3-Pt Trailer Hitch Option for JD 4600's?

[rmonio]

Folks -

Although my JD 4600 has a trailer bar that I can attach a Ball hitch to, I'm wondering if there is a 3-pt attachment that will allow me to connect/lift trailers with variable ball sizes (all the way up to 10K hitch balls). This would make things easier for me when it comes to parking my new 10K trailer, boats, and other stuff that I have in my 40x60 polebarn (the Yukon XL is nice but things are just too tight right now with everything I have in there). My father-in-law mentioned that there was a 3-pt attachment that would work better than having the ball on the tow bar (allowing me to lift trailers, etc.). Any comments from anyone?

Thanks!

-Bob

[ronjhall]

Bob
I think this is one of the best attachments I have. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img] My 3ph receiver hitch is on my tractor more than any other attachment. See attached picture. I still haven’t painted it yet

There are some 3ph types that can be purchased. Check out this link.<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&amp;Board=implement&amp;Number=58 954&amp;page=&amp;view=&amp;sb=&amp;o=&amp;vc=1>Cl ick Here</A>

Some TBNers have their homemade 3ph trailer hitches <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&amp;Board=buildit&amp;Number= 158532&amp;Search=true&amp;Forum=All_Forums&amp;Wo rds=trailer%20hitch&amp;Match=Entire%20Phrase&amp; Searchpage=0&amp;Limit=50&amp;Old=allposts&amp;Mai n=158532>Click Here</A>

There are several other threads on 3ph trailer hitches. I did a TBN search <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/search.pl?Cat=>Click Here</A> using “trailer hitch”. I linked the 2 that I thought would answer your question.

[OkieG]

Bob,

I've seen hitch inserts with various sized balls on one insert. Usually the balls are arranged in a X configuration, and rotating the insert 90 degrees puts a different sized ball on top for use.

Ron's arrangement (and the other links he provides) seems to be using a standard hitch receiver and probably would work best for you. My setup is different. The photo attachment shows what I use to move my 16' trailer around.

OkieG

[OkieG]

When I built my 3pt lift tow attachment, the only thing I had to tow was a little JD yard trailer. It uses the slotted tongue and pin arrangement to connect to the tractor, so I built my lift frame around that system.

[OkieG]

Just as with the standard hitch receiver type lift frames, as demonstrated by Ron, the pin in my system makes hitch choices interchangeable. Here is a picture of a couple other hitches I use. They are just sitting on the lift frame for viewing. They would be pinned where the hitch ball is for use.

The one on the left is a pin hitch extension. The extension helps the yard trailer maneuver better in tight turns and gives extra leeway when backing around corners. The hitch on the right is a hinged sleeve I use to tow my chipper around by the handle. I use it in conjuntion with the pin extension hitch.

Bob, you should have no trouble adapting something to work well for your needs.

OkieG

[beenthere]

Consider getting the flat 3pt drawbar that connects to the 3pt arms at each end. This has multiple holes, in which you could put one ball of each size you need. Then just back up and align the correct ball with the trailer hitch on whatever you want to move. They won't all be centered, but should work just fine for manuevering the things around.

If you want to keep the flat drawbar from pivoting, then either fashion a non-pivot bracket at one or both ends, or put on arms that reach up to the top arm as some of the pics show. If drawbar lift is something that you might be concerned about, put in a safety chain that connects loosely to the main drawbar, long enough that it is just tight when the 3pt arms are at their highest lift point.

I have a hole drilled in the cutting edge of my FEL bucket, in which I drop a trailer ball. I then pick up the tongue of my trailer when I want to move it around. Handy in some ways, but not very easy to see to make the hook-up. I also use that hole to locate a clevis for lifting things using a chain and the FEL.

[beenthere]

OkieG
Good design. And much better than my thoughts (having all the balls mounted in a line on the 3pt drawbar), which would limit the turning capabilities when backing up equipment.

[ronjhall]

George
Another great setup. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img] It always amazes me all the different ideas for doing similar jobs, which are posted here on TBN. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[rmonio]

Thanks for the feedback, Ron. The links have also helped - I like the receiver-based hitch as I already have two receivers with balls that I use for my different trailers. Being able to connect those in without having to buy another set of different trailer balls would be very useful. Any idea on where this picture came from and whether that was a purchased (vs. home-brew) item?

Thanks!

-Bob

[ronjhall]

Bob
It’s a homebrew that I made to fit a standard category 1 draw bar. The draw bar can be purchased at TSC for less than $20.