BCSSHOP
Silver Member
Most folks like quick hitch connection used by BCS (and others) to easily interchange attachments, A good idea and a real convenience for folks who use many attachments. As the quick hitch is an option you can still hard bolt the attachment to the tractor perhaps even using a PTO extension to improve balance. If the tang (male coupling) gets damaged or badly worn you can always interchange it with one that isn't damaged or buy a replacement for under $100. All this works quiet well.
But somebody along the line said lets just order the attachments with the tangs already attached. Here permanently attached tangs cannot be easily swapped out if one is damaged or all rusted up AND now you can no longer hard bolt the attachment to the tractor. Someone who wants just the attachment now has to buy the quick hitch bushing just to mount it to the tractor. The hard bolted the attachment eliminates the quick hitch coupling making a more secure attachment for attachments that get a lot of pounding like a rotary plow, flail mower and the tiller.
Now compound the dilemma if a manufacturer makes the permanent tang a little different like makes it undersize so it will fit easier. What do you get a bad fit, very loose and sloppy that will damage the whole coupling in time. The loose fit is not unlike the loose fit when the welds broke to the connection tube broke of the old TroyBilt Horse tillers. Somehow I don't want my Berta Franco rotary plow wobbling around on the back of my 853 like a broken down TroyBilt. Corrective action is being taken by BCS for the rotary plows they sell.
I'm disappointed that I had to report this at a farm show in 8" of snow in Syracuse. Aren't they more southern BCS dealers with enough experience and integrity to report that this isn't right?
My advice to any one who gets an attachment with a fixed tang is to check the fit mounted to the tractor. If it seems loose measure the diameter of the fixed tang and compare it to a BCS tang. The ones I found were .006 to .008" undersize. The largest diameter on the tang should be very close to 63.996mm. Hopefully we won't see any more fixed tangs. The BCS tangs are free from BCS when you buy the attachment with the 732, 740, 750, 852 or 853 tractor. If you just are adding an attachment and you have been a good customer some dealers will just throw them in.
But somebody along the line said lets just order the attachments with the tangs already attached. Here permanently attached tangs cannot be easily swapped out if one is damaged or all rusted up AND now you can no longer hard bolt the attachment to the tractor. Someone who wants just the attachment now has to buy the quick hitch bushing just to mount it to the tractor. The hard bolted the attachment eliminates the quick hitch coupling making a more secure attachment for attachments that get a lot of pounding like a rotary plow, flail mower and the tiller.
Now compound the dilemma if a manufacturer makes the permanent tang a little different like makes it undersize so it will fit easier. What do you get a bad fit, very loose and sloppy that will damage the whole coupling in time. The loose fit is not unlike the loose fit when the welds broke to the connection tube broke of the old TroyBilt Horse tillers. Somehow I don't want my Berta Franco rotary plow wobbling around on the back of my 853 like a broken down TroyBilt. Corrective action is being taken by BCS for the rotary plows they sell.
I'm disappointed that I had to report this at a farm show in 8" of snow in Syracuse. Aren't they more southern BCS dealers with enough experience and integrity to report that this isn't right?
My advice to any one who gets an attachment with a fixed tang is to check the fit mounted to the tractor. If it seems loose measure the diameter of the fixed tang and compare it to a BCS tang. The ones I found were .006 to .008" undersize. The largest diameter on the tang should be very close to 63.996mm. Hopefully we won't see any more fixed tangs. The BCS tangs are free from BCS when you buy the attachment with the 732, 740, 750, 852 or 853 tractor. If you just are adding an attachment and you have been a good customer some dealers will just throw them in.