Front mounted tow hitch?

[ntaylor]

I dont see these very often in central texas but wanted to ask a few questions before embarking on this journey.

I want to build one of those hitches that can bolt to the front of my tractor to hook it onto the rear of my pickup, say with a 2" ball.

It would have to pivot up and out of the way when not in use. The idea is : I need a cheap and easy way to get my tractor about 4 miles down the road from time to time. my trailers always seem to have horse hay on them.

I have seen them before, and never really understood why the towed vehicle doesn't "turn and run off the road" since no stabilizers go to tie-rods or anything.

So, questions are:
what could I consider top speed would be for my old wore-out MF 65 in tow behind the truck? 25 mph? would be nice as it would make it a one man operation to move the tractor.

My tractor has very worn tierod joints and other steering "looseness". Am I an idiot for thinking this will work?

If you recommend me build it, any pre-warnings? what mistakes can you lure me away from?

pictures?

 

[RPW]

Personally I wouldn't do it. With the weight of the tractor and if the front wheels aren't aligned properly it could be an accident waiting to happen. I would unload the hay from the trailer that can carry the weight of the tractor. If it's square bales then a hay storage shed is in your future. But if you do go ahead and tow your tractor I wouldn't go over 10mph.

 

[beeforty]

If you aren't going far, how about a tow dolly that you just put the front wheels on and don't have to worry about worn tie rods.

 

[mcd176]

I second unloading the hay from the trailer or road the tractor, there are too many things that could go wrong towing it like that.

 

[jimmer2880]

You didn't mention what tractor you have. If it's a SCUT, or a CUT, I wouldn't recommend towing it. I don't have any idea for a full-size tractor. But - then again, if it was that big, you'd probably just drive it there yourself

 

[PILOON]

You could always weld up a 2 wheel 'dolly' like the RV folks do when they haul their cars behind their RV's
Those dollies are basically a low flat unsprung trailer AKA a long 'T' with wheels and a flat area just adaquate to take the front wheels.
The 'pole' goes on your trailer hitch and you lash the tractor front wheels to the flat bed.
Off you go!
Naturally to be on the right side of the law, you need stop lights etc etc.
As the tractor is unsprung (unlike towed cars) your speed will be limited.
If U have a FEL, then your pole will need to be long enough that the bucket won't catch your tow vehicle in turns.
Doable?-yes Practical ? ?

I could probably rig one up in 4 hrs or so!

My solution was to create a tow bar for my ATV and haul the ATV to the work site in order to get back home for lunch etc.

 

[chopped]

I would also consider the speed most defiently.Those gears are going to be really spinning in there...Sounds do alble to me but plan to go very slow to preserve the trator gears,I also knew a guy who would put the bucket into the bed of the truck and lift up the from wheel and away he went down the road lol..

 

[ntaylor]

Those are some interesting ideas. The dolly ideas are sounding enticing.

No FEL so thats outa the question but "interesting" concept. To elaborate more on that: I guess the guy welded a female gooseneck ball receiver on his bucket? I smell a patent outta that one. lol

Help me out I'm a newbie to the site. What is SCUT/CUT? keyword search revealed nothing and didn't find a FAQ section.

Unloading hay is not economical for the business. I sell hay off the trailers and offer local deliveries. Labor costs kill what little profit I have.

Yes ideally I would buy a trailer specifically for the tractor, but thats not happening anytime soon.

The dolly seems like a great idea, hmm where could I find some old spindles.
I wouldn't know for sure but I might could pick up an old car dollie from u-haul fairly cheap. Tractor is pretty light up front anyhow.

PILOON: Growing up on the farm, my families farming operation was spread across half a county and lots of road time was spent with the large tractors and implements. My dad always said he was going to build small ramps from 8" channel iron to weld/hook to the tops of chisel plows, tandems, offsets etc. to run his 4 wheeler on. That would work great but he would get lost for days trying to figure out how to get the thing on something tall like a round baler. lol.

Thanks for all the input. Kinda interesting what others do in situations like this.

 

[wvpolekat]

Spend the $100 on tie rod ends. Drive the tractor the 4 miles. Problem solved and the tractor is repaired.

The amount of time you would spend hooking everything up, going slow and such, you would be half way there.

I wouldn't think twice about roading either of my tractors 4 miles.

 

[ntaylor]

Spend the $100 on tie rod ends. Drive the tractor the 4 miles. Problem solved and the tractor is repaired.

The amount of time you would spend hooking everything up, going slow and such, you would be half way there.

I wouldn't think twice about roading either of my tractors 4 miles.

perhaps you are right polekat, only problem I have is the fact the tractor my be there overnight, lunchtime, etc sometimes. It turns into a 2 man operation pretty often for someone to pick me up.

I am also in the outskirts of a highly populated area and hate fighting/slowing up traffic with my 18 mph tractor on the 2 lane road when I want to go grab some lunch.

I'm not sure what I want really. lol I cant make up my mind any easier than my wife.