Quick Hitches FRUSTRATED!

[RanchGirl]

My JD 3038e is a great machine, and I love it. But, since I have a significant upper back & neck injury, I decided to order the quick hitch with the auto hitch. I have multiple attachments- rotary cutter, landscape rake, drag box, etc, for the property that I'm (very slowly) turning into a horse farm. After waiting forever for the dealer to get the parts and attach my Quick/Auto Hitch, the only attachment I can pick up and use is the cutter! Everything else either doesn't lock on, or I can't even pick it up, in the case of my frontier drag box. What the ****? Has anyone else had these problems? I was assured that the hitch would allow everything to be used except a rototiller, but this isn't the case. Should I have the dealer remove just the AutoHitch? Do I have to dump the whole sytem and go back to the Boot? (kicking attachments on and off!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated before I take the whole hitch off and throw it in the creek.

 

[dusty3030]

Frontier box blade should work fine. Do you mind posting some pictures of the other attachments?
What type of landscape rake do you have?

You may need to tweak the attachments a little one time, afterwards the quick hitch is so much easier.

 

[RanchGirl]

I don't think its the quick-hitch so much as the auto-hitch mechanism. That drive-line coupling device appears to be mounted so that the top hook doesn't fit onto my drag box. A 3pt quick hitch might be fine, but the auto hitch realigns everthing so that only the cutter lines up! The top hook is too high for my box scrapper, and there's no locking mechanism on the top hook like there is on the two lower ones, so the landscape rake just pops off. Its incredibly annoying!

 

[dusty3030]

Top hook doesn't have a latch on any of them, if the bottom hooks are latched right, your rake should not pop off. Do you have quick hitch bushings installed on the lower pins of the rake?
What brand and model of rake is it?

A JD Imatch quick hitch should have no trouble hooking onto a Frontier brand blade, whether the auto hitch for the PTO is installed or not. Any way you can show us some pics?

 

[RanchGirl]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I have a top n tilt kit on there as well, but I was assured that everything would work together. Not so much!

 

[RanchGirl]

Sure. I'll take some when I'm out there later and post 'em. The rake is aftermarket, and I think the bushings are the answer there- thanks. But the coimplete misalignment of the box blade is really a pain. I'll post more later.

 

[dusty3030]

Top and tilt with just the Imatch is a dream and should help you out a lot, the autohitch part for the PTO, well if it is getting in the way I can certainly see your frustration.

 

[EE_Bota]

Sorry I don't know your system, but I tried the quick hitches that go only on the arms but that didn't work for me because each of my implements are too different from the others. My tractor is tiny and not true category 1 dimension.

Maybe get hold of the dimensions for your class and see which implements adhere properly to the dimensions of your hitch class.

I have implements that are correct for their class, but the quick hitch must approach the pins from the bottom (a char. of the hitch, but the implement must be approached straight on ( a char. of some implements .) So, I gave up.

If your tractor is a normal category of hitch, I would think you would have one or two that are a bother, not several.

Edit: I don't kick them for fear of injury. I keep a non-marring hammer in the toolbox of each tractor.

Last, I'd say invite that gentleman out to give you a tutorial. If it goes bad, send it back with him. I'm optimistic it would go well.

 

[charleyfarmall]

The quick hitch isn't always....
I have one on both tractors but did not get the iMatch because I wasn't sure that i would really need it and I don't.
Unless the equipment and tractor are on perfectly level stable ground I find that I invariably have to get off and kick something to get it to seat. My box blade and 6' tiller are notorious. The tiller which is supposed to be QH compatible doesn't have quite enough clearance for the hooks between the pins and the frame.
My water carrier, rake, weight box are easy. I have to work on my flail mower but I had to convert that to make it work.
Top and tilt should not be a problem but you might have to adjust their angles a bit to hook up.

I just noted that you have an issue with your top hook on your box blade. I do to but my top hook can be adjusted up and down with two pins. Not every piece of equipment has the top pin set correctly.

Don't give up. With a bit of work you will see that it is better than the boot. You may have to replace a couple pieces of equipment with JD branded stuff to make it easier though.

Pictures would help a lot....

 

[jenkinsph]

I use the IMatch on my tractors all the time and with good results. It is necessary to take the time to setup the implements for the proper fit though. Some implements are easier to setup than others, some need major changes and welding to make them fit. I recommend you get someone knowledgeable to assist with the initial implement setup for each piece. Once fitted it is very easy to drop one tool and pickup another from the seat. Things such as proper bushings are important and necessary particularly if using the Autohitch.

The Autohitch works well enough but has a limited list of attachments that are compatible with it. To get the benefits from the Autohitch you need to buy the correct setup, the MX6 mower and 673 tiller are available with the options needed as an example but don't assume most implements will work with it.

I would stress that the IMatch system works great but you can't cut corners with the initial setup, all the implements need to be properly fitted to get the best results.