I hate the 3 Pt Hitch

[Gunfighter]

Most of my life I had old Farmalls & Internationals with Two Point
Fast Hitch. Just line up the points, there's a little room for error an
back up, Click click, pick up an go. Same is for removal, just reach
down with your wire hook, lift the paws, give it a jerk an it's off.
Unless you have a PTO shaft to mess with, you never leave the tractor...

Now for the 3 point hitch, back up tractor, looks good but it's not.
Get out 8 foot long 2 & 6, move this corner, (curse) then that one,
(curse) move it back a little (curse) After 10 or 15 minutes you
have it on but your still not finished. Now you have to adjust the
top link, then the swing limiting links an only then can you drive
away...

If I should go to hell when I die, it's because of all the cursing
I do putting on 3 pt equipment...

 

[JATO_RaT]

Ahh yes, but there are so many great things to eliminate those hassels. Extendedable lower links, quick hitches and on my Kubota, HST which allows me to back the tractor up or go forward, incrementally inch it perfectly with my hand and then it stays in that spot all without having to get in the seat. Rat...

 

[frank_f15]

NOW! NOW! GUNFIGHTER. calm down . it could be worse, did u ever try hooking implements up to horses?/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif then when u were done you had to take care of the horses. last time i checked my kubota did not leave excretement on the floor/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif but u are correct, sometimes they can be a bit of a chore to hook up.

 

[MossRoad]

My dislike of the 3pt hitch was one of the main reasons I switched and bought a Power Trac /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. Never get off the tractor to change implements unless I have to hook up the hydraulic quick disconnects. I can drop an implement and have another one mounted in 15 seconds and never leave the seat. I'm not exaggerating. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://users.beanstalk.net/godollei/pt425/PT425Videos/PT425_15S01.WMV> Here's a link to a video to prove it </A> (it is in windows media format and is about 250K and may take a minute or two to load, but is fun to watch)

 

[jhburke]

I also didn't like to fight the 3 point hitch. I bought a speedco quick hitch. I have 6 implements. I want to use them as needed. But until I got the quick hitch, there had to be a very needed use before I would change implements. The quick hitch helped but I found that no 2 implements were same measurement. I first removed the top hook mounting bolts and replaced them with pins. Then I had to modify bottom link pins to fit. I now can change them very easy. It makes my useage of them much more pleasurably. I had to do something as I have a bad back and I was recovering from bypass surgery. Everthing is ok now. I just keep wanting more and different implements.

 

[jwstewar]

If it is so much trouble you could just give it (and the tractor of course) to me,/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I would be willing to drive to the state up north to pick it up even though it is Michigan week here in Columbus. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif All of your problems would be solved...../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Richard]

<font color=blue>it could be worse, did u ever try hooking implements up to horses</font color=blue>

I'll bet hooking up the pto shaft was always full of excitement?

/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[JATO_RaT]

Where do you hook the PTO up on a horse?

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>Where do you hook the PTO up on a horse? </font color=blue>
Er, um, let's not go down this road, OK? /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

3pt, like everyone, it has it's moments, thats why i got a quick hitch. But come to find out it doesn't quite fit like Jim said.

Hey Jim, post a picture of your Speedco Hitch, with mods.
I just got one, and it doesn't fit right on my tiller, and bb. It'll hook the bottom links but the top it barely goes on. I'm afraid i'll have to do the pin trick.

My rear blade, the bottom links are 3 inches to the inside.
Grrrrr. Do you have a rear blade, how did you get by this.

Thanks,
John

 

[JJT]

The ultimate solution is 1 tractor per implement.

Seriously, with a little practice it will get easier.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

I acturally don't mind my 3PH at all. I have a Kubota B2910 with the extendable lower links.

Hooking up any of my limited impliments is much easier than hooking up my 3PH backhoe...but even that is not a big deal.

Now that I think about it...<font color=red>I LOVE MY 3PH!</font color=red>

Simply because of the tractor that is attached to it!

Bill in Pgh, PA

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Well put Bill! There are days I'm the same.... Just driving around without anything attached, I still have a great time.

Will there ever be a day when 3pt and pto goes to universal quick hitch with hydraulics lock and load, and also no pto.

It would seem the safety aspect, as well as quick attachment are really worth it. (Comparing to the Power-Trac)

I like my 3pt, but maybe one day hydraulics will take place of ptos? I don't know the engineering aspects of it, why it hasn't gone that way already, but it is a curious thing to think about. 3pt's have proven itself time and time again (not to jump topics) and we've invested lots of R&R to making it better, and to consumers investment in owning 3pt, I really don't forsee them going anywhere.

Though as a amateur, and nut, i do see room for improvement in safety sake. I'd really like to see more improvements. Little things like remaining in the seat to attach/detach implements including hydraulics (no ptos).

A GPS optional system to monitor tractor rollovers or accidents that would notify medical personel. Cause I know I'm always by myself on it, and who's gonna help if I'm down and out?

Maybe more car like, optional ABS systems, backup beepers, traction Control, Governer speed controls for young learners (like some personal watercraft), or speed/weight sensing controls to warn you of weight differentials (tipping forward or backward). I really like to see a weight load indicator, to tell me how much my FEL is holding so i don't overdo it, or how many lbs are on my 3pt? Its like the tiltmeter, its not the key, seat of the pant and experience are, but this will help most newbies operate safer.

I know more electronics sometimes isn't good, especially if there was a computer on board. Do you think it'll happen on day with compacts? I do... We'll be able to download data, troubleshoot, preventative maint, just a more intelligent tool that can help us better preform our simple tasks. or even an optional Radio or cd player would be nice

Definately I think tractors have come a long long way, but feel theres always room for improvement. Just looking at the safety forum, i'd wish manufacturers would look at just whats happening there, and seriously make some Research interest into making these things even greater and safer.

Sorry, off my box now. Regarding 3pt's I think this is a start, but I'm sure more is to come and get better with time. I wouldn't get to dreeding not liking the 3pt, like most said here, its the tractor time, learning and having fun are the most important things to me.

John

 

[Mosey]

Rat - "HST which allows me to back the tractor up or go forward, incrementally inch it perfectly with my hand"

Are you saying you use your hand to operate the foot pedal on the tractor while not sitting on the seat?

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>...all without having to get in the seat...</font color=blue>

Reads that way to me... /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

 

[Mosey]

Do you have any pictures of the Two Point Fast Hitch? I'd really like to see it. I've heard of it before, but have never seen one.

If it was so good, why did the 3pt become more popular? Is this a similar case to the microsoft situation? UNIX, Apple, and others are far superior to microsoft, yet microsoft is more popular because it was marketed better.

For me, the 3pt is just fine. My problem right now is that I don't have a concrete floor to park implements on, so they sit on logs or concrete blocks to keep them up off the ground, and they are not level. Occasionally, I park an implement in the garage on the level concrete floor and unhooking and hooking it up there is a piece of cake. Someday, I hope to have a concrete floor to park all my implements on and then use the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=39309&Search=true&Forum=implement&Words=dolly&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=2&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=39309>dolly system</A> to make it easy.

 

[Worksmart]

Danny - I believe it was in the mid/late '50's JD approached International Harvester in an attempt to make a deal on the "Fast-Hitch." IH chose not to sell them the rights to use it. That left IH on an "island" with the fast-hitch. JD continued on with the 3pt. IH eventually saw the error of their way and started offering the 3pt on their tractors.

The two point was on the larger tractors. I have on my Cub the one point fast-hitch. Same basic thing but minus one point. See attached pic for "female" side of the system. Following post shows the "male" prong, stab, beam, etc. Chuck

 

[Worksmart]

The male "parts."

 

[Mosey]

Thanks Chuck!

 

[JohnMiller3]

The current Cat I – 3-point hitch dates back to the late ‘30’s designed by Harry Ferguson, one of the reasons the Ferguson/Ford ‘N series were so popular... there was no ASAE hitch standard until the late 50’s when this Ferguson hitch (now widely copied) was adopted as the Cat I standard…

Farmall had the 2-point hitch from the early 50’s, and because of the low cost of these tractors… lots were sold as were the 2-point implements… as evident at just about every auction I attend now… but the “standardization” kinda killed the future of IH/Farmall’s 2-point hitch… and the last was used in the early ‘60’s…

One of the nicest 3-point hitches was made by Case in the late ‘40’s (called the Eagle hitch)… they had hooks or “claws” that opened up on the lift arms… you’d back the tractor up to the implement… lift up your arms and drive forward… these claws would snap shut on the pins and you’d be just about ready for work… /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

(at home I should have a few pictures of the 2-point on the Farmall and implements)