I-Match Quick Hitch Pallet Forks

[JackIL]

Last year I sold all of my 3PH Landscaping Implements including the Freedom Hitch female coupler I had on each one as well as the Freedom Hitch male coupler on my JD 955. Recently when I purchased a new LX5 Rotary Cutter I decided to get the I-Match Quick Hitch to go with it. In addition I traded in my old ballast box for a new I-Match compatible box. The coupler works very well with both.

However, I was still left a pallet carrier that did not fit the new I-Match hitch. I decided to just design a new one to meet the ASAE Quick Hitch standard (which I-Match adheres to) and also have fork spacings that matched my utility box. A local fabricating shop did the mechanical work, and I had it powder coat painted flat black. I am pleased with the final result shown in the attached photo. Other photos follow.

To determine the required dimensions to meet the standards I just measured my existing I-Match coupler and the corresponding dimensions on the rotary cutter. The bushings are made by Speeco for their quick couplers, but they are also available from John Deere.

I don't think I will ever again purchase an implement that is not made to the ASAE Quick Hitch standard or can't be adapted to it very easily. Once you start following the standard there is no need for the extra cost for couplers on the implements as there is with Freedom Hitch or others like it.

JackIL

 

[JackIL]

New forks with old utility box.

 

[JackIL]

LX5 Rotary Cutter is built to the Quick Hitch standard.

 

[JackIL]

Ballast Box built to Quick Hitch Standard.

 

[JRP]

I feel the same way about the standard. If we all tell implement makers we won't buy unless it meets the standard then they will get the message.

What we must do now if make sure all know how well the i-match works. It should be standard equipment on all JD. Once you use one, you don't want to go back.

Good post. I made a tool bar like thing for mine. It is two straps bent on a brake at a welding shop, with two straps welded across it. The angles in the straps guide the hitch hooks and make the two line up more easily.


Good post!

 

[bebster]

The i-Match system works great in my opinion. What I like best about it is that you can actually change 3PH attachments quickly and without leaving the seat. The locking handles can be reached from the seat when the 3PH is raised. Eliminating the setup time means more time actually accomplishing the task at hand.

 

[have_blue]

Bebster,

I'm sort of new to this, but I gotta have me one of those!

Do they fit most compact utility tractors? Any modifications needed to implements? How much do they cost?

Thanks,

 

[JackIL]

The I-Match Quick Coupler list price is around $200. It and other quick couplers will fit any tractor with a category I 3 point hitch. On the other hand, the coupler is only guaranteed to match other implements that adhere to the ASAE Standard S278.6. Most implements do not follow this standard. Any new implements that do follow it are advertised as meeting the standard. Most new JD compact implements, Frontier implements, Midwest, and some Woods follow the standard. More are appearing all the time.

I agree that customer demand will have to force other manufacturers to follow suit. It does not cost the implement manufacturer any significant amount to build to the standard when making a new design.

JackIL

 

[bebster]

have_blue,
I thought the iMatch system is a John Deere only system, but as I think about it, it is just a simple frame that mounts on the 3PH with 3 hooks on the back (and the 2 lower hooks have a latching handle to secure them). You can see it in the picture that JackIL posted at the top of this thread. I have mostly JD attachments, but many of them are really painted green Woods manufactured. The fact that this system is ASAE standard leads me to think that it might be applicable to more than Deere tractors and attachments.

I bet the iMatch frame from Deere would fit almost any tractor and work with most iMatch compatible attachments. You could then paint it blue if you wanted! The list price is $220 but I think you can get it for more like $150.

If the attachment is not iMatch compatible, it might be able to be modified to make it so. Of course there are other systems that have been described on other threads (like Pat's Easy Change system). link to thread

But this is just a theory as to the compatibility with non-JD tractors and might need more research. It's raining today, but tomorrow I'll take a closeup picture and post it.

 

[PerryWhite]

I love the JD imatch. When I traded up to a 4310 this spring
I bought the imatch, a ballast box and a frontier 1072 blade.
When I bought my 413 rotary mower in 1999 I didn't get it with iMatch cause I didn't know it existed then. But I got on the JD parts site and converted it for about $100. Here's a picture before I painted the parts.