I have the same quick hitch and have just gone to using the adapter. The top hook was too close to the frame to grab some of my attachments. Yup, had to order the adapter on the phone. Got it fairly quick and for a good price. I had to have it anyway for my rear finish mower. Now, that is where my biggest problem comes in. The quick hitch sits down on the PTO shaft guard when I am mowing. I try adjusting it so it stops beforehand, but I think I need a height stop to keep it above the shaft when I drop it. Anyone know of a decent way to do that? I was thinking of some sort of "bar" on the tractors draw bar. Just wondering if anyone has ever "been there, done that". Any ideas or techniques would be appreciated.
One thing you can do with the tongs is run a safety chain from them to the tractor draw bar. Make sure it is short enough to pull that direction if something hangs the log, and not put a bunch of downward force on the top hook to flip your tractor. You want to do this so you can use the tongs to lift, pull, and drop the logs without having to get on and off the tractor and chain up/unchain your logs every time. Of course, it may be better to use the choke chain as your short link to the draw bar after you lift the log with the tongs. You just need to be safe and not climb around under the log while you have it lifted.
