JD 5055 quick hitch

[Stonewall Cardinal]

I want a quick hitch for my 5055. I'm told that the Pat's is the best way to go. Anyone have experience with them?
TIA

 

[beenthere]

No, but several like them.
I went with the iMatch from Deere. Along with the hyd. top arm, the system can't be beat. IMO

 

[deere5105]

I want a quick hitch for my 5055. I'm told that the Pat's is the best way to go. Anyone have experience with them?
TIA

Tried one. Wound up taking it off due to rotary cutter coming off several times.

 

[Citydude]

I have a set of Pats setting on my work bench. When i got a hydraulic top link, I got a quick hitch. Works better for me.

 

[John0829]

I have the Pat's and so far they have been great, for me personally they work better than a quick hitch. To each his own, it can be a hard choice to make without having experienced each to find out what works best for you.

 

[LouNY]

I'm not a quick hitch fan at all. I do have two of them, one is welded to a SSQA plate and one has been modified to be used for gooseneck trailers.
I like the Euro hook and ball system much better, it does cost a bit more to convert over if the tractor didn't come with the system.

The Pat's tries to duplicate the Euro system in a poor fashion.

 

[CobyRupert]

The Pats’s have pluses and minuses.

I had to learn the hard way not to use the soft bolts that came with it. They will bend and then become unable to remove when you break them off in the casting. First solution was to use a harder grade bolt.
This was mostly effective, then I realized that trying to prevent the Pat’s from swiveling in the lift arm’s ball was counterproductive.
IT NEEDS TO SWIVEL as the implement is raised/lowered. Don’t fight it.
Otherwise, the implement’s pins have to swivel in the Pat’s “hook”, and this leads to a lot of tension and bad things happening.

Also, don’t use those “1/2 washers”. They find a way to slip by the clip. Having a 1000lb mower fall 1/2 off the 3 point hitch when your on the a bad side hill or wedged in a ditch is not fun.

 

[dodge man]

I generally like my Pats but I have had a sprayer come off. Other implements have stayed on fine.

What do you use for washers Cobyrupert? I have a sprayer that has sometimes slipped off twice. Do you just leave the bolts a little loose so the Pats can swivel some? Thanks for the tips.

 

[dieselade]

what is a PAT thingy?

 

[dodge man]

Pats is a brand name quick hitch. It goes on the lower lift arms.

 

[CobyRupert]

I generally like my Pats but I have had a sprayer come off. Other implements have stayed on fine.

What do you use for washers Cobyrupert? I have a sprayer that has sometimes slipped off twice. Do you just leave the bolts a little loose so the Pats can swivel some? Thanks for the tips.

Yes, I now leave the bolts a little loose so the Pat’s can swivel in the tractor’s lift arm ball, instead of the attachment’s pins trying to swivel in the Pat’s hook arm. This is we’re a LOT lateral tension occurs and ends up bending the adjustment bolts that are trying to keep the Pat’s at a fixed angle on the tractor’s lift arm.
I don’t get why whose bolts are even needed. There’s a huge pin keeping the Pat’s connected to the lift arm.

I use big flat washers. The washers I avoid are the one’s that Pat’s offer (or did?) that have a 90° bend. I guess the idea is that they stay next to the clip pin and don’t get in the way of the Pat’s hook arm when you’re attaching the implement, but under strain the pin either finds a way to slip through, or the washer opens the snap pin….whatever happens, end result is attachment falls off.

 

[coosa]

I use the Pat's system with a little 26hp Yanmar, but I didn't like it with my 75 hp JD. I switched it back to the telescoping lift arms that came standard on the 5210. I haven't found another system that works as well as those do for changing attachments by myself.

For anyone who hasn't used them, you back up a couple of inches from the implement, get off the tractor and release the telescoping links, then hook up the lift arms and get back on the tractor and back up. It means you have to get off the tractor an extra time, but it doesn't require much physical exertion and there isn't much that can go wrong. And best of all, it isn't critical to be perfectly square like most systems require. That has become a lot more important to me in my old age.

 

[LouNY]

Well I copied this from a different thread, the Pats attempt to emulate the lower links in this setup.

I'm fortunate that my tractor has the Euro hooks on it from the factory;
looking down from the cab, you can see the tractor hooks and the balls on the implement,

After backing in to the implement, you can see that I'm not perfectly level,

I've lifted the lift arms and taken the load off the parking stands,

And now I'm lowering my toplink with the rope and adjusting the length to catch,

My implement is completly on my 3 point, I'll close the latches when I lift the parking stands and connect the pto and hydraulics,

No fuss no muss. If I'm not square when I back in I can just push a bit and it will usually square up.
The hydraulic toplink is not factory.

 

[hosspuller]

I much prefer the cat 2 telescopic draft links. Tough, simple, and has always worked. ( as long as I remember to put the linch pins in.)

 

[Fordy20]

A quick hitch with a hydraulic top link is hard to beat. Without the hydraulic top link I think don't think a quick hitch is all that great.

 

[Rambo33]

Bit late to the party but i have the pat quick hitch system on my deutz fahr. Initially i bought it just to have longer linkage arms. It has been great, only crap bit is the genius lynch pin washers but I've welded up some bolts that work well.

 

[beenthere]

Rambo
How about a posting up a pic of the "genius lynch pin washer" ? Just to confirm what you are referring to here.
Also, of your welded-up bolts to see your design. Sounds more genius.
thanks

 

[Rambo33]

Using the supplied "genius" washers with supplied wire lynch pins implements kept slipping off on 1 side. Since using a washer and welding a few old bolts/screws together, drilling a hole for a small R clip I've never had an issue. It's only on the implements that have their own pin fixed to it.
All the other implements such as 6 foot rotary tiller, 6 foot rotary drum flail, chisel plow etc where the pin needs to be put in, they are fine. It's a 75hp deutz fahr, it works its butt off and the "Pats" have been great.

 

[suncoast]

I bought Pats for my 4720. Many people love them. An issue I had was the units leaning inward quite a bit when lifting. A prior post here said they just didn’t use the adjustment bolts and seem to be OK with that. I never tried that. I just wasn’t comfortable with such lateral force on the arms.
You could message Pat for his view on not securing the units to the lift arms.
I ended up installing a quick hitch and am 100% convinced that (for me) was the better route.
The only issue in my opinion why people don’t always go with a quick hitch is compatibility with attachments. I did have to alter a few which involved cutting, adding / removing, welding and painting the steel.
Was worth it for me.
Pats is a good invention for the owners that can’t or want to undertake this task.
I just prefer what seems to be a more secure joining of the arms to the attachments.

 

[Hayloft]

I use a Pat's on my 3520H for box blade, rake, and disc harrow but not the post hole digger. The ground here has so many rocks that the auger can catch on a rock and start a heavy twisting movement of the boom which can force one side up out of the lift arm. The latch is too weak to keep the lift arm in place against the strong twist. Doesn't occur every time but once is enough.

Yes, I now leave the bolts a little loose so the Pat’s can swivel in the tractor’s lift arm ball, instead of the attachment’s pins trying to swivel in the Pat’s hook arm. This is we’re a LOT lateral tension occurs and ends up bending the adjustment bolts that are trying to keep the Pat’s at a fixed angle on the tractor’s lift arm.
I don’t get why whose bolts are even needed. There’s a huge pin keeping the Pat’s connected to the lift arm.

I use big flat washers. The washers I avoid are the one’s that Pat’s offer (or did?) that have a 90° bend. I guess the idea is that they stay next to the clip pin and don’t get in the way of the Pat’s hook arm when you’re attaching the implement, but under strain the pin either finds a way to slip through, or the washer opens the snap pin….whatever happens, end result is attachment falls off.