3PT quick hitch questions??

[WilliamBos]

How many of you folks are running 3PT quick hitches??

Do you loose much of the lift capacity with the hitch being 4" father away from the tractors lift points?? Like with 3PT pallet forks for example??

Are they easy to back up and hook on, with out getting off the tractor??

Land Pride Quick Hitches

 

[gwdixon]

How many of you folks are running 3PT quick hitches??

Do you loose much of the lift capacity with the hitch being 4" father away from the tractors lift points?? Like with 3PT pallet forks for example??

Are they easy to back up and hook on, with out getting off the tractor??

Land Pride Quick Hitches

My opinion is to avoid the fixed frame QH like the plague UNLESS all of your implements are the exact right measurements to fit the QH.

The frame QHs are heavier and the extra length of lift will reduce the lifting capacity somewhat. You'd have to be running right at the edge of the capacity to make a difference - like a pallet load of bricks.

Look into the Pat's Easy Change if you want something light and easy to hook up to a variety of attachments.

 

[WilliamBos]

Thanks. Pats easy change looks like a good product, but after having telescopic link ends, no real need for Pats. I know full sized AG tractors have been running the 3PT QH for ever, that is why I asked.

If I have to get off the tractor to hook up one, I am hooking up all three.

 

[bucktaker]

If you take the time to make any modifications your 3 pt implements to fit your qh then you will not have to get off except to hook up the pto shaft.

That being said I hook up the lowers then get off to and hook up pto then adjust and install toplink. Much improved over my old non telescoping arms.

Jd Imatch with matching implements wouldbe the top dog but very pricy

 

[jenkinsph]

Lots of people have different opinions about quick hitches for sure.

My take having used them for a few years is they make changing implements on a whim much easier and faster to do. It is necessary to take the time to make all of your implements quick hitch ready to start with. I spent about a day to make all of mine fit except my Frontier boxblade. After setting all the implements up there hasn't been a need to do anything else, just back up and open/close the latches from the tractor seat.:thumbsup:

I feel it is safer than using a helper to hook up the old way, lots of people have been severely hurt hooking up implements. I have two IMatch hitches now and plan on adding a third to my garden tractor this spring.

 

[devildog1]

As said you need to make all the attachment quick hitch ready. That means of course to add bushings, two to each attachment about $28.00 per pair @ TSC. It will also besides sitting 4" further out extend your PTO shaft. I had one on my B3200 TLB and it did work good, but when I purchased my Grand L with the telescopic link ends I found out I did not need the Quick Hitch and sold it.
DevilDog

 

[WilliamBos]

As said you need to make all the attachment quick hitch ready. That means of course to add bushings, two to each attachment about $28.00 per pair @ TSC. It will also besides sitting 4" further out extend your PTO shaft. I had one on my B3200 TLB and it did work good, but when I purchased my Grand L with the telescopic link ends I found out I did not need the Quick Hitch and sold it.
DevilDog

Thanks. We have telescoping link ends, best thing we ever did was get them. No real need for the QH then.

 

[Jesse11]

I bought the Harbor Freight model, but if I had it to do again, I would go with Pat's. The HF type is not adjustable for width, so if you have an implement that is not standard 3-point, it won't work. I didn't like the top link set up on the HF model, as Bedlam was saying, and mine was sent by FedEX and it got dropped on it's corner and bent it in so it won't fit anything until I take a jack and spread it out like it should be.
My advice would be to go with Pat's because it is the handiest, since it is adjustable. I would get the spreader device also. It is probably a little more expensive, but I think you will be more satisfied with it in the long run. I will probably buy one this spring and use the HF one to make something else.

 

[wcampbell47]

I don't regret for one minute purchasing the Farm Force quick hitch from TSC.

I have Kubota B series tractors that have the adjustable link mounted on the inside of the lift arm. That's the rub as most of the time I have to swing the lift arm to the outside to get it over the draw pin. The L series that I have looked at have the adjustable link on the outside of the lift arm.

The difference as I see it is that on the B series I have to jack with the adjustable link every time I change implements. That is probably not the case on the L series or other brands where the adjustable link is on the outside.

I have had one implement that was not QH compatible and it is not in my inventory at this time. Most implements I see today indicate that they are QH compatible.

I find changing implements on a whim to be beneficial and the QH aids the change up. It is so nice to just back up to the implement and raise the lift to engage the hooks. I normally get off the tractor to connect the top link as I have lost my top hook. Connecting the top link will be easier when I install the hydraulic top link.

I can't imagine doing away with my QH.

 

[efam3300]

Just received Pat's quick hitch in the mail. Ordered from Northern Tool, although they were not advertised as such (they were a few bucks cheaper) they look very well made. Made the choice by reading many posts here. This is my first post after hovering around for a few months, and have learned lot from this forum. Everyone seams to give sound advice.

 

[gwdixon]

Thanks. Pats easy change looks like a good product, but after having telescopic link ends, no real need for Pats. I know full sized AG tractors have been running the 3PT QH for ever, that is why I asked.

If I have to get off the tractor to hook up one, I am hooking up all three.

The telescopic lower arms will do you no good with a frame-style QH. You might as well have fixed lower arms.

The telescopic arms are not a be-all, do-all either. The implement lift pins have to be lined up vertically with the lift arms or you'll have to fool around with the adjustable link on one of the lift arms. Having a Top & Tilt helps a great deal but it is still fooling around.

If the pins do not line up you can hook up the lowest pin and the top link and then lift the 3PH a bit until the other lift pin and lower arm line up. And this is with the telescopic lower arms.

Pat's makes an insertable QH for telescopic arms that does not lengthen the lower arm at all so the PTO shaft and hydraulic top link problems of being too short are eliminated. I got them for my M7040 after dealing with the foibles of the telescopic arms for awhile.

Don't get me wrong, the telescopic arms are a huge improvement over the fixed arms. But there is a better way. Oh, and I don't work for Greenwell Mfg. or have any association with them other than being a four-time customer.

 

[jenkinsph]

If the pins do not line up you can hook up the lowest pin and the top link and then lift the 3PH a bit until the other lift pin and lower arm line up. And this is with the telescopic lower arms.



QUOTE]


Most telescopic links I have used will swivel up and down when pulled out making it easier to attach implements where the hitch isn't sittling level. Normally if you attach the lowest arm first you can raise the opposite arm easily by lifting it up.

I have both telescopic links and I match and find the IMatch is hands down the winner.

 

[MJPetersen]

Quick Hitches are just coming available here, but I wanted one so I ended up making one for my self. I have used it a lot since I made -- it is always on the lift except when I am using the tiller (2 point). I had to conform my home made implements to my new standard, but it is so easy now to change implements that is far and away worth it. My tractor is small enough that I can man-handle most of my implements, but now it is so fast to change implements that I can use the right tool for the job instead of the "one on the lift." :thumbsup:

pictures of my hitch and the mods that I made are linked in my signature.

Mike