Quick Hitches Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match

   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #1  

mhalla

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
328
Location
Bloomington, Indiana
Tractor
John Deere 2210
<font color="green">Bought a new Rotomec 150-231 tiller today and when I got it home I discovered it will not attach to my tractor's Speeco Quick Hitch. I added Speeco adapter bushings to the lift pins on the tiller but was short 3/4 of an inch in overall width for the Quick Hitch to work. I guess I was naive thinking that Quick Hitch compatibility was only a problem with older implements.

Unfortunately Rotomec is using short lift pins that are welded in place to the tiller's lift bars so I cannot simply unscrew the lift pins and replace them with longer ones or add a washer or two to come up with the needed lift pin length.

It looks like it is going to take some modifications to where the lift bars attach to the tiller's side-shift frame. I guess I have been spoiled by my other implements that worked fine with the Speeco Quick Hitch by simply adding common bushings or the special Speeco adapter bushings.

In Rotomec's defense they do not make any claims about Quick Hitch or iMatch compatibility in their marketing materials. It is still frustrating that for want of a 3/8 inch longer lift pin all would have been well.

I could possibly drill a couple of new holes in the Speeco adapter bushings but I think that might make the bushings sit too far out on the lift pins hence my thinking I need to move the lift bars out 3/8 of an inch.

Any other ideas out there as to how to deal with this?

I'm just glad it is too wet to till right now with the recent rains we had so I will have time to putz with getting the tiller to work with the Quick Hitch.

Looks like the Rotomec models made for sale in Europe or under the Befco name have lift pins that screw on instead of being welded http://www.rotomec.com/english/products/till-rite/t30.html

Too bad the Rototec USA tillers come with welded lift pins http://www.rotomec.com/usa/products/tillers/default.html

Sorry for venting. It has been a frustrating day. While I had a trailer rented I thought I could pick up the Rotomec tiller at one dealer and a Bush Hog Squealer SQ480 rotary cutter from a different dealer in another part of the state but ran out of driving time to get to the Bush Hog dealer before closing. I could have left sooner in the day but had to wait for yet another dealer to call me back after he finished with the customer he was with. That dealer never called me back so after a couple of hours I had to call him again. I get to the U-Haul dealer and lose time there because their satellite Internet connection was having problems so they couldn't handle my trailer rental until they had a computer connection restored. Finally I get home and find the tiller won't work "as is" with my Quick Hitch and while messing around with getting the tiller temporarily attached to move it I run out of daylight to hunt for morels. ARRGGGGHHH!!!!! Just been one of those days but I'll take every day that God gives me for better or worse.

Mike
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   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #2  
Well if you really like the tiller and don't want to take it back for one that is QH compatible, I would cut the welded pins off, drill a hole and get longer mounting pins. Good luck.
 
   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #3  
I'd get a Pat's Easy Change (a sponsor here) and sell the Speeco. Problem solved with that implement and any other you may eventually get.

You are experiencing a VERY common problem discussed here on TBN.
 
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   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #4  
I'd get a Pat's Easy Change (a sponsor here) and sell the Speeco. Problem solved with that implement and any other you may eventually get.

You are experiencing a VERY common problem discussed here on TBN.

While the Pat's easy change are nice, you can't drop and hook-up implements without getting off the tractor like you can with the Speeco. I thought about getting the Pat's EC, but my Speeco QH was cheeper (40 bucks on Craigslist) and works better and I never have to adjust the lift arms. I can change implements in about 4 minutes.
 
   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #5  
Where are those tillers made? It says on their website that they have distribution facilities in the US and Europe but doesn't say where they're actually manufactured.
 
   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #6  
Since the original post is date Arpil 2005, after 7 1/2 years he probably has it figured out by now.
 
   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #7  
Wow someone really brought this one back from the grave.
 
   / Rotomec Tiller and Speeco Quick Hitch no match #8  
OOPS, MY BAD!!
 
 
 
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