Quick Hitches How To Lift Really Heavy Stuff with Your 3PH iMatch

[JB4310]

Mars, why don't you modify your forks to fit on the 3ph by adding the lift points?

That's what I was thinking, I did mine and use it alot.

I stumbled onto this idea one day when I had a bunch of very large rocks to move. I moved most of them with my FEL but I could barely get them off the ground. Some of them were too heavy to lift with the FEL. I remembered that the 3PH was much stronger than the FEL. I stared at the iMatch hooked up to my 3PH and tried to decide where to weld on some hooks. That is when I noticed that the iMatch already had 3 very strong hooks on it. I dropped my Bush Hog and backed up to the stone. I draped the center of chain over the lower hooks and sawed the ends of the chain under the sides of the rock. Then I draped the one end of the chain over the top hook and coupled the other end to it. Using this technique I can pick up rocks and logs that are much too heavy to pick up with the FEL.

Please Comment, share and "Like" my videos.
Thanks, Mars
P.S. A picture is worth a thousand words and a 10 minute video has about one hundred thousand pictures in it.

Good idea for using what you have.

More and more videos now, I think that's great, I'm gonna be dangerous once I figure out how to post video I know, you just a youtube account and link to it I guess.

JB.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I'm not an iMatch fan. Had one for a couple weeks, got fed up with trying to modify all my equipment and threw up my hands. Don't miss it one bit. Neighbor has one on his tractor, and just like I ran into, if you don't have all brand new perfectly matched implements, it turns into a giant pain in the rear.

For the price of the iMatch, you could buy a set of 3 pt forks and forget the chain altogether. My 3 pt forks are one of my most used implements.

 

[Milton Burro]

Thanks for the idea and video.

 

[mars1952]

That's a good idea but I would caution you about one thing when doing that.

The chain stretched over your bottom hooks will have a tendency to slip throught the hooks a bit and could pull the sides of your iMatch hitch to the center. It would be a good idea to have a stiff leg, ie a piece of pipe cut to the correct length and the chain run through it, between the hooks. That way you would never have to worry about pulling your hitch together.

Just my 2 cents of course but just so you know, I have bent a quick hitch using it in a similar manner.

Hi allen in texas: That is a good point but instead of bridging the imatch I think that it would be easier to hook both ends of the chain to the lower hooks and cinch it up in the middle.
Mars

 

[mars1952]

Great idea, but I'm absolutely shocked that your tractor's loader wouldn't pick that up. My tractor is a little smaller than yours and would laugh at that. Are you sure things are as they're supposed to be with you're hydraulics? I see you upgraded cylinders, but still...

Hi nspec: My 420 loader had a max lift capacity of about 900lbs before I modified it. This particular log weighs about 1100lbs. With the new cylinders on the 420 loader I can lift this log to about 7 ft.
I did not film the log so that you could see how big it was. It is 36 inches diameter and 6 ft long Red Oak. My neighbor buys and sells logs for a living and He estimated the weight.
Mars

 

[Mudfarmer]

I'm not an iMatch fan. Had one for a couple weeks, got fed up with trying to modify all my equipment and threw up my hands. Don't miss it one bit. Neighbor has one on his tractor, and just like I ran into, if you don't have all brand new perfectly matched implements, it turns into a giant pain in the rear.

For the price of the iMatch, you could buy a set of 3 pt forks and forget the chain altogether. My 3 pt forks are one of my most used implements.

On the other hand a Harbor Freight quick hitch is only $75 dollars on sale. After I bent one using my bush hog rather roughly with it (built too cheaP) i was wondering what to use it for. This is a great use especially for one bent a bit out of shape already:thumbsup:

 

[mars1952]

I'm not an iMatch fan. Had one for a couple weeks, got fed up with trying to modify all my equipment and threw up my hands. Don't miss it one bit. Neighbor has one on his tractor, and just like I ran into, if you don't have all brand new perfectly matched implements, it turns into a giant pain in the rear.

For the price of the iMatch, you could buy a set of 3 pt forks and forget the chain altogether. My 3 pt forks are one of my most used implements.

Hi jeffinsgf: I love my imatch. Before I bought my imatch switching attachments was a real pain(literately and figuratively). Since I didn't have any non-imatch attachments at the time I didn't have to worry about converting them.

With the imatch I can change from the box blade to the back blade or to the rock rake without getting off the tractor. And I can hook up the bush hog and the tiller without adjusting the side links (they are rigid on the JD4300)

The main flaw that I see in the imatch is that it limits the ability to adjust the implements to the right or left but I plan on modifying mine.
Mars
P.S. 3PH forks are on my list of projects.

 

[mars1952]

Mars, in your video you mention that you modified your FEL to be stronger. What did you do?

Hi gtosvx: I replaced the original cylinders with larger ones. The link to the post is in my signature but here it is again:

Upgrading John Deere Loader Cylinders

Mars

 

[mars1952]

Well I am thinking maybe the OP used the log as a "prop" for his video, he mentioned picking up some very heavy rocks with this method, but he did not show that for one reason or another. He could probably have picked up the log with those forks, but wanted to show the method, and this was convenient. As an example my 3pt. coupled up close like that would pickup almost twice what my FEL could do.. I dont know, but just thinking.

James K0UA

Hi James: You are correct. I hauled the rocks a couple years ago and didn't film it. I was filming the end of my Upgrading John Deere Loader Cylinders video and I need a very heavy ballast since I was going to lift a 1100lbs log for the video and then haul both logs to the road. By using the log as ballast I could haul two logs at a time. So I remembered the trick and I had the camera...
Mars

 

[mars1952]

Very good idea!!!!
Thanks for posting and thank you for the video!

(BTW, you should correct your signature...you have a 420 loader, not a 410)

Thanks for catching that mistake. Keep a look out I make more mistakes everyday.
Mars