everthing.
The hitch came with a new toplink and was ready to use immediately after installation. I like the fact that the lift arms can be quickly and easily adjusted, but they do require a large wrench to loosen or tighten the jam nuts.
The anti sway bars are easily adjusted by use of a set screw set up and could be removed entirely in seconds.
I'll report back on actual use after we get some dry weather and I get a chance to do some mowing.
