Pins: Best type Overall

[drjay9051]

So I have used hitch pins, linch pins, cotter pins, R pins etc. Somehow they all seem to work loose except for cotter pis.

Just wondering what people think is the "most secure" pin aside from cotter pins which can be a PITA if tools are not handy.

As odd as it may sound I have great luck with the soft metal ties that are used on T posts although even these will fail down the road.

I have lost countless pins over the years. I guess that is why there is such an abundance of them at TSC.

 

[gwdixon]

The black lynch pins are NASTY. They are so strong that you have to be careful not to get snapped and break a finger.

They don't seem to fail and the bails act like they are heavier duty as well. Give a pair a try and see what you find. TSC has them.

 

[Dingeryote]

I'm not sure why it is that you are losing pins, but normally, if there isn't a lot of slop to begin with, the lynch pins don't get beaten into breaking or falling off.

Take up a little more slop on the rockshafts maybe?

I'll vouch for the TSC black heavy duty lynch pins, as they stay put even on Cat 1 pins in Cat 2 rockshafts without inserts.
I run our 3pt. sprayers that way because the stupid inserts are a PITA, and as soon as I swap the pins over, it's as sure as the sunrise that I will have the Cat 2 tractors tied up and have to use the little tractor to spray.

A little trick I learned from a Dutch uncle that wouldn't throw anything away until it was busted too far to fix.
When the spring in the lynch pin goes to mush, gets rusted and weak etc.
Just run a zip tie through the loop and around the lynch pin, or use a chunk of bailing wire, Bailing twine, etc.

They NEVER come off like that. You have to cut the wire or zip tie.

If you're breaking them, you're doing something wrong, or buying crappy lynch pins.


R pins /"Hair pins", get ripped right out of whatever they are clipped to or get bent and mangled for us. Bushes and such just seem to have an affinity for snagging them.
Then the little bastards hide under the dirt, waiting for an opportunity to pop a $1,500 dollar harvester tire.

 

[minner]

The black lynch pins are NASTY. They are so strong that you have to be careful not to get snapped and break a finger.

They don't seem to fail and the bails act like they are heavier duty as well. Give a pair a try and see what you find. TSC has them.

Could you ellaborate on those washers?

 

[gwdixon]

Could you ellaborate on those washers?

The washers were made for a Pat's Quick Connect. Pat's provides a few bent washers, like the one on the left in the photo, when the hooks are purchased (the small securing washer was added to the OEM). Washers are essential since the Pat's are open on top and the lynch pin can be opened and lost if things line up in a certain way.

I just tried to figure out a way to make enough washers so all attachments had them already in place. For some reason it is hard for me to remember where the OEMs were last used and which toolbox they are in.

Anyway, the washers also help on the ball-type hook-ups because they distribute the pressure on the lynch pin more evenly as well as providing some protection against the bail getting caught on brush. The pin stays in place much better.

There are both CAT1 and CAT2 pins in the photo. The materials for making them are shown. Using grade 8 washers, like I did for some of them, is expensive and probably not necessary.

To get the correct size washers just go to a TSC, or someplace that carries lift pins, and find a washer that fits on the lift pin. Or, you can take one of your own lift pins to the hardware store.

Edit: Forgot to mention to be sure to take a lynch pin to the store also to get the correct small washers.

 

[minner]

Yeah, I have the Pats too and have lost most of the washers that came with it. I do like yours though, well thought out. Looks like a nice rainy day project. I lose stuff constantly so maybe I should paint mine HiViz orange. lol