Is it just me...

[son of man]

Or is it a JOB attaching 3pt implements?

I recently purchased a used tractor with bush hog. One day I made the mistake of disconnecting the top link and lift arms and it took FOREVER to reattach. Had I not unhooked it myself, I would not have believed it fit. :laughing: The bad part about it is that I didn't even move the tractor. I just disconnected and tried to reattach.

Granted, this was my first time I ever doing so. I assume it gets easier with practice? But I can't really say I'm looking forward to it... I had plans of buying all kinds of used implements on craigslist. But now I'm having second thoughts. :confused2: Thank God a bush hog is all I really need! The seller told me he has a few different tractors. He said instead of changing implements, he just changes tractors! I think I found the reason why.

 

[Buggs67]

Use Quick connects. Search for Pat's on this site I don't have any experience with brush hogs but quick connects on the lift arms would make the job easier.

BTW my tractor doesn't have adjustable lift arms which would make the process easier.

 

[Navasot]

Your tractor should have some type of adjustment on at least one of the lift arms. make sure you hook up the stationary one first then you can adjust the other one to meet it. Also if your uneven and don't have telescopic arms you can hook up one side then pull the tractor forward or back to push or pull the other link to were you need. Don't be intimidated to buy more equipment once you get the hang of it and know the tricks its quite simple

 

[HEC]

With some practice it will be much easier .I use a long crow bar to move a piece of equipment a little at times as that helps also .

 

[aginn]

I am getting a quick connect for a lower arm for next summer. Since I saw a friend connect a brush hog using one, I have pledged to get one. Now that I have a backhoe, that is my next priority. It makes it a snap.

 

[W5FL]

It is all relative. The earlier tractors did not have a 3 point at all and all implements had to be pulled. The early mowers were sickle type with the mower wheels driving the reciprocating sickle bar.

I used a 6 ft bar to move implements a little for the 3 point. When I bought my current tractor 14 years ago, I made sure it had adjustable links on the 3 point lift arms!

 

[Fallon]

When I picked up my L3200 & Land Pride 5' rotary cutter I watched the dealer struggle for 10 min or so to get it lined up & fully hitched up. I didn't take it off until the Quick Hitch I ordered showed up.

With the Quick hitch & now Top & Tilt cylinders I can hitch up most of my implements without getting off the tractor no matter how crooked they are sitting. Granted I still need to get off & hook up the PTO, hydraulics, or flexy top link on the rotary cutter, but its WAY easier.

If you get one of the cheap Harbor Freight, Northern Tool or any other Quick Hitches under $200, you will need to mod them. Have to extend top hook backwards 1-2" by welding on a piece & drilling new mounting holes. Not to hard & I'd do it again rather than buy a $400 Land Pride or John Deere iMatch Quick Hitch.

 

[tractorshopper]

I had helped a friend hook stuff up before on his tractor whenever we'd be working on something together. Was a real pain even with two of us working on it. I learned about Pat's here on TBN and when I bought my tractor, I bought the Pat's with it. Since it extends the lower arms a little, I bought a longer top link shortly after getting the tractor. I can tell you changing my implements is easy as advertised. Well worth the money. The hardest part about any hook up now is hooking up the drive shafts to the PTO making sure the splines match up. Really not a problem.

 

[TerryR]

My tractor is about the same size as yours and I have a variety of 3-point implements. I never had that much difficulty hooking them up. I loosened the sway bars on the lower links if necessary, and used the screw adjustment on top link to nudge the implement forward or back a bit if needed to get the balls on the lower arms to the fit on the pins.

But when I got to age 70 I decided to make it a bit easier, so built dollies for most of them so I can move them around by hand. Now it's even easier. Also makes it easier to fit too many toys in too small a space. The Bush Hog rotary cutter is the one I've never seen a need to do anything for - I just back up to it and hook it up.

Terry

 

[aeblank]

Quick hitch of some sort (jiffy hitch or deltahook would be awesome). I have the Harbor Freight one. I haven't had the need to modify it, though I need to modify my back blade by drilling a lower hole for the top link hook. It's an old land pride.

 

[k0ua]

I don't have a quick hitch of any kind any more since I got my Kioti. It has telescoping lower links and sway bars. I had a set of Carters, but gave them to my BIL. They worked pretty well, and they are cheap.
But I just haven't felt the need since getting the Kioti. I remember what it was like on the Kubota's that did not have telescoping links and sway bars before I got the Carter's and it really sucked. If I was to ever get a full one piece QH, I would want to get a hydraulic top link at least to make hook up even quicker.

 

[Fallon]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/291783-quick-hitch-top-hook-clearance.html is the post I made way back when . You can see how much further the top hook sticks out now here.



I ended up with another cheap quick hitch I welded up to a SSQA plate for a 3pt hitch on my loader. It had the same hook length issues & got the same fix. Lift hooks needed a fair bit of grinding as well. Paid $100 for the quick hitch & 3 SSQA plates along with some other junk, so it was still a good deal.

 

[kneedeep]

PATS are the way to go for multiple equipment. I measured all my equipment when hooked up and reset the PATS to that measurement with the adjusting bar and sway chains snugged up. Getting on and off tractor is good exercise anyway!

greenwellmfg - Home

 

[MossRoad]

In all seriousness, 3pt hitches are why I got rid of my conventional tractor and bought this...
Change an implement in 15 seconds...
http://mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_15S01.WMV

 

[Fallon]

In all seriousness, 3pt hitches are why I got rid of my conventional tractor and bought this...
Change an implement in 15 seconds...
http://mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_15S01.WMV

You can add a hydraulic cylinder or electronic actuator to any tractor with a SSQA and do implement changes just as quick. Without I can change mine in about 120 seconds.

 

[W5FL]

Looks like everyone buys a tractor for different reasons. Loading and unloading 2000 pounds of feed, 1000 pound bales, feeding 1000 pound bales, moving and lifting things on a farm can be done very easily with the right tractor and implements. This week I will use a 72 inch medium duty mower that weighs over 1000 pounds to cut down everything that the tractor will clear on 35 acres to let the newly planted crops and grass come up.

Fortunately the 11 ft backhoe has a heavy duty frame bolted to the tractor and does not depend on the 3 point. If you are in the landscape business and need to change several implements in an hour, then I can see a good reason to use quick connect hitches. For most of us, it is still fairly easy to use the tractor the way they were designed and once you get a little more experience, it is a 5 minute job for one person to hook up most 3 point attachments.

A hydraulic top link cylinder is really worth the cost with most 3 point attachments.

 

[kneedeep]

There are several types of quick hitch add ons for 3 PT equipment available. Some equipment is naturally more difficult to hitch and un-hitch than others. But one thing is for sure, the more you do it the easier it will get. When I first removed/connected the backhoe on the 3510, I thought I was going to have get the dealer to send someone out to help! After doing it a few times, maybe 3 or 4, the last time it almost hooked itself. Point is, after you figure out the best way to drop it, how high to block, width of arms for PATS, etc. you can make changing implements as simple as greasing a loader. Its just what you have to do unless you can afford a tractor for every implement you own!!!

JMHO :confused3:

 

[RalphVa]

I'm 72 and need to have every implement (except the light weight rear blade) on dollies or castors. Of course, you need a concrete pad or building with concrete floors to place everything. Makes it a whole lot easier.

Ralph

 

[300UGUY]

I'm 72 and need to have every implement (except the light weight rear blade) on dollies or castors. Of course, you need a concrete pad or building with concrete floors to place everything. Makes it a whole lot easier.

Ralph

The best improvement I ever did to my place was a concrete floor for the barn. Should have done that from the start. I built dollies for everything, and I tried the quick hitch and Pats. But with the dollies and smooth floor, I really don't need them.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I dont think attaching 3ph stuff is difficult as long as the threads on your adjustable top link are free,and you keep a long crow bar around to make moving the attachment or prying between the 3ph arms easy.The only attachment thats a pita for us is the woods 750 backhoe attachment,its a pain to put on,has to be done in a certain way,and requires you to attach and run the pto pump without the top link on...my dad bought this before i was working with him,id never let him buy it again...frame mount only next time..