Make sure theres a safety pin in hitch pin

deere37 · Sep 6, 2018

Tedding hay yesterday . Draw pin fell out . Wasnt going all that fast . . Tongue hit ground .and by the time I snapped the 60s clutch and pto off. Was belly up . Bent pto shaft that stayed with tedder .no other damage..

deere37 · Sep 6, 2018

(quoted from post at 15:30:26 09/06/18) Tedding hay yesterday . Draw pin fell out . Wasnt going all that fast . . Tongue hit ground .and by the time I snapped the 60s clutch and pto off. Was belly up . Bent pto shaft that stayed with tedder .no other damage..

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Dave H (MI) · Sep 6, 2018

I had a pin jump on a rock picker I was pulling down the road two years ago. We always seem to lose the safety clip and I thought nothing of it when I left. Picker veered to the right and when I realized it was loose I hit the brakes...DUMB! Picker didn't stop, took a sudden left and caved in the side of my truck. Tongue was under truck and I had a devil of a time getting it off their and hooking it back on. I learned my lesson. NEVER brake when your implement comes off the truck!

4520BW · Sep 6, 2018

Had the same thing happen, had a 4 basket NH tedder and I finished up a field that some had started. When I was heading home it came unhooked and bent the pto shaft. This spring I had the finisher come unhooked. The tractor (8300 Deere) has the pin that lock to the drawbar,well some way it let the pin pop out. I had just turned a corner so was going slow and it only slid a few feet. I was lucky that someone behind me was hauling a skid loader and he lifted it up so I could hook it back up.

deere37 · Sep 6, 2018

Know that feeling . About 4 years ago backed under a flat bed and fifth wheel didnt lock quite right... took a couple times to get it to .latch . Looked twice and even pushed in on handle . That just didn't look right . Wasnt the usual truck i drive . . Made it out driveway. And shifted 2nd ... 3rd. And was about to hit 4. Felt a slight hesitation . And heard trailer drop on frame . . Braked hard but couldn't catch it ..... loaded with pallets . Folded landing legs right upto the frame ..

Gary Mitchell · Sep 6, 2018

Also a good way to see just how far the hydraulic hoses on your disc cylinder will stretch before they break, (no break-a-ways). gm

SHALER · Sep 6, 2018

Fortunately I have only had a hitch pin jump out once, and coincidentally enough, it was while I was running my 4 spinner tedder just like the other 2 posters. The tedder tongue simply hit the ground and the pto shaft pulled apart of course. I quickly disengaged the pto. No damage, but lesson learned. Those tedders apparently really jump around.

Ken Macfarlane · Sep 6, 2018

Have done the same thing although was going fast so pto pulled apart quickly. Bent 2 or 3 time arms and the tedder side of pto shaft. Tedder landed upside down.

RayP(MI) · Sep 6, 2018

I have only had one machine that would jump a pin out. That was a flail type chopper that vibrated excessively even though all the drive components were pretty much in order. Think it was built in the machine due to two rows of flails on the shaft. I finally had to resort to a bolt and nut where nut was secured by a coffee pin.

My problem with any machines used in hay fields is that I am constantly looking the hair pins. Assume they get caught in the hay and pulled loose. On those I use a length of wire bent in a "u" shape so ends drag on foliage and don'catch.

onefarmer · Sep 6, 2018

I have to safety pin my tedder, but to keep the hay from getting caught, I pin it upside down.

jeffcat · Sep 6, 2018

This can even happen with your garden tractor and a 6cu. ft. utility cart. I use extra long hitch pins that clear the ground by only a couple of inches. If there is any question I throw a clip pin through the little hole in the pin.

PJH · Sep 6, 2018

A tedder is pretty well balanced when it's set for use. The tongue flips up and down on the pin and works like a ratchet to work the pin out.

A tandem fertilizer buggy will squirm the pin out too if it isn't locked in. The local fertilizer dealers around here supply a good pin and lock with a rental buggy. Pin and lock are welded to a chain so they stay with the buggy.

Super H Mike · Sep 6, 2018

I kinda hate to admit it now but many years ago I was pulling an 8 foot disc down the blacktop road to a nearby field. Now this was NOT a wheel disc, was just pulling it with the discs set straight and going sorta slow. Well I was in the low spot between 2 small hills when somehow the pin jumped out ! It drifting into the on coming lane of traffic and stopped there. I looked back and saw the pin laying in the road maybe 50 feet back, so I sprinted back and grabbed the pin, swung the tractor over to the disc and hooked it up and got going just in time before a car came whistling over the on coming hill ! VERY stupid of me but I got away with it by grace and I NEVER go on any roads now without a clip, pin or wire.

SVcummins · Sep 6, 2018

This is the kind I use . The regular hair pins are pretty much worthless for field work

Kansas4010 · Sep 6, 2018

I use the pins like SV uses or locking hitch pins.

JL Ray · Sep 6, 2018

We learned the safety pin thing when we were kids the hard way also. Big brother was driving the 350 IH pulling empty hay wagon. I was standing on the wagon. We had this hill where we always pushed in the clutch so the tractor would go faster. Well we hit a bump. The pin jumped. The tongue buried itself into the gravel. Then the front of the wagon pole vaulted upwards. Of course, I was stand towards the front of the wagon and I went flying. How far I really don't know. I landed on my back and went tumbling on down the road. The wagon stopped with the front up in the air. My brother drove a good 1/8 mile before he saw what happened. I sure wish I had video of this.

Destroked 450 · Sep 6, 2018

Yea tenders are pretty much neutral balanced and will work the pin out if it doesn't have a safety pin.
When my tedder is in transport position it's actually pulling up on the draw bar.
I use a short hitch pin with a 1/4" linch pin.

I lost a baler in the field once, was using one of those cheap hitch pins that look like they have a flat washer welded on top. Washer broke off and the pin dropped thru the draw bar.
Was going down a steep grade in the field (neighbors field) when I heard a noise, looked back in time to see the baler tongue dig into the ground and both tires come about 2 ft off the ground before it set back down, thought it was going to flip over, was able to turn off the pto before it did any damage.
Had to chock the tires and get a tractor with front end loader to pick the baler tongue up so I could sing the tongue jack into position before hooking it back up to the tractor.
After that I sorted thru all of the hitch pins, any that were the welded washer design got tossed in the scrap pile.
One piece forged hitch pins is all I use now.

D beatty · Sep 6, 2018

I still have several of these pins yet that we used years ago. I don't know if you can still buy these.

rustyfarmall · Sep 6, 2018

Low tech solution. Anything to keep the drawbar pin from bouncing around. Baling wire works just fine. Never experienced a failure whether towing with a tractor or a pickup truck.

SVcummins · Sep 6, 2018

Yes I think you can still get em I had a few

SVcummins · Sep 6, 2018

I want to get a few of these howeever I am reluctant because I spend couple hundred bucks on hitch pins last fall so all the 3 point implements would have their own pins and the drawn implements as well . Went to hook the disc on the other day can?t find a hitch pin

PJH · Sep 6, 2018

I lost a loaded tandem silage buggy when I bounced up on the concrete lot headed for the silo. When I turned to back up to the blower, it was gone. It went through the lot fence and rolled off down a steep hill toward the creek, but it slowed and stopped instead of rolling in. I was holding my breath. There were about 60 head of milkers waiting to be let in, and it didn't hit any. Could have been much worse.

We didn't use safety pins on the hitch pins - didn't have time to mess with them, so we thought.

The good old days. . .

Will Herring · Sep 6, 2018

Watched a buddy with a John Deere 4430 go out with a field cultivator and use a bolt instead of a hitch pin... Made about half a pass, the bolt jumped out, and both hydraulic hoses pulled free from the couplers undamaged as the tractor drove away... He got lucky. I always use a pin with a clip.

Eldon (WA) · Sep 6, 2018

(quoted from post at 12:46:39 09/06/18) I still have several of these pins yet that we used years ago. I don't know if you can still buy these.

My dad went to this type after he almost lost a finger raking hay with an old dump rake. He had the trip rope wrapped around his finger when the pin jumped out...

Traditional Farmer · Sep 7, 2018

On things like my round balers I generally use a grade 8 bolt just the right length and a self locking nut on the top side,with an impact it beats messing with locking pins that can
come loose anyway.Also use them on bush hogs.

4520BW · Sep 7, 2018

My new tedder is a 5 basket Claas and it has a flat bar on top of pin with a hole and the tedder has a raised boss that it slide over then a clip. This way the hay will not pull out the clip, the deere round baler has a similar feature.

Make sure theres a safety pin in hitch pin

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