Attaching implements

[roller]

Using the standard 3-point linkage,how long does it take you to attach lets say a 'brush hog' i'm new to the tractor scene and it seems to take me ages to get things correct and set up.

I am the owner of a kioto ck30 ,the linkage has extendable lower likage arms ,should these arms be pushed in before i try and adjust the sway bars??.

The dealer i bought the tractor from told me ,with 3-point linkage i would be able to attach implemants in just a few minutes ,i think he was being economical with the truth !!.. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[beenthere]

It will get easier as the number of times you do increases.

I used a 4' pipe as a leverage tool to hook my rotary cutter up, and would hook up the lower arms first, then the PTO, and then finally the top link.

Now I just hook up with the quick hitch (iMatch in my case). That is when it gets quicker. But with your sliding extended arms, that should help a bit getting the lift arms connected.

I wouldn't adjust any sway bars until everything is hooked up and locked in place.

 

[roller]

IMO the whole 3-point linkage system seems a bit long in the tooth not to mention hard work, i'm beginning to wish i'd bought a toolcat !!..somedays i intend to put 3 or more differant implements on my tractor /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I am new to tractor ownership so it might be me with the problem ,though looking at the thread about the 'Pats easy change system' i don't think so..

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Extendable lower links are not what they are cracked up to be! I know because I use them. I also use Pat's Easy Change. I've also used several tractors with nothing but traditional ball eyes. Never used a Quick Hitch, but I suspect if your implements match it, it would be the best choice.

What I found by switching to Pat's is that I have all the skin on my knuckles. I don't need a pry bar (beater bar) to 'adjust' the location of the implement. I no longer 'teach' my daughter new combinations of swear words. The emergency room doctors no longer call me by my first name because I frequent their services.

 

[wushaw]

I have found my TnT helps tremendiously.

 

[BB_TX]

After a lot of real time practice and learning, I can hook up my rotary cutter in less than 2 minutes, using a 4 foot 2x6 as a persuader. After doing it a few times, you can back up and drop the lift arms on the pins within a couple inches of alignment. Then it is just a gentle nudge on the deck with the 2x6. I don't have any kind of quick attach system.

 

[Dartagnan]

I have a NH TC30, no extendable arms, use a rubber mallet to knock the arms onto the pins, use a piece of pipe to nudge the brush hog. The best thing I've found to speed things up is to find a "level" place to park things. Level being where the impliment and tractor are in the same plane side to side.

The mallet stays with the tractor always, handle slips right down into the valve mount on the mast, so it's always there when I need it.

The pipe stays in the parking area.

All of my impliments have their own hitch pins and toplink pins, so I never have to worry about dropping one during the move between.

On the hog I always hang the PTO shaft with the sleeve's chain to keep it out of the dirt, making this a habit will keep you from driving off with half the shaft still on the tractor /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I also have about 5 pounds of shear bolts on hand, it's a long way to the nearest store, and it's usually sunday to boot.

First time I tried to hook up the mower I had to remove the landscape rake first and it took me close to an hour all told. Now 18 months later I can switch in about ten minutes.

One other thing, you will want to find someplace to hang/store the PTO cover from the tractor while hog is on, I've ran over two because they just naturally migrate to the top of the back tire while you're manhandling the PTO shaft.

Welcome to the world of tractors, and TBN, the international/interbrand help desk.

Dart

 

[Nat]

Maybe I'm from a different school, but when hooking up to any implement, I just back up close and reach behind me and slide the first lower arm on the pin and then back up, or pull up, as the case may be till the other lower arm is in the right position and reach back and slide it on. I then raise the lift a little to hold them in place and lock the brakes and get off and hook the PTO, and toplink. No cheater bar required, and I have been doing it that way since I was a boy, 40 years or more. HTH, later, Nat

 

[flusher]

Sort of depends on where you're doing the attachin'.

If you store your implements on the bare ground or in the weeds, lotsa luck. In that case the tractor is the easily-moved object and you're in for a learning experience as you try to get those lower arms aligned.

If you leave the implements on a concrete floor (garage, barn, driveway, etc), consider investing a little time in building a few dollies. Makes the hookup work a lot easier since it's the implement that's the movable object in that case.
I have dollies for my brushhog, box blade and am making a gantry-type dolly for my rototiller. Be sure to use swivel casters with metal wheels. I get them for $3.50 at Home Depot.

 

[OkieG]

Like Nat, I move the tractor a tiny amount to line up the first lift arm, attach it, then move the tractor to line up/ attach the second lift arm, then the PTO and top link last. With an hydraulic top link it usually takes a couple minutes to attach a brush hog. No "persuader" is used. A threaded top link may take an extra minute.

When the lift arm ball is on the end of the brush hog lift pin, moving forward slightly will often move the lift arm all the way onto the pin. WD 40 and some practice helps.

OkeiG