Would you buy new or convert old

[DaMadman]

OK here is my delima, for the past 7 years or so I have been using an MTD 21 horse Grden tractor with a manual sleeve hitch for the plow and disc and blox scraper(usless), The garden tractor went south last season and I now own a BX23

Just asking for opinions here but would you buy or make a adapter to convert the three existing sleeve hitch implements to use on the 3 point hitch and just use them, or would you sell the sleeve hitch stuff and add a little money and buy some used 3 point stuff?

What I was going to do was have the rings (which is what went bad on the MTD) replaced, put the MTD and the implements in the local paper for sale and buy a used 3 pt mouldboard plow and set of discs, but after looking on this site and seeing that it's not that hard to make or buy a "Quick Hitch" and have a sleeve hitch adapter mad for it, now I am thinking that it is cheaper and just as efficient to keep the sleeve hitch impements and buy the adapter and use what I have for now and maybe pick up the 3 point stuff down the road if I really decide I have to have them.

One other question. Does anyone on here know where I could buy a Cat 1 single bottom 12 inch mouldboard plow for less than $300. The ones at northern tool look nice but are little expensive IMHO. How about a set of discs that don't run a small fortune?

All opinions and suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Were you to know someone handy with a welder, I would say to go ahead and convert them. Otherwise, unload them and get new or used 3 PH implements. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[bczoom]

DaMadman,

Can you fill out your profile and tell us where you are? I regularly see plows and disks for sale but won't do you any good if you're far away.

I can't picture your MTD but the only thing that's coming to mind is that the BX23 is probably a lot more powerful. Will the implements you have hold up to the bigger tractor?

Brian

 

[DaMadman]

I was kind of thinking about getting one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11755&item=3871258998&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW


and having an adapter welded on to mount the sleeve hitch attachments. Seems like it would work well from pictures of other adapters I have seen.

This is the new version of the MTD I have. http://www.yardmachines.com/servlet/BrandProductDetail?ID=1021&CAT=28&SUB=69
Mine is about 7 years old, a lot more square, completely green and has the manual sleve hitch, that raises and lowers with the mower deck lever

 

[DaMadman]

I found this by doing a search and it is pretty much the same plow and same Idea that I had. I am just not sure if I want to go this route or if I want to sell the sleeve hitch stuff with the MTD and buy some new/used 3 point stuff

 

[RalphVa]

Is this what you want to do?

I bought the bars and the drawbar and pins, including another Cat 1 top link (not shown here) at TSC for $75. A friend who works in a machine shop bend and cut the bars and had a buddy fillet weld where they bent.

Here's the drawbar. Will show what it's attached to in the next pic.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Here's what it's attached to.

Notice the 2nd top link goes back to the tool. My friend just made a simple bracket to attach the pair of bars to the 2x2 bar on the tool that's being lifted.

Ralph

 

[DaMadman]

Very similar. to that in deed. The picture that I posted of the Kubota is the exact plow that I have at home, It is a 10 in Brinley Sleeve Hitch plow and I have a single row set of disc which is also sleeve hitch hookup, and a small elcheapo box blade with the sleeve hitch hookup.

I think I am going to order the 3 point Dura hitch type adapter and have a friend weld a sleeve on it and just use the implements I have for this year. I might then keep my eyes open for some real 3 point stuff over the next couple years.

My garden is only about a 1/4 acre and the plow and disc I have works fine, all theproblems I had over the past years were more tractor related, (not enough weight, lack of ground clearance, lack of traction, and no hydraulics) The implements themselves worked great for the size garden I have, now that I have the BX I think the combo will do just what I need.

 

[Defective]

If you've got a friend willing to weld things up for you, I'd build something similar to what Ralph has instead of buying the Dura Hitch. This would allow you to customize it to your exact needs and possibly even make it into something you can expand on later.

 

[surfran]

Madman,

The picture you show is my setup. I had the 2" receiver hitch built by a local fab shop from drawings I created looking at others. They charged me $75-100 if I recall. This included a normal 2"receiver for a ball and the 2" receiver for the sleeve hitch shown in this picture.

I have since modified it to have stops on both sides as the hitch was too sloppy. I was trying to use the adaptor for my yard trailer as well as the plow, but would only do for the plow if doing over and design directly to fit it.

It works well and in my opinion isn't worth getting a new one as you noted they are not cheap. I cannot speak for your other attachements, but if they are heavy duty enough I would definately keep them all.

If you have any more questions, or would like more pictures, let me know and I will try and snap them this weekend.