A warning about Pat's Quick Hitches

Caryc

Well-known Member
First let me say that I have Pat s quick hitches on my 8N and my MF202 and I love them. But there are a couple things one should know when using them. The first one is this. When you lift the hitches under your implements lift pins, the wedge snaps into place so that the pin can t come up and out again. There is a sliding lock that swivels into place so that wedge can t possibly come up again. Once I get my mower hooked up, I put electrical ties around that sliding lock and the quick hitch body. I have had one of those lock holders swivel out of place but using the ties solved that problem.

The second thing is this. When you slip the quick hitch over your lift arm, you place the pin through the body and the ball of your lift arms. The pins provided have a hole in the pin for a cotter pin to keep the pin in the quick hitch. When I went to use my mower this morning, I noticed that the pin that goes through the hitch and lift arm was sticking way out. Nothing was through the other side of the hitch. This happened because there was no cotter pin holding that pin in there. I pushed the pin back in and put a new cotter pin in there.

I pulled the pin out of the other side and noticed that it was rusted so that s probably what happened to the pin on the other side. So, now there are two new pins in there. Near as I can figure those pins were probably three years old. If you use quick hitches, I would probably put new cotter pins in there every year. If you don t leave your tractors outside as I have to you shouldn t have any problem with rust. But just to be on the safe side, once you get your implement hooked up and remove your spreader bar, I would insert a lynch pin in those holes as a back up.
 
(quoted from post at 20:04:43 05/21/20)

It's a good idea, but I've never had any trouble with lynch pins falling out. I use the heavy duty ones that are black. My problem was with a cotter pin as I said.

Maybe I don't understand the cotter pin part but
I never use a cotter pin where it can come up against the hole the pin is going through . . . I always use a flat washer then the cotter.
 
(quoted from post at 20:24:41 05/21/20)
(quoted from post at 20:04:43 05/21/20)

It's a good idea, but I've never had any trouble with lynch pins falling out. I use the heavy duty ones that are black. My problem was with a cotter pin as I said.

Maybe I don't understand the cotter pin part but
I never use a cotter pin where it can come up against the hole the pin is going through . . . I always use a flat washer then the cotter.

I'll clear it up for you with a picture tomorrow.
 

A coated pin would last longer... Mine sets under a shed I have pix of them on a Bota... I will swap them out Thanks for the heads up...

Outside with a cotter I guess 3/16...

mvphoto55383.jpg


inside pix uses a spring pin I guess a 1/4" may be 5/16... I don't use the line up bar anymore : ) BYW don't buy the TSC knock offs they are pure junk....


mvphoto55384.jpg
 
Didn't you write that the mower never
comes off the N? That since you bought
the MF it has been just dedicated to
mowing?
If that is the case, what is the
advantage to a quick hitch?
 
Agreed.

HD black or locking style lynch pins in situations where the cheap ones may not stay in place.

Dean
 
Not a fan of quick hitches, either Pat's or fully mounted assemblies due to movement of weight farther away from lift arm ends and/or increased weight.

That said, I rarely change implements and can see some time saving benefits to those who do.

Dean
 
(quoted from post at 04:54:02 05/22/20) Didn't you write that the mower never
comes off the N? That since you bought
the MF it has been just dedicated to
mowing?
If that is the case, what is the
advantage to a quick hitch?

Yes, the mower stays on the N. But I put the quick hitches on the N before I got the MF202. Before the 202, I did change implements on the N. Now the only implements I change are on the 202. That power steering makes it a lot easier changing implements. Since the quick hitches never gave me a problem on the N I just left them there and bought a new set for the 202.
 
(quoted from post at 04:51:47 05/22/20)
A coated pin would last longer... Mine sets under a shed I have pix of them on a Bota... I will swap them out Thanks for the heads up...

Outside with a cotter I guess 3/16...

mvphoto55383.jpg


inside pix uses a spring pin I guess a 1/4" may be 5/16... I don't use the line up bar anymore : ) BYW don't buy the TSC knock offs they are pure junk....


mvphoto55384.jpg

This is on my 8N. the first pic shows the inside of the hitches. You can see the cotter pin and the lynch pin in the larger hole. That larger hole is for Pat s spreader bar to set the hitches at the correct distance apart to match the pins on your implement when hooking up. I put the lynch pins in there so even if the cotter pins rust away, the lynch pin will keep the pin from falling out.

The second pic shows the outside of the hitch. You can see my stabilizer bar hooked up to it. If you order Pat s Quick Hitches, you need to tell them you need the longer pins if you plan to run stabilizer bars and they will include them at no charge. You can also see the cable tie that I use to keep that lock from waling out of place.

rj2ZPhc.jpg

dm6lSeH.jpg
 
So why was the cotter pin just "not there"?

I very much doubt that it just rust away to nothing,
So it either wore away because there was no thin washer to keep it from wearing, or more likely it worked it's way out because the tail ends of the minimal length cotter weren't bent back enough. (like in Hobo's picture)

Personally, I would put a thin washer between a long cotter pin and the housing then use my channel locks to wrap the cotter pin tails right around the pin forming a wear-sharing, no escape circle.

JMHO
T
 
(quoted from post at 11:32:04 05/22/20) So why was the cotter pin just "not there"?

I very much doubt that it just rust away to nothing,
So it either wore away because there was no thin washer to keep it from wearing, or more likely it worked it's way out because the tail ends of the minimal length cotter weren't bent back enough. (like in Hobo's picture)

Personally, I would put a thin washer between a long cotter pin and the housing then use my channel locks to wrap the cotter pin tails right around the pin forming a wear-sharing, no escape circle.

JMHO
T

First of all I'm not really too stupid to install a cotter pin. Stick in hole...bend legs out. I wish I would have saved the pin that was still in the other side so you could see the rust on it. I'm showing a picture below. You can see that the cotter pin fits into a recess in the body of the hitch. No way to put a washer in there. You can also see one of the legs on the pin bent way out. The other is the same way. You can believe me or not, I don't care but it was rust that caused that pin to go awol.

wyUxGQi.jpg
 
i guess never having a quick hitch i don't know what i am missing. i just get good at lining the tractor up to the implement.
 
Then how about this?

These are the stainless cotters on my upper arms and when wrapped around the pin , the cotter serves as its own washer.

Also shirt sleeves and finders don't get caught or cut by the ends of the cotter pins. I know cause it has happened more than once. :)
mvphoto55395.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 13:00:57 05/22/20) Then how about this?

These are the stainless cotters on my upper arms and when wrapped around the pin , the cotter serves as its own washer.

Also shirt sleeves and finders don't get caught or cut by the ends of the cotter pins. I know cause it has happened more than once. :)
mvphoto55395.jpg

All right...all right, I give up. Putting the lynch pin in the big hole prevents that pin from ever sliding out so...problem solved.
 
Assuming the cotter pin in the same spot on the other side is the same age, maybe the pin that rusted away missed the plating process?

If they are virtually never removed, why have a roll pin on one side and a cotter on the bother side anyways?
 
(quoted from post at 15:34:11 05/22/20) Assuming the cotter pin in the same spot on the other side is the same age, maybe the pin that rusted away missed the plating process?

[color=red:93caea1bae][b:93caea1bae]If they are virtually never removed, why have a roll pin on one side and a cotter on the bother side anyways[/b:93caea1bae]?[/color:93caea1bae]

I guess the makers assumed that it would be easier for the purchaser to just slide the large pin in and stick the supplied cotter pin in there instead of having to drive in a roll pin.
 
(quoted from post at 15:18:29 05/22/20)
All right...all right, I give up. Putting the lynch pin in the big hole prevents that pin from ever sliding out so...problem solved.

Earlier today before I ever saw your competitive response; i.e., "All right all right, I give up", as though I'm being forceful or underestimating you . . . I thought to myself . . .

I doubt very much I will ever hear even a fragment of a response like, "A stainless pin, that's an idea" or whatever . . . any positive acknowledgement at all and sure enough you didn't disappoint.

What do you post for if you're going to snap at someone who mistakenly thinks you are actually looking for solutions?
I shall not venture to contribute to your posts any more.

I'm outta here,
T

And please spare me any specious rationale for your ignorant
response.
 

Hobo,
The real reason I wrapped them around was cause I drew blood on one of them while I was replacing my leveler box.. :wink:
 
Hobo,

Like Magnum PI used to say, I know what you're thinkin'.
Why not just zip cut them shorter? :D
 
(quoted from post at 16:56:28 05/22/20)
(quoted from post at 15:18:29 05/22/20)
All right...all right, I give up. Putting the lynch pin in the big hole prevents that pin from ever sliding out so...problem solved.

Earlier today before I ever saw your competitive response; i.e., "All right all right, I give up", as though I'm being forceful or underestimating you . . . I thought to myself . . .

I doubt very much I will ever hear even a fragment of a response like, "A stainless pin, that's an idea" or whatever . . . any positive acknowledgement at all and sure enough you didn't disappoint.

What do you post for if you're going to snap at someone who mistakenly thinks you are actually looking for solutions?
I shall not venture to contribute to your posts any more.

I'm outta here,
T

And please spare me any specious rationale for your ignorant
response.

OK, I apologize if you think I sounded that way. You kept talking about putting a washer in there. But, I thought I told you there was no place to put a washer way before this. That's why I bothered to take the last picture, to prove there was no place for a washer. Sorry you took it badly.

Stainless steel cotter pins are a good idea and I think I'll pick up some next time I go to town. The new pins I used after the rusted ones are from one of those Harbor Freight boxes with all assorted size cotter pins. But, I'm sure they are not stainless.

I could actually go nuts and drill out those holes in the large pin to accept a roll like is used on the other side. But I reckon the large pins are hardened and why bother to do all that, as I said putting the lynch pin in the large hole along with the cotter pin assures me that the large pin is not going to attempt an escape again. Again...my apologies.
 

Well said!

I can see where the washer thing doesn't really apply here like it does with the movement of small control rod linkage and cotters.

When I posted that pic of my stainless cotters I was thinking that you could see I didn't use washers myself . . . but I was speculatin' about what might have happened to your cotter pin like maybe it had been sheered off.

Apology accepted. :)

Terry
 
(quoted from post at 19:13:01 05/22/20)
Well said!

I can see where the washer thing doesn't really apply here like it does with the movement of small control rod linkage and cotters.

When I posted that pic of my stainless cotters I was thinking that you could see I didn't use washers myself . . . but I was speculatin' about what might have happened to your cotter pin like maybe it had been sheered off.

Apology accepted. :)

Terry

Thank you. It's still a mystery but since I saw the condition of the other remaining pin I still have to go with rust as the culprit. But even if the legs rusted off, how did the pin work itself "up" out of the hole? Still gonna' get those stainless cotter pins.
 
You wrote:
Thank you. It's still a mystery but since I saw the condition of the other remaining pin I still have to go with rust as the culprit. But even if the legs rusted off, how did the pin work itself "up" out of the hole? Still gonna' get those stainless cotter pins.

You said it was still a mystery
now you've done it
got me back on the case after firing me.

So I'm thinking . . . maybe all that side to side sway
is causing the Fast Hitch casting to be tapping the cotter pin over a long while, eventually sheering a rusty one off at the edges of the big pin hole.

Hobo saw the curls as only pretty
but when you bend that hard stainless around
it can actually act as a shock absorber sharing the pressure on working part of the cotter pin where it goes through the big pin and gets beat against the Fast Hitch hub. That's what I meant before when I said that this hard stainless cotter pin can be it's own stress dissipating washer, if you curl the long ends around -- and even bent those curls toward the hub.

Once those cotter pins are in do you just leave them in?
 

If you had Pats you would understand they can easily be removed and installed and you can go back to the conventional system if needed... I am sure my Pats have a better fit than an N because my lift arms are thicker...

I keep a 1000 lb. counter weight on my bota most all the time so they get a damm good test every time I use it : )

This one was made for another tractor with cat 2 pins that's why they are riding high in the pats U it was a test only pix....




mvphoto55429.jpg


The blue barrel is mine...


mvphoto55430.jpg
 
Tall, "work the lock"

A quick hitch is up on the list near me for 40$ and I was contemplating it but its got lever locks at the pin and changing from the scraper to the dirt scoop to the forks isn t all that hard.
 

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