Nutty Washers

[EZ-HITCH]

I,m new here but hanging on for quite a while.At the risk of starting a fire storm, I would like to relate my experience with this type hitch. while cutting hay with a drum mower on hilly terrain the lynch pin and washer were pushed off at the quick hitch.I destroyed the the drive shaft going to the mower and bent the PTO shaft on my Massey 180. An expensive lesson.There must be a lot of force at the lynch pin maybe because there is no socket ball to equalize the pressure.Also the bent washer set up doesn't always allow the lynch pin to close completely. I ground mine down to leave just a tab,much like the nut in this post.It popped again while I was pulling a chain harrow with NH TC 35. Sharp turns. Lesson .....wire the hitch pins closed so they can't come off.Now I undestand why the Speeco quick hitch has the special Pins that fit over the implements hitch pins .It's impossible to pull them through the hitch. Good engineering. Sorry this is so long ,but it may save someone some grief. WIRE THOSE LYNCH PINS CLOSED,

I may be over sensitive on the subject, and I don't even think you were using my product, but it seems to me that the lynch pins were to blame not the Quick Hitch. If you were not using any type of Quick Hitch at all and the lynch pin opened up the lift arm would still have come off, right???? I mean the sole purpose of the lynch pin is to keep the lift arm on the draw pin.

I assume you were not using a spreader bar??? It would have kept your lift arms from moving and would have kept the Quick Hitch from sliding off the draw pins.

Your story interest me, because it allows me to look for solutions to possible future issues.

 

[Bedlam]

Gosh even with the factory 'balls' I was able to have a lynch pin find a snag and come off, pulling the rear weight by one arm and upper link. Talk about looking back and getting a shock from that.
Ive lost several draw bar vertical 3/4 pins when the lynch gets caught on some brush, I replaced that lynch with a bolt and two nuts.
Accidents happen.
Al

 

[kidr]

I may be over sensitive on the subject, and I don't even think you were using my product, but it seems to me that the lynch pins were to blame not the Quick Hitch. If you were not using any type of Quick Hitch at all and the lynch pin opened up the lift arm would still have come off, right???? I mean the sole purpose of the lynch pin is to keep the lift arm on the draw pin.

I assume you were not using a spreader bar??? It would have kept your lift arms from moving and would have kept the Quick Hitch from sliding off the draw pins.

Your story interest me, because it allows me to look for solutions to possible future issues.

I didn't mention a brand because i don't want to bash anyones product.I couldn't get along without my quick hitches they're a great product.I just wanted to alert others as to what could happen.I didn't catch the pin on anything.The forces of mowing and turning just put pressure on the washer and it poped the pin(heavy duty) 2x's.The spreader bars I have only help with initial alignment,they couldn't keep the lift arm from falling off.I'll just wire those pins when I'm using anything with a pto hookup.

 

[PILOON]

I have learned to safety wire all my 3-point adjustments and pins as I have either lost or damaged just about every one.
Not fun dragging a snow blower with only one lift arm!
My favorite 'safety device' is aluminum wire as used by hydro crews around insulators.
I also carry spares in my tool kit.

 

[JohninCT]

On the problem of lynch pins coming undone... if using a quick hitch, the washer and thru pin stay on the implement. Just replace the pin with a bolt and lock nut.

 

[ametcalf]

I didn't mention a brand because i don't want to bash anyones product.I couldn't get along without my quick hitches they're a great product.I just wanted to alert others as to what could happen.I didn't catch the pin on anything.The forces of mowing and turning just put pressure on the washer and it poped the pin(heavy duty) 2x's.The spreader bars I have only help with initial alignment,they couldn't keep the lift arm from falling off.I'll just wire those pins when I'm using anything with a pto hookup.

I haven't used safety wire pliers since I stopped working on airplanes. Next time I am at HF I will pick some up along with a roll of safety wire. I don't use a QH but I have had a couple of linch pins come out over the years and never thought about safety wiring them. I also plan to weld up some washers and nuts as the original poster showed. I guess I'm still not too old to learn.