Ordered a Pat痴 Easy Change Hitch System for my 861D Ford

[MitchellB]

Just like the title, I got off my wallet and ordered myself a Pat's Easy Change Hitch for my tractor. My step-son helped me change implements around over the weekend so I could plow & disk him up a little garden plot. I knew how hard it was for me the change implements by myself, but watching a younger healthier man like him struggle with the pins and arms while I just drove the tractor made up my mind. I had been looking at getting something to make changing equipment easier on my 58 Ford, but knew I could not use the Harbor Freight Quick Change or similar products because all of my implements are older and not standardized sizes. Other than price, my biggest concern with the Pat was that all the online videos I could find show people using it on newer tractors where the sway arms are connected forward of the cat 1 pin holes. My old Ford uses long sway arms that connect at the lift pin holes when you attach the implement. It did not look like there was room to get my sway bars in the Pat's in the videos I watched. I could not find any discussion about using the old Ford style sway arms with the Pat's either, so I emailed Patrick Greenwell's company website that I found about it. It seems they have solved that problem by providing a longer attachment pin where the long sway arms can be pinned permanently on the outside of the Hitch. The lady that answered my questions was very nice and agreed to send me a set of the longer pins free. She said I should order through Rural King. They offered a couple deals that helped me finalize my decision to buy. One was Rural King included the stabilizer bar that holds the lift arms in an adjustable fixed distance apart that sells separate in many places I looked online. The other was free shipping over $99 and a good price on a Speedco longer toplink that I knew I would need. I am sure it will take some time to arrived, but I am looking forward to installing it.

Apologies for the screwed up title lettering, seems Word and this site does not like working together and I could not figure out how to change it after I posted it.

 

[mecan]

It makes it so much easier, you will wonder why you didn't do it a lot sooner

 

[murphy1244]

Tell us how you like it when you use it.

 

[boomer1025]

Here's what I have been thinking of getting.
Tractor Quick Hitch Implement Ford Deere Kubota MF | eBay

 

[MitchellB]

Here's what I have been thinking of getting.
Tractor Quick Hitch Implement Ford Deere Kubota MF | eBay

Well, that certainly is priced cheaper than the Pat's and does not require a longer top link. Not sure I like using a pipe for the 7/8" pins though. Raising the height of the connection may be a problem for some deep diving ground engaging equipment (or maybe not). I would also need some kind of bar to hold my distances between arms for different implements.

 

[carmedic310]

I have had pats easy change on my tractor 3 years now and love it.I also ordered the alighnment bar but very seldom use it.Best thing i ever bought.Only problem I ever had is where your equipment pins are away from the lower arms a bit more my post hole digger pto shaft was not long enough but a pto extender cured that.I also see that titan industries is offering a quick change system

 

[japody]

I just bought a set of Pat's Easy Change to use on my Ford 5000. It would not even go over the ends of the arms. Anyone have similar issue? Same problem when I tried them on the 4000.

 

[MitchellB]

My PECS came this morning. I got them install with the longer pin they sent me being able to use my old long Ford sway bars. I was concerned at first that having the sway arms so far out from where they use to ride next to my lift arms, that it may interfere with how wide and narrow I could set my distance for hook up, but after measuring it after installed, it fits every implement I got so I'm happy about that. I used an old broom handle I had to set up my Pat's ECS as that was about the same diameter of my Cat 1 implement pins and made it easier to level, line up and square up everything.

 

[MitchellB]

Just updating this some. I ordered a new PTO drive line for my mower because I knew the extra 4" with the Pat's meant my old one would be way too short. It was originally cut to fit my 8N Ford with a Over-run clutch sticking out on the back of the tractor. It barely fit my 861D without the Over-run before I got the Pat's. I thought I'd save some time and hook up the mower to my tractor to measure for the new driveline cut. It seems the old King Kutter finish mower has dog-bone articulating joints just below lift pins that interfere with the new Pat's hooks. Just is not room for the Pat's. I solved the problem by replacing the pins with some longer lift pins I had and cut about 3/4" length of metal pipe shims/washers to extend the pins out away from the frame enough that the Pat's ECH will fit.

My minimum distance from the center of the mower pin to the rear end of the tractor drive is 31". I plan to knock an extra 1/2" off that to give me some wiggle room to slip the collar over the tractor splines which should give me about an 1 1/2" minimum extra slip on the PTO. The reason I am cutting so close is the articulating lift pin frame on the mower can move a couple of inches further out depending on if the dog-bone connection is straight out (pulling) or down (backing up). With the mower raised all the way up I got about 36" from center of pin to center of pin.