3 pt hitch

I have a super m. With 3 pt hitch like most of your aftermarket hitches. I'm about to get back to my restoration. About 70%.

Anyway. Many of you use these tractors with a grader blade or box blade on the back. How do these bolt on hitches compare in strength to modern 3 pt hitches. If I were to do pulling/ pushing with a blade will it all hold up or fold up. The one I have is already bent so I'm not sure what someone did before I got it. Just a curious question. What gives or bends first.

Thanks.

I have a M with an aftermarket 3 pt.
I?ve used and abused that thing and it holds up strong .

Pulling will not damage the hitch, but backing into something solid will be what might damage it.

The fastest way to tear up a 3 point is to push with it, they are not built for that strain. BTDT

As was said,they were made to 'pull',not 'push'.However if you must push with it,use sway bars to prevent it from buckleing.Am M is a big powerful tractor. It can destroy a light duty hitch.Bear that in mind next time you try to push backwards.

I have 3 M Farmalls, each with a 3 point hitch, and have never damaged one. They will pick up more than the tractor can handle, in other words, lift the front wheels off the ground. I use mine for grading, boom pole, moving hay bales, and a 35-90 Land Pride finish mower. Ellis

I put a 3pt on my M to cultivate. Cultivated with a 4-row IH cultivator and yes it was big fun. That cultivator was darn heavy and I got nervous that since the 3pt only bolts to the cast axle housing that I might bust a housing. Especially with it lifted and getting a pretty good bounce somewhere. Pulled the 3pt off and never used again.

Have an add on aftermarket 3 point hitch on both a Farmall h and a Farmall M. Makes both tractors way more useful than they are otherwise without it.


As others have stated even factory original equipment 3 pts are only technically designed to pull forward not really designed to push backward. That said, I have pushed backwards with all my tractors 3 points hitches many times I simply take care when doing so Just as I do when I have any load in the air going over rough terrain. A bouncing heavy load in the air can also break a factory original 3 point.


Do not worry about the axle trumpets being weak in any way on the Farmall tractor. The axle trumpets on those farmalls were all that the factory original horseshoe drawbar bolted to and they were plenty strong for that use and have never ever seen a trumpet break. Many of those Horse-shoe drawbars are even used as a bolt to toolbar so they see more than tug loads only. However even if you did break a trumpet in a rare instance there a gazzillions of trumpets easily available in the salvage yards.


I prefer the 3 point hitches of the design that can keep the factory optional swinging drawbar. I always prefer the swinging drawbar over the horseshoe drawbar for tug loads. Some poorly designed hitches make the use of any drawbar difficult.

That's what I thought guys. Just wanted to make sure they were as strong as factory ones. I've folded up a large box blade before but never damaged arms. Key is never push downhill with weight of tractor behind you. Otherwise always good to go.
Looking forward to getting hitch back on M and using it. Mostly for fun.