Quick Hitch disappointment

[daugen]

sometimes spending more money accomplishes nothing. We all know that, just hope it doesn't play out.
Well....I read the articles here about quick hitches. I've played with the levers in Tractors Supply, looked at the Speeco,
but the more I read about incompatibility the more I felt buying the oem quick hitch would save a lot of aggravation.
Hey, if I paid $400 for a quick hitch that others make at $139 and $279 price points, well, this should be one seriously good
quick hitch and should handle anything.

Wrong.

The Land Pride company, as you know, has the oem supplier deal with Kubota, and touts their compatibility with Kubota.
So why then Land Pride does your very expensive quick hitch not work on the oem ballast box Kubota supplies?
The attachment I most take on and off, is difficult to horse around to line up, and was a primary reason to buy the quick hitch, and your
hitch doesn't work with it, even with adapters?

So, lesson of the day. Land Pride and Kubota's engineering departments really took a snooze on this one. They need to wake up.
The dealer is now figuring out how to get different pins for the ballast box, likely wider and will have to do some welding to make this work.
I told him to get it done or keep the quick hitch and he understood and agreed completely. And scratched his head like I did.

All I can think of is that the Kubota ballast box is seriously off spec for a Type 1 three point hitch. Well, it goes on with the stock arms, right?
yeah, for a daily dose of grease on your hands and using a long bar to move the thing in line. I have very bad arthritis and I need to make this easier on my body, and
when they emailed me the invoice for the job, and I read the note attached, it sure was disappointing.

REMOVE BALLAST BOX AND MOUNT QUICK HITCH
ATTEMPT TO REMOUNT BALLAST BOX--WILL NOT WORK WITH HITCH

But, that's what welders are for and it will get fixed. And hopefully on not too much of my dime.

so when you go shopping for a quick hitch, the fancy ones, from my experience, do NOT afford greater compatibility. Your results may vary...

 

[JimRB]

Was the ballast box tagged quick hitch compatible? John Deere makes a quick hitch. The may have sold hundreds of different implements over the years. Few are tagged quick hitch or I-Match compatible. I have a few implements that became quick hitch compatible with welding. Some that still are not and may never be. All my heavy stuff is meaning the pulverizer, brush cutter and subsoiler. Finish mower, 50 gallon sprayer and fertilizer spreader are old fashion slow attach.

 

[daugen]

Jim, thanks. I don't know, not sure it lists much info online. I understand I-match, almost bought a JD 4 series to get it. Very nice.
I can't do the heavy lifting anymore. Too many operations. but I'll figure it out. One of the absolute requirements of the big barn at my next home, next Spring I hope, will be an area I can back up and easily get implements on. Even if i have to use dolleys, an overhead crane, whatever it takes, horsing a 500-1000 pound implement around on dry ground is just too hard on me. And then I constantly have to get up, get down, get up, get down to adjust the lift, as I can't reach it from outside.
A genuine PITA.
I had friends help me get the ballast box on, and they were totally new to this, and when done one guy looked at me and said "this is nuts".
Of course the ballast box with weight in it had gotten turned around, and we finally had to unload all the weight and then attach it.
Where is all the click click plug and play I was told about?...

I've read enough threads where I know there is incompatibility everywhere, so this is nothing new.
At least the Land Pride hitch was made in Kansas. I think. I hope...

 

[murphy1244]

It must not have been or you could of backed up lift and go. I am in the same Boat as you and I use a LP QH with Dolly's so that 3 point lift in the back that Kioti has is really handy. Kubota just teamed up with LP so give it a bit to catch up.

 

[puckgrinder85]

I've had to weld a few things up the work with our quick hitch, as well as sleeve some of the pins etc. Much worth the work to get everything setup for it though.

 

[daugen]

I've had to weld a few things up the work with our quick hitch, as well as sleeve some of the pins etc. Much worth the work to get everything setup for it though.

thanks. That's what I was thinking too. One implement at a time if I have to.

 

[oldballs]

I think the first implement that I bought for my BX several years ago was the Kubota Ballast Box. I left it empty and loaded it after hitching up to the stock lower arms etc. to the BX.
Then, a couple years ago I bought the B2620 and treated the Kubota Box the same way. And later bought some bigger, heavier implements for the B. And like you, Daugen, I went all the way with the Land Pride QH to help. Reading TBN threads and buying new implements along the way has lead me to some mistakes in my learning curve....probably like some other members.
Yet, I found that the Land Pride QH does work on the big implements that I had the most trouble with. Knowing that none of them (QH) work on pins that are narrow on small implements meant for SCUTs/CUTs. But those smaller implements are easy for me to grunt around without the QH.
I sure can relate to the frustration you are experiencing...especially for us old guys that are trying new tricks.:confused3:
But one does have to remove the QH ( about 70 lbs) to do it. I got that down pretty good now and am satisfied that the purchase has helped me with the big stuff. But if that Kubota Ballast Box was full of cement, I'd be SOL for mounting it now.

 

[Thomabear]

I purchased a Speeco hitch that meets ASAE specs and I will not purchase anything that will not fit it. If enough people refuse to buy incompatable implements suppliers will eventually cave and get on board. Until then they will not care, forcing quick hitch suppliers to come up with universal hitches which only fits certain implements. We have a hitch standard and implement mfg's should build their equipment to match the same standard.

 

[Guesseral]

I am also getting up there in age and I need a back operation so I feel your pain. When I bought my quick hitch I looked at several different ones. I ended up with the harbor freight unit, it was way less money and I only had to make one change to it but I knew that before I bought it. That was this hook, it really wasn't much of a problem but I have all of the equipment and materials already.

But my equipment is mostly all old so I had to modify the equipment to fit the quick hitch. My brush cutter is brand new, so all I had to do was to turn the lower pins to the inside in-lieu to the outside as shown on the directions and then I cut a piece of 1" black pipe to replace the top spacer because I wanted it larger for a tighter fit. On my box blade even though it is new it wasn't quick hitch compatible so it was a PITA but not impossible. I have also done my carryall and am working on the tiller, but I may just get a new tiller if tractor supply has any good sales this spring I want a little wider one anyways.

Even though I had to do this work to get everything to work it has been well worth it. Not fighting with a piece of equipment in order to hook it up is great. There will always be items that the quick hitch just won't work on like my pig pole (well maybe), or the post hole digger but the majority of the heaviest ones is what I am aiming for anyways.

I think once you get the bugs worked out or have the adaptations made you will really like the quick hitch and the ease of connection. One thing that really helps even with the quick hitch is a hydraulic center link because the vertical plain from the lower to the upper connection points are not usually the same from one piece of equipment to another, and it can be way different if the equipment is sitting on uneven ground. The hydraulic center link removes this obstacle, and the only time you really need to get off of the tractor is to connect the PTO.

 

[Dutch445]

daugen it might just be easier to have them refund your money for the box and pick up a
compatible box and a couple cans of orange paint.

 

[daugen]

thanks guys, dutch, too late for that, I've had the box since new, it's the QH that won't work with what I bought from kubota.
So the issue is the L series ballast box has pins too close together, ie. the whole thing is too narrow, and won't fit on the QH.
Why don't QH's have a sliding lower actuator that will slide the whole lift arm from left to right? Why don't they build adjustment in down there, vs. forcing certain pin sizes?

Now I wish I had bought the other type advertised here...and I will if this won't work.

 

[C4Ranch]

Your 5740 should be the same set up as mine. I'm surprised you're finding hooking up that difficult.

Here is my process and has never given me trouble:
1. Raise lift arms
2. Pin them out as wide as possible
3. Line up and back up to box blade
4. Lower lift arms to hight of pins
5. Stop tractor just as 1st arm gets close to pin
6. Lower lift arms all the way
7. Hop off tractor, unpin arm, grab arm, extend telescopic link as needed and slide on pin
8. Repeat other arm, hook up top link, attach hydraulic scarfers

I do this on a gravel floor equipment barn that isn't perfectly level and forget about nudging my 1.2k# box blade.

I now have 2 floating remotes and with my TNT I can independently float the right arm and top link making it that much easier and faster.

 

[BukitCase]

Daugen, I've only seen ONE QH that looks to solve these problems sensibly, and it may have been discontinued - I've not been able to find it on Priefert's site the last couple of times I've looked, luckily I "borrowed" the pic before it disappeared. One of my hundreds of proposed projects is to mod my HF qh's (I have 3) with at least the toplink they used - so far, I've not run into an implement that's too far off width-wise.

Note that top hook height AND draw pin width are adjustable on this one... Steve

 

[MtnViewRanch]

How quick is a quick hitch when you have to get off of your tractor and adjust it for width and height each time you change an implement? :confused3:

Why bother? :confused2: Might as well just use the std 3pt ends. Seems to me that if you want to get the benefit of having-using a 3pt quick hitch, then all of your implements need to be QH compatible. That to me means that I would be able to back up to and hitch up to ANY implement without getting off of my tractor. Yes a PTO might have to be connected, no PTO your attached and off in seconds.

So if you want this capability, then you either get ALL QH compatible implements or you modify what you have so that they are. Other wise all you have done is spaced out your implement from the designed attachment location. :scratchchin:

 

[daugen]

Now I'm wondering if i should have gone with JD and all I-match.
50 years ago I would have laughed at this. No more...it needs to be easier than what it is.

maybe old Mr. Ferguson's invention needs to be re-invented and modernized.
How about a fully automatic hydraulic one using the positional sensors in the auto parking cars
to line right up, snug right in and the little green light goes on. The PTO comes next...magnetic coupling?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Now I'm wondering if i should have gone with JD and all I-match.
50 years ago I would have laughed at this. No more...it needs to be easier than what it is.

maybe old Mr. Ferguson's invention needs to be re-invented and modernized.
How about a fully automatic hydraulic one using the positional sensors in the auto parking cars
to line right up, snug right in and the little green light goes on. The PTO comes next...magnetic coupling?

No problem, it only takes time and lots of $$$$$. Does anyone actually want to pay for that though?

 

[daugen]

No problem, it only takes time and lots of $$$$$. Does anyone actually want to pay for that though?

on the back of my new 400hp Fendt, which also has one on front, you bet.
I'm thinking at least $10K a piece, but hey, the tractor was $450K.
Putin gave me the money.

And in twenty years, maybe thirty, the very junior version will filter down to us
hobby farmers and one premium brand (?) will offer it.
I hope to live long enough to see it.

Connectomatic? Gripomatic?

hey, nothing more complicated than the space stations docking mechanism. Easy.

 

[davrow]

No problem, it only takes time and lots of $$$$$. Does anyone actually want to pay for that though?

Actually Brian, since lots of folks buy your top 'n tilt simply for the added convenience, I bet a lot WOULD pay the money for a width 'n height. One cylinder to adjust side hooks - since it is just moving them side-to-side it need not be load bearing so should not detract from the capacity of the hitch. Then one cylinder for the height of the top hook. The top hook is really for front/back control, so it is not load bearing at the pin, either. Again no loss of capacity.

You could sit in your seat, start by shortening top link and lower top hook on 3pt, adjust the width of the bottom hooks, lift the 3pt to engage the bottom hooks, extend top link so top hook aligns, lift top hook to engage (not high enough to take weight off of bottom hooks, though) and all is good!

I think you need to pursue this. Who better?

Now we all need four rear remotes standard instead of two. Great for the economy.

 

[Underdog57]

Daugen, I've only seen ONE QH that looks to solve these problems sensibly, and it may have been discontinued - I've not been able to find it on Priefert's site the last couple of times I've looked, luckily I "borrowed" the pic before it disappeared. One of my hundreds of proposed projects is to mod my HF qh's (I have 3) with at least the toplink they used - so far, I've not run into an implement that's too far off width-wise.


Note that top hook height AND draw pin width are adjustable on this one... Steve

Now that's the way quick hitches should be built! I have a new Land Pride implement that is just about a 1/2" too wide for my Speeco QH!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Actually all you need is one of these and you are all set.
Probably a little easier with a hydraulic top link, but other than that it is the ultimate QH in my opinion.

No engineering or gimmicks required, ready to install, just get them your CC # and you can have the best that there currently is.