3pt quick hitch (iMatch) ideas

[dmay]

I've seen lots of great posts for customizing ballast boxes. Adding pipes for tool transport. Adding receiver hitches. I've not seen anything similar for customizing quick hitches. This is curious to me so I have to ask why? The QH is always on. The ballast box gets dropped everytime you need to mount a 3pt attachment. Seems to me it would be better to customize the quick hitch. Here are my initial ideas. Side pockets for tool transport. A receiver hitch mounted atop the top link. Perfect for a gooseneck trailer mover or add a small cargo carrier for carrying stuff above your mounted 3pt attachment, even above your ballast box.

What do you think? Anyone done something similar?

 

[kennyd]

Go for it... I have seen pictures on 4x6 steel tube welded to the sides to hold chains and such...

 

[dmay]

I have not welded since high school, some 33 yrs ago. I signed up for a MIG welding course that starts in 3 weeks. I hope to make this a class project.

 

[kennyd]

You know that pictures are required:thumbsup:

 

[JB4310]

I rarely operate tractor without something on the QH, usually ballast box.

I have not installed a receiver tube on my ballast box, cause I figure if I'm towing a trailer I don't want/need all that extra weight. and since I have a dedicated receiver hitch designed for QH I would just use that.

You are right, don't see much QH mods, you got me thinking as long as it wont interfere with any future implement attachment, I think you are on to something. the receiver tube on the QH would save me from having to install that receiver set up I have.

Could that tube go under the top structure? I'm gonna look at mine.
I've got 2 QH's, one JD and one HF. I've got a blank tube from HF that I've been just itching to do something with, maybe I'll try and marry them. I'd try it on the HF one to experiment

Good idea, I'm a nut for those receiver tubes.

JB

 

[JRP]

My QH is one of my best investments. It has prevented a lot of medical bills.


Custom # 1 - Hose loop added to the top keeps the hydraulic hoses from snagging.

Custom #2 - hooks on the side - for tie down and also, more important, with a chain sling under the tounge of heavy equipment. I lift with the 3pt and back the draw bar into the implement tounge (sp?) . Tonight i hooked up a 14' disk in a couple of minutes with no dirty words, and very safely. The sling keeps the impliment at the same hiegth but allows me to move the tractor forward or back until the holes align.

Custom #3 - the top link adapter stays on the hitch all the time. A bolt welded to the adapter prevents it from swinging too far forward. Enough for gravity to keep it forward but not into the hyd top link, and it fold down for use with the shreader. .

Custom # 4 - I took another Imatch and welded wings on it to fit my Nobtach. Now I can use any QH equipment on the front of my FEL. The boom pole pulled up my windmill.

 

[dmay]

Could that tube go under the top structure?

It could as long as you mount it to clear the bottom of the top hook. On my iMatch there are three holes in the top crossmember. Two on the right side of the top hook, one on the left. Might be able to weld onto a receiver hitch tube a bolt on mounting plate.

For myself I want it above so that I could use the receiver hitch with 3pt implements attached. Here are two examples. I have a receiver hitch 4 position bike rack that would also be a great and secure attachment point for handled (rakes/shovels) or long shank (weedeater) tools. I also have a receiver hitch cargo hauler that would permit carrying all kinds of stuff above an attached implement.

 

[Runner]

I like your idea of adding a receiver hitch to the top. I plan on doing that so I can carry either a toolbox or my tractor tub back there.

 

[dmay]

My QH is one of my best investments. It has prevented a lot of medical bills.


Custom # 1 - Hose loop added to the top keeps the hydraulic hoses from snagging.

Custom #2 - hooks on the side - for tie down and also, more important, with a chain sling under the tounge of heavy equipment. I lift with the 3pt and back the draw bar into the implement tounge (sp?) . Tonight i hooked up a 14' disk in a couple of minutes with no dirty words, and very safely. The sling keeps the impliment at the same hiegth but allows me to move the tractor forward or back until the holes align.

Custom #3 - the top link adapter stays on the hitch all the time. A bolt welded to the adapter prevents it from swinging too far forward. Enough for gravity to keep it forward but not into the hyd top link, and it fold down for use with the shreader. .

Custom # 4 - I took another Imatch and welded wings on it to fit my Nobtach. Now I can use any QH equipment on the front of my FEL. The boom pole pulled up my windmill.

I like all the ideas. Pics would be appreciated.

Thinking about your #4 idea to make the QH mount on the FEL, I'm wondering if the side pockets I was considering in my original post could be made to support a John Deere hook & pin set up on the back side to facilitate FEL mounting.

 

[RoyJackson]

The attached picture was posted last year by one of our TBN members. I wish I could recall his name so I could give him the credit.

 

[JB4310]

It could as long as you mount it to clear the bottom of the top hook. On my iMatch there are three holes in the top crossmember. Two on the right side of the top hook, one on the left. Might be able to weld onto a receiver hitch tube a bolt on mounting plate.

For myself I want it above so that I could use the receiver hitch with 3pt implements attached. Here are two examples. I have a receiver hitch 4 position bike rack that would also be a great and secure attachment point for handled (rakes/shovels) or long shank (weedeater) tools. I also have a receiver hitch cargo hauler that would permit carrying all kinds of stuff above an attached implement.

My HF QH has those extra mounting holes on it also, not the JD though, I have one of those cargo haulers too and thought about using it on the tractor someday, I've never used it for anything yet. My neighbor bought one and I thought it looked great and had to have one myself

I'm wondering if the side pockets I was considering in my original post could be made to support a John Deere hook & pin set up on the back side to facilitate FEL mounting.

That's a great idea too, kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Looking at the pic roy posted, I could visualize what you are talking about. should be pretty simple, just have to make those compartments wide enough to fit the loader carriers.

Myself, I have yet to desire using 3 pt implement on loader, except the boom pole, that sounds like a practical use. I already have a boom pole for my loader bucket though, using, (you guessed it) a receiver tube

JB

 

[JB4310]

It could as long as you mount it to clear the bottom of the top hook. On my iMatch there are three holes in the top crossmember. Two on the right side of the top hook, one on the left. Might be able to weld onto a receiver hitch tube a bolt on mounting plate.

For myself I want it above so that I could use the receiver hitch with 3pt implements attached. Here are two examples. I have a receiver hitch 4 position bike rack that would also be a great and secure attachment point for handled (rakes/shovels) or long shank (weedeater) tools. I also have a receiver hitch cargo hauler that would permit carrying all kinds of stuff above an attached implement.

Darrell, I liked your idea so much I'm already experimenting with it

I'm going to go with the receiver underneath, preliminary results are good, no clearance issues with implements, most inserts are ok as well, except my light duty pintle wont open all the way, but that can easily be corrected with a longer insert tube or one of those cheap HF extensions.

I know it wouldn't work for your bike carrier or cargo rack use, in conjunction with an implement on 3pt. but Just looking at how high the hitch would be if you mounted it on top, It may be to high to get under some trailer tongues, unless they are very high.

For my needs the underside should work great, I'm thinking I could always add one to the top, offset from the center for some type of acs with 3pt in use.

I'll post some pics of my trial run.
Thanks for the idea, JB.

 

[dmay]

Darrell, I liked your idea so much I'm already experimenting with it .

Great to hear. I look forward to seeing your experiments.

 

[mjncad]

I like the pockets the OP is thinking about, and what is shown in the picture Roy posted. My only concern is will they make hooking the PTO shaft up more difficult because something else is getting in your way?

I ended up putting a 4" PTO extension shaft on my rig to compensate for the QH making it more difficult to reach the shaft's latching mechanism.

 

[JRP]

I like all the ideas. Pics would be appreciated.

Thinking about your #4 idea to make the QH mount on the FEL, I'm wondering if the side pockets I was considering in my original post could be made to support a John Deere hook & pin set up on the back side to facilitate FEL mounting.

The JD mound compatibility will depend upon the width of your loader attachment points. Ideally you would want to keep the hitch such that it can be used on 3pt or the FEL.

Here are the pics. When I posted I could not add pics for some reason.

 

[JRP]

On my pics that show the QH behind the tractor note the adapter that is mounted over the top link hook. It is used for putting a shreader behind the QH. At first it would fold back to and hit the hydraulic top link rod and ding it. It also prevented full stroke of cylinder. By welding a nut (stop) to the QH, and a bolt (with a rubber hose anti-rattle) to the adapter then the adapter is always in place and ready. I just fold it back and connect the shreader top link. No looking for parts.


I must say that the hydraulic top link and Speeco type hitch are the best mods I have made. I'm sitting at home recovering from double hernia surgery right now. If I did not have the Speeco hitch I probably would have had the hernias many years earlier. It is worth it's price in reduced pain and hurt. I never struggle connecting implements - except for the non-QH compatible post hole digger which needs to go and be replaced with a hydraulic digger.

Get the hitch and modify your equipment to fit.

 

[JB4310]

Great to hear. I look forward to seeing your experiments.

Here are the first ones, just clamped it on my HF QH. I tried it with all implements except 3pt pto genny.

You can see in one of the pics the 3pt is almost all the way down and still higher than the trailer tongue, and that's a tall tongue. you would need a 6 inch drop insert minimum IMO.

Bought one of those HF hitch extensions for $24 there's enough material to cut and make 2 of them.

JB

 

[JRP]

JB

Weld with caution. The top of my QH hits my shreadder PTO shaft when the hitch is all the way down. It cut up the plactic PTO shield. The way you have the reciever mocked up it would cut the PTO shaft in half. I would advise not to mount any thing it that location. Why not move it over to the left and on top of the QH? Another option is to move it to the left inside corner so it won't be near the PTO shaft.

Check clearance.

 

[JB4310]

JB

Weld with caution. The top of my QH hits my shreadder PTO shaft when the hitch is all the way down. It cut up the plactic PTO shield. The way you have the reciever mocked up it would cut the PTO shaft in half. I would advise not to mount any thing it that location. Why not move it over to the left and on top of the QH? Another option is to move it to the left inside corner so it won't be near the PTO shaft.

Check clearance.

I kind of want it centered, But I will double check on the clearance of the PTO shaft. I only have 1 pto implement now, and that's the genny, which is on a 3pt carrier that fits the QH. preliminary measurements look like it will clear it no problem.

But I guess I should consider future use as well, I can see how having some type of mower on there, it could drop down far enough to make contact.

I'm doing this on my back up machine that does not see much action, except around the yard doing light utility chores. But I guess you are right, that space is wide open for a reason. I still might do it anyway, just knowing that the QH will not be able to be used with all PTO apps.

JB.

 

[Runner]

"Thinking about your #4 idea to make the QH mount on the FEL, I'm wondering if the side pockets I was considering in my original post could be made to support a John Deere hook & pin set up on the back side to facilitate FEL mounting."

I'll bet you could use some heavy-walled rectangular tubing in place of the channels on mine. It would probably help to stiffen it up with some 1/4 inch thick plate welded on the bottom, which you would need anyway to hold stuff in.

Might have to add some little 3/8 inch thick "tabs" on the outside/bottom edge to carry the JD pins if it wasn't quite wide enough. I think I used 11 inch wide channel iron for mine.

By the way, JRP: A picture of your front quick hitch was what inspired me to build mine, and it has been one of my most valuable attachments. So, thanks for that...