Quick Hitches Speeco quick hitch and Wood's implements

[SacandagaBrad]

Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

Does anybody have any experience with using a quick hitch (speeco, homier, northern tool, ect) with Wood's implements? I've read more bad than good regarding the speeco, especially when compared to Pat's easy change system.

Here's my situation. I have a TC24D, which in my opinion has the most miserable set of sway bars to adjust. I run a Wood's RB72 rear blade and a Wood's SS52 snow blower for snow removal. The blade has the pins facing out, the blower has the pins facing in. So whenever I switch, there needs to be significant adjustment of the sway bars to accomodate the pin positions to get the equipment mounted. Then I have to tighten the sway bars as much as possible since the large turf tires with chains do not allow for much movement of the 3PH arms with only an inch or less clearance. So the question is would I still be fighting with it if I try a Speeco quick hitch. The Wood's implements that I have both have a separate top link pin for quick hitches. If I went with Pat's easy change, I would definitely need the stablizer bar since my main problem is keeping the 3PH arms in a fixed spread position.

I'd like to hear any experience, especially if you have Wood's attachments, good, bad, or otherwise. I use the blower for the deep stuff and scrape clean with the blade, so I switch quite a bit and am looking for a better way.

Thanks - Brad

 

[CTyler]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

My Woods RB and BB work with it ok.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

If all of those pins line up to the same width, the quick hitch should work. If you have, or buy, other implements, you would need to assure they are the same width or you'll not hook them up to a Speeco.

I found the stabilizer bar on the Pat's to be nothing but a nuisance for my uses. Not matter what, I still had to change lengths to fit different pins occasionally, and the stabilizer was just in the way. Not to mention that it bent shortly after I started using it. I never figured out how.
I suppose you have the sway chains with the locking nut? They can be a pain, but really only take a little getting used to. Most important is that you tighten the nut against the shaft so they don't drift in length. I can do it on mine pretty quickly/easily now, but in the beginning, they were a pain. I prefer solid adjustable rods. John

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

John,

I thought the stablizer bar looked a little on the weak side.

My swaybars are the solid, threaded rod/turn buckle style. Any moisture this time of year such as snow and they are froze. Even on a good day, the best I can do is a 1/4 turn at a time with channel locks. There just is not much space to work with the fat turf tires with the chains. Going to the extremes to accomodate inward facing pins switching to outward facing pins, and then having to snug everything back up takes a while, not to mention a little more patience than I typically can find.

I think the spacing on the pins will be OK. I didn't feel like going out this morning to check, it was 27 below zero /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I'll measure twice and go talk to the boys at TSC. I'm going to make sure I can return it if it doesn't do what I need.

Brad

 

[KiotiJohn]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My swaybars are the solid, threaded rod/turn buckle style. )</font>
I can see how that could be a problem. The type I referred to are the square tube type with holes for pinning the bars where you want them. They're easier to use than any other type I've tried.
I may change mine over some day if I get tired of the hassle the chains sometimes are.
I hope you find at least a happy medium. John

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

John,

Could I bother you to take a few measurements on your Speeco hitch, assuming its a Cat 1? I'm attaching a few pics to show my blower hook-up. I'm thinking if the spacing of the lower hooks on the hitch are perfectly matched (a long shot, I know), they might go in the channels. I need the measurements of the inside spread, outside spread, and thickness of the hooks themselves.

The blower would require the hitch to have an inside spread of 26 3/4" and an outside spread of 29 7/8". The channels are 1 1/2" across. Its either going to fit perfectly or not at all.

Thanks in advance for your efforts!

Brad

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

Close-up of the channel.

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

I just got thinking, this might not work anyway. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the Speeco Cat 1 actually accepts Cat 2 pins with bushings to slip over the Cat 1 pins. If this is the case, I wouldn't be able to get the bushings on the inside of the channel.

Might have to go with Pat's easy change and deal with the lower arms flopping around or get the stablizer bar for hook up. It seems everyone likes Pat's system, I was just trying to get set up where I would not have to mess with the swaybars. I guess once set for winter with the stablizer bar in place, it wouldn't be too bad.

Thanks for letting me think out loud. I may have answered my own question /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif assuming I'm correct about the Speeco needing Cat 1 bushings.

Brad

 

[jim_wilson]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

I have a Speeco Quick Hitch on my BX23 and I have used it with a Woods GBC48 Box blade that claims to be CAT1 and ASAE quick hitch compliant. To get the Speeco to fit on the GBC48 I did have to make a slight modification to the quick hitch - there are two brackets on each side that the pivot for the holddown arms rotate in - I had to use my grinder to cut out a small piece on each of the inner brackets because they were hitting the arms on the box blade that the Cat1 pins are mounted on. (see attached picture - arrow points to where I had to put clearance). As far as the pins go I just took the pins off and then used the Speeco adapter bushings but instead of putting them over the pins I attached them directly to all my implements with 7/8 Grade 8 bolts of the appropriate length. I had to do a little bit of work to get everything to work but in the end it was worth it - putting attachments on the tractor is much much easier now than it was before wrestling with the 3pt arms.

 

[jim_wilson]

Re: Speeco quick hitch and Wood\'s implements

another shot showing the Speeco with 3pt hitch adapter I put together - you can see how the Speeco adapter bushings are put on with the 7/8 bolts