Has anyone lengthened their 3pt hitch arms?

[Leejohn]

First off, you need to get the slip clutch back on the tiller to protect not only the tiller but your tractor PTO shaft also. Shortening or lengthening the shaft should not have any effect on binding of the U joint swivels, but if your shaft is too long, it could damage the PTO on your tractor, too short and it could come apart on you. Since you need to get a new shaft anyway, do the proper measurement and get a new shaft that is short enough so you can reinstall the slip clutch, or modify the one you have.



Don't raise the tiller all the way up when needed without disengaging the PTO , as long as it clears the ground that is all you need. If needed, install a limit block on the top so you don't inadvertently raise it too high.

Yes fit the shaft by cutting to the right length. Just don't cut one side, if you don't know how just ask and someone well walk you thru it.

 

[Recoveryhill]

Pat's Quick Hitch will add something like 3-4", and shouldn't cause any other problems.

Agreed 100%. It may however be necessary to add a longer top link to keep the ratios correct. My OEM Kubota top was too short after installing Pat's QH. I have had absolutely no problems with the extra 3-4" length on my L3700.

 

[GManBart]

Agreed 100%. It may however be necessary to add a longer top link to keep the ratios correct. My OEM Kubota top was too short after installing Pat's QH. I have had absolutely no problems with the extra 3-4" length on my L3700.

Yep, I initially had to go with a longer top link, but I replaced that with a Fit Rite hydraulic top link and I'm not going back!

 

[the old grind]

I just bought Pat's for my NH, and am wondering if the extra 3"-4" of length won't bring issues. For sure, I'll be looking into PTO shaft extension(s) for tiller and Bush Hog. Top links are but $25 at TSC and an extra or two can save a lot of adjusting with atts that require big length diffs. (4"-6", etc) I might even look into shorter arms if I knew what'd fit & where to find them.

All that said, & for the OP's '?', +1 on modifying the tiller vs the lift arms. Raising stuff to full height helps when loading/unloading, but I don't otherwise (ever) with PTO engaged. Gotta have a clutch when tilling ... and learn to adjust its breakaway torque. :2cents:

 

[newbury]

Pat's Quick Hitch will add something like 3-4", and shouldn't cause any other problems.

When did it become Pat's Quick Hitch? Isn't it Pat's Easy Change? PEC? nice PECs.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I just bought Pat's for my NH, and am wondering if the extra 3"-4" of length won't bring issues. For sure, I'll be looking into PTO shaft extension(s) for tiller and Bush Hog. Top links are but $25 at TSC and an extra or two can save a lot of adjusting with atts that require big length diffs. (4"-6", etc) I might even look into shorter arms if I knew what'd fit & where to find them.

All that said, & for the OP's '?', +1 on modifying the tiller vs the lift arms. Raising stuff to full height helps when loading/unloading, but I don't otherwise (ever) with PTO engaged. Gotta have a clutch when tilling ... and learn to adjust its breakaway torque. :2cents:

All lift arm extensions bring issues due more stress on lift and greater leverage against the tractor. In extreme cases with heavy implements the lift mechanism will break from hitting bumps in carry mode. Otherwise youre relatively OK.
larry

 

[GManBart]

When did it become Pat's Quick Hitch? Isn't it Pat's Easy Change? PEC? nice PECs.

You're correct, it's Pat's Easy Change….I was multi-tasking (poorly) when I typed that

 

[brown40]

"Give me a long enough lever, and a solid place to stand, and I can move the world."

Can't remember which of the Greeks said that, but if I had a buck for every tool and object I've damaged for having a good solid lever... well it's not that much I guess, but I've learned my lesson anyway!
If you've ever used forks on a loader you see how anemic getting the distances away from the pivot makes it appear... same goes for the back end.
The easy/quick hitches will gain you small distances without messing up the geometry of the 3 pt much, or upping the forces involved tremendously, but any distance further back goes beyond the designers intent and gets a standard response if failure occurs... modifying the tiller's attachment configuration or checking on whether any of the quick hitches gain you the tolerances would be a smarter way to go than messing with the tractor, as replacement/repair of 3pt castings/attachment points will probably be more than a brand new tiller & no more involved in labor/welding.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The reason I ask is because I have a 60 Kuhn rototiller that binds the PTO shaft due to excessive angles when fully raised or lowered depending on how I have it adjusted.
My original driveline with slip clutch broke so I installed a regular shaft with no clutch (to finish my tilling) which runs much smoother fully raised or lowered.
Moving the tiller back several inches would decrease the operating angle allowing me to reinstall the proper slip clutch assembly and eliminate the binding.

90cummins

The original post above is wanting to decrease the angle of the drive shaft by moving it back further away from the tractor. I am not a good mathematician but I would have to guess that to decrease the angle by any appreciable amount would require a very long extension back at which point the tractor is not going to be able to pick it up. To do this the tiller would need to be put on a dolly so it could be raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinder like a tow behind bush hog.
Rather than all the speculation of quick hitches, etcetera, the simple solution is to turn off the pto when raising the tiller beyond the height where the U-Joint knuckles start to bind. Adjusting the top link so that the tiller sets level when tilling rather than tilted forward or backward would be the correct setting for running but may restrict the raising height. As long as it clears the ground, that is high enough for working. You may need to shorten the top link up for transport if crossing ditches, etc so it has more ground clearance when travelling.
It should work this way unless your PTO shaft is not of the proper length (either too long or too short). If it is too short it may vibrate badly as it doesn't have enough engagement to properly support the shaft so it may be whipping like a jump rope, too long and it could bind on your tractors PTO causing pressure on it and the tiller's gear box.
I don't think the discussion should be centered on lift capacity so much as how to operate it correctly with the current design. Thousands of tillers have been bought and operated and no one that I have heard of has had to modify the lift arms or the implement in order to make it work. It isn't a life altering operation to engage and disengage the PTO when raising. Many tractor have an auto-shut off when raising which would work fine for a tiller (not so much for a bush hog in my opinion) due to limited mass and turning speed.

 

[GManBart]

"Give me a long enough lever, and a solid place to stand, and I can move the world."

Can't remember which of the Greeks said that,

Archimedes