Any tips for 1 man implement hook-up?

[Gale Hawkins]

One tip I have worked out after installing Pat's QH is to park the implements up a slight upgrade vs downgrade. We are short on flat places.

Now this is with a manual transmission with me standing up facing the rear and working the clutch with my foot. The engine is at 800 RPM and in low low reverse. Gravity will give me forward motion if needed.

I shut off the tractor and do the top link from behind the tractor. I screw it until it fits then readjust if required.

 

[studor]

How do you find it a waste of time?

I bought the quick hitch cause it looked like a great idea - like many I then found that modifications were necessary to pieces of equipment I owned. Then, to be practical, everything must fit or it is a PITA taking the hitch on and off. Then I found that the snowblower stays on the tractor for four months of the year. The carryall probably is on for another four months or more. Then the other stuff like plow, chipper, box blade rotary cutter etc seems to be on for a full day or two and is not needed for a while. Some of the stuff is stored inside on a concrete floor which makes it really easy to hook up. The outside stuff is stored on pallets of the right height after a little trail and error. So basically my quick hitch and trailer drawbar are sorta permanently together and do gather some dust -- JMHO

 

[DanielVT]

I find the brute force method to be a waste of time

Agreed. But sometimes it's fun to pound the *#&$ out of something. :confused2:

 

[patrick_g]

Sometimes pins don't line up with everything they have to go through and pounding with a hammer takes quite some force. You can make some "custom" pins that are longer and gently tapered in the extra length and they tap in much easier. This helps with FEL quick attach stuff too like hay spike, bucket, pallet forks,etc.

Pat

 

[RalphVa]

All my implements are either on dollies or on surfaces where they're easy to slide (only one without a dolly is the back blade; it slides on the concrete; used to put it on 1 bys when it was on the ground). On dollies, they're easy to maneuver around. I've changed out 3 implements with a half hour's time. Use one; change; use another; change.

Ralph

 

[mburke121]

Since I started this post many moons ago, I thought I'd update everyone. I bought a new tractor, and included a Woods quick hitch in the deal. This has made a huge difference. Something I used to dread - changing implements - now has become something I don't think twice about. I change implements many times in a day, and it's really no problem. The quick hitch is one of things I like most about my new tractor :thumbsup:

 

[Soundguy]

I solved that problem by just leaving each attachment on a tractor.. no problem changing attachments either

glad you got something working out good for you.

soundguy

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I solved that problem by just leaving each attachment on a tractor.. no problem changing attachments either

glad you got something working out good for you.

soundguy

I am not that rich so I went Pat's Quick Hitch that is actually working out after I took the time to set it up correctly. A 7' bushhog and an 8' box blade used as a dozer are very demanding.

 

[JC-jetro]

I have bought HF Quick attach as well with the intention of making short work of hooking stuff to my tractor and safer. Unfortunately, I find more of a struggle to get the things attached. IF your ground is not flat, You are not backing in to your implement squared then you have issues. That also causes getting the stupid things off the tractor as difficult as one side comes off and the other sides binds, it sometime binds right at the J hook no matter How I change the angle. So far I got it to work well on my carry all but I have done ton of modification to get it to act right. I have changed the pin (longer or shorter), shimmed things up and you name it to get it to work. On my brush hog I just can not use it , simple as that as I have factory gusset plated welded on to my support and can get the J hook under the pin to lift. I always kept my cool and had to use some cuss words occasionally to relive my tension as necessary. So making a long story short, I can do much better with a few scraps of 2X4 and a 3 ft piece of 2" pipe to hook things on to my 3 point. I actually feel safer about it. I suppose the HF quick attach is a great tool if I back to a tree trunk to pick it up and lift using the J hook and a piece of chain, or remove a Tee post, but I could have already done that with my boom.

JC,

ps. I suppose if I had JD I match and all my implements made by JD would not have had the same issues. Live and learn I reckon

 

[Soundguy]

I am not that rich so I went Pat's Quick Hitch that is actually working out after I took the time to set it up correctly. A 7' bushhog and an 8' box blade used as a dozer are very demanding.

not rich either.. I just buy cheap tractors...


soundguy

 

[wolc123]

When it comes to plain old category-1 3 point hookups, some tractors are much easier than others. Changeing implements on my 1951, Ford 8n is a piece of cake. This is no surprise because this is the tractor series that brought us the first 3 point, and I doubt any tractor manufactured since, and lacking some type of quick-hitch arrangement, is easier to hitch. It started getting tougher to attach implements after Henry died and his succesors added lots ofextra lbs to the n-series, back in 1953, with the naa. At under 2500 lbs, the 8n is light enough that it can be easily rocked forward and back by hand to make the lower link hookups. A nice crank handle on one side eliminates the need for the implement to be perfectly level. The link bushings are also shorter and have a little more clearance to the pins than on most modern tractors. The hydraulic lift lever can be reached easily from the back while hitching. Old Henry knew what he was doing when he designed that tractor, and no one ever needed a quick hitch, Pat's, or anything else to change fast. By comparison, it is such a pain to change implements on my new JD 4120, that I keep the changes on that tractor to 3-4 a year. It is over a 1000 lbs heavier than the 8n making it tough to roll, the lift lever is quite a reach, the link bushings are long and very tight, and the leveling crank is not nearly as smooth as on that old Ford. Luckily, like SG, I have plenty of tractors, but only one that is a breeze to change implements on. I readily admit that there is no tractor designed since that I like more than the 8n and that is due in a very large part to the ease of implement change.

 

[foggy1111]

When it comes to plain old category-1 3 point hookups, some tractors are much easier than others. Changeing implements on my 1951, Ford 8n is a piece of cake. This is no surprise because this is the tractor series that brought us the first 3 point, and I doubt any tractor manufactured since, and lacking some type of quick-hitch arrangement, is easier to hitch. It started getting tougher to attach implements after Henry died and his succesors added lots ofextra lbs to the n-series, back in 1953, with the naa. At under 2500 lbs, the 8n is light enough that it can be easily rocked forward and back by hand to make the lower link hookups. A nice crank handle on one side eliminates the need for the implement to be perfectly level. The link bushings are also shorter and have a little more clearance to the pins than on most modern tractors. The hydraulic lift lever can be reached easily from the back while hitching. Old Henry knew what he was doing when he designed that tractor, and no one ever needed a quick hitch, Pat's, or anything else to change fast. By comparison, it is such a pain to change implements on my new JD 4120, that I keep the changes on that tractor to 3-4 a year. It is over a 1000 lbs heavier than the 8n making it tough to roll, the lift lever is quite a reach, the link bushings are long and very tight, and the leveling crank is not nearly as smooth as on that old Ford. Luckily, like SG, I have plenty of tractors, but only one that is a breeze to change implements on. I readily admit that there is no tractor designed since that I like more than the 8n and that is due in a very large part to the ease of implement change.

Sooooo....at last it comes out!! That is why you went to a pull-type disc instead of 3 point models. You can't hook 'em up. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[wolc123]

Foggy, you may want to give a pull-disc a try to see what you are missing, or, even a rototiller. Lots of folks who have personally used both a pull-type and a 3-point disc, prefer the pull-type. There are a handfull, like yourself with no personal pull-type experience, or those who stand to profit from sale of 3-points, who are strong proponents of that type. Similarly, most folks with smaller acreages and who have used both a tiller and 3-point disc, prefer the tiller. Note that the common, least liked denominator here, is the 3-point disc. Heck, I was stubborn myself and went far to long without 4wd (partly due to my affection for that old 8n). We can all learn as we go along, and as I have explained to you in the past, 4wd and a pull-type disc has cut my fuel use by more than half compared to 2wd, 3-point disc, and my spring planting gets done an average of 1 month earlier. Good luck and happy hunting to you whatever you decide.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

In the triange shaped 1/4 acre garden 3PH has it hands down. In the field a wheeled type is 10X better for depth and leveling. Put the wheels in the air and the pedal to the metal.

The last 15 years my dad farm He "broke" his ground with the disk and seldom hitch to the three bottom plows. That was not possible with the 3PH disks we owned.

 

[wolc123]

You got that right GH, but the tiller still has it over the 3pt disc on a little garden. For a bit larger acreages, I probably would not go as far as saying a pull-type disc is 10X as effective as a 3pt but I know for certain it is at least 2X, having owned and/or operated a couple of 3 pts and 5-6 pull types over 40 some years of farming. It is refreshing to hear from a stronger proponent of the pull-type than myself, especially on this site which is so dominated by the CUT guys. I think I would say that a pull-type is 4-5 times as effective, on average, when you throw in ease of hitching, how much more level it leaves the field on every pass, how many less passes it takes, how much less weight is required on each disc to get better results, how much easier it pulls per unit width, and how much less fuel it requires to get the job done. Foggy is right that hitching difficulty played a part in my dislike of the 3-point disc, but a small part compared to effectiveness and efficiency. Most smaller implements, including plow, row-planter, spring tooth harrow, terracing blades, ditchers, pond scoops, and rotary mower took quite a step forward with the 3point hitch. The disc is the only one I can think of that lost a few.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

With the 801's we used the Ford Flexohitch disks and that helped some but when dad got his 10' Birch with a 4000 he was in hog heaven.

CUT thinking rules here just because it is for the most part a CUT site. If one has never farmed or used normal size equipment I am sure the CUT lines works well for them. Some apps only a CUT makes sense.

I have never used a tractor tiller but see a lot of farmers using them to prep for tobacco these days. They do an awesome job.

 

[J_J]

http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowne...res/utility_tractors/2000_series_09_95465.pdf


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[Soundguy]

I know when I first disc'd my 10ac patch.. I parked my 6.5' old 3pt ford disc and used a 12' jd pull disc.. made powder out of it.. .. it's just too big for small stuff though.

neighbor sold his tractor but still has his disc.. and a ton of other implements.. he won't sell none of them. has a nice chissle tooth harrow, 3 bottom plow and that disc.. and won't sell none of them..

soundguy

soundguy

 

[jenkinsph]

Since I started this post many moons ago, I thought I'd update everyone. I bought a new tractor, and included a Woods quick hitch in the deal. This has made a huge difference. Something I used to dread - changing implements - now has become something I don't think twice about. I change implements many times in a day, and it's really no problem. The quick hitch is one of things I like most about my new tractor :thumbsup:

Congrats on the new tractor.:thumbsup:

Once you get all the implements setup it really make changing them out super easy. Top and tilt also makes hookup easier too, hope you have that too.

 

[jojo200517]

I solved that problem by just leaving each attachment on a tractor.. no problem changing attachments either

glad you got something working out good for you.

soundguy

I'm not that rich either, heck I don't even have money for a fancy shmancy quick hitch that still wouldn't do me crap good with putting on my most dreaded implement the post hole digger. In fact i'd have to take it off out of the way before putting it on.

For most of the stuff I just use backing up as precise as possible along with muscle and leverage to hook it up. I don't have nearly enough room to store anything inside so wheeled dollies wouldn't do me much good. After bending some smaller diameter bars and snapping a couple 2x4's prying around 3pt hitch disk and brush cutter I found a good prying solution.

Had a friend that did road construction get me a slightly damaged used road sign post. It was one of the galvanized heavy duty types not the thin stamped sheet metal ones. Someone had hit it with a car and bent it near one end so I just cut it off with the portaband and was left with about 7 feet of good solid prying power. The way it is shaped the cupped side digs in if the ground is soft and doesn't slip as much.

As far as moving implements to mow under them and stuff, I used to do that with the boom pole and a chain. Then I invested in a 15 gallon sprayer and roundup, even less work than moving and mowing with a quick hitch would be.:thumbsup: