"Newbie" question about adapting a tow-behind York rake to a 3-point-hitch

[bxowner]

I have a tow-behind York rake that I used to pull around with my John Deere garden tractor - it has a simple pin-style hook up. The problem was, if I wanted to turn around, I'd have to lift the rake, engage the parking brake, get off the tractor... and do it all over again to lower the rake...

Now that I have a 3-point hitch - I'd like to adapt the York rake so that I can just lift the whole unit with the lever from the operator's seat.

Any thoughts?

Also, what does a 3-point 'quick hitch' do? Do you put some kind of adaptor on your implement so that you can just lift it without putting in the pins? What kind of implements is it useful for?

 

[teach]

Re: "Newbie" question about adapting a tow-behind York rake to a 3-point-hitch

bxowner,
If you can weld or know someone who can, just make the necessary adaptations for the top pin and lower arms to connect to the rake. My only question is, is the old rake large enough for the new tractor? If you are using a BX23, you can handle a 4-5' rake easily enough.
Good luck!
Teach

 

[techman]

Re: "Newbie" question about adapting a tow-behind York rake to a 3-point-hitch

I have rented and used a 5' york rake on my BX-22 several times. I used a metal ring to hold the lift latch so it would lift freely, and a piece of chain from the lift handle to one of the 3 PT arms. Raising and lowering the 3 PT would lift and lower the york rake. Only problem is the rake would raise on a sharp turn, but it sure beat getting off to manually raise/lower the rake.

paul

 

[bxowner]

Re: "Newbie" question about adapting a tow-behind York rake to a 3-point-hitch

Maybe I could add some sort of universal joint where the pin-hookup is currently... and then just a chain from the 3-pt-hitch arms?

That way it could be lifted enough off the ground to pull a U-turn and put back down without getting off the seat.

Thoughts?