The Midwest quick hitch does indeed exactly conform to the Cat 1 implement standard as does all of the equipment we manufacture. However, we chose not to use the Cat 1 quick hitch standard for our quick hitch. The reason is simple. The Cat 1 quick hitch standard requires the use of bushings on the lift pins. We thought that idea provided few, if any, benefits, and the big drawback was you had 3 choices (none of them good in my opinion) to use a quick hitch built to the quick hitch standard.
1. Buy bushings for every piece of equipment you own. This would allow you to use your quick hitch with a good pin fit and still allow you to remove the bushings if you wanted to loan it out to someone without a quick hitch.
2. Buy new, larger diameter lift pins which fit the quick hitch standard. Now you can use your hitch with good pin fit, but must change out the pins to loan out.
3. Leave the bushings off and let the implement rattle around in the hitch. Not good for precise position control, but now you can loan out your equipment and it is less expensive.
In the end, I felt it much simpler to make our quick hitch fit the implement standard rather than the quick hitch standard. No bushings, no hassle, no extra expense, it just fits. If (actually the only benefit I have come up with for bushings is reduced wear) you wear the pin out from use, Cat 1 pins are less than $1.50 each.
I also decided that since all our implements meet the standard that an adjustable top link was not necessary. The comment that an adjustable height top link turns a quick hitch into a slow hitch is correct. Since folks who have equipment which does not meet the standard will be modifying their equipment any way, why add extra expense to the hitch. Just change the top link while you are at it.
