3-Point Hitch Cat 3/2 frame on a 110 gallon sprayer--

[Kodiak45]

I was excited to what i thought was a great sprayer at a decent price. It is a bell equipment sprayer and i bought it new. It has 2 boomless nozzles, hand wand, etc. It says it is quick hitch compatible. I bought it new from a dealer down the road. Well, i get it home and realize that the lift pins are a cat 3 to 2 tapered pin and the top link pin is a 1 1/8 diameter and it isn't even close to fitting my quick hitch with a 32" spread between the pins. It pisses me off that this thing is fit for a category 3 and category 2 tractor and it being only 110 gallon. When i looked at it, i saw the tapered pins and just thought it was category 2 to 1, but i cant even use my category 1 with this sprayer unless i modify or go buy some parts. I sent a long nasty email to the manufacturer complaining about the category 3 hookup for a 110 gallon sprayer and i am wondering if any of you agree. I don't mind fabricating a new 3pt frame, but I shouldn't have to and i really should have looked closer at the pins. Is it unreasonable to think that a 110 gallon sprayer would normally have a cat 1 hookup and maybe cat 2, but definitely not cat 3. I'll send pics tomorrow before i get the torch to it.

 

[TheMadOne]

Sometimes guys with larger tractors use smaller equipment too. I've spoken to a farmer who's smallest tractor is 135HP, doesn't mean he always needs or wants massive attachments. Then you have the one tractor farms, that need a tractor big enough to till their acreage, but may only have a small section of pasture. I can't imagine there's to many folk like that out there, which is probably why your sprayer was such a bargain, but they exist.

I don't understand why you're angry at the manufacturer for building an attachment to suit certain customers just because you're not that customer. Seems kind of petty. "You made this thing I want, but not the way I want it!" They're not in the wrong in any way shape or form. The only people you really have any right to be mad at are the dealer who didn't give you the information, and yourself for not making sure before you bought. And even the dealer really isn't to blame if all they did was assume that you were aware of what you were getting. If they don't know that you only have CAT 1 tractors then how are they supposed to know you can't use the sprayer?

 

[oosik]

I'm going to have to agree with TheMadOne. Over the years of looking at/buying tractor implements - its become very obvious that one of the items you must be very aware of is this attachment situation. You can always sleeve down to get to Cat 1 but the "spread" can be a whole different matter.

Besides - if it presents that big a concern - its new, take it back and get a unit that will fit.

 

[Kodiak45]

I guess I'm leaning towards where the majority falls. You don't see hardly any tractors over 80hp around here. Granted that is around here. But I can only assume that the dominant size in use and sold in the US is 25-55hp category 1 tractors. If anything I am trying to help the mfg as there have certainly been customers who did not buy or were unhappy about their purchase. It is much easier to convert up from category 1 to 2 and not really possible to convert down. I compare this to having a single axle 5x10 trailer that has a pintle hitch or 2 5/16 ball.... I take blame and I probably still would have purchased the sprayer knowing the modifications, but maybe I would have asked the dealer to cut the tabs off so I don't have to bring the thing home to use the torch.

 

[Kodiak45]

I'm going to have to agree with TheMadOne. Over the years of looking at/buying tractor implements - its become very obvious that one of the items you must be very aware of is this attachment situation. You can always sleeve down to get to Cat 1 but the "spread" can be a whole different matter.

Besides - if it presents that big a concern - its new, take it back and get a unit that will fit.

How do you sleeve down to category 1.....?

 

[Kodiak45]

I do see what you are saying and there are plenty of operations that do not have smaller tractors. Perhaps that is who the mfg is geared towards.
I still think the reasonable assumption is that a 110 gallon sprayer should be cat 1. The attachment situation is directly related to the implement size 99% of the time just like the trailer ball size situation. I should have checked, but I was more concerned about the nozzles and gpa, everything else was assumed to be standard...

 

[TheMadOne]

The majority of tractors sold in US are CUTS/SCUTS, that's true. How many people who buy such tractors need a sprayer? I'd wager that most people on this forum don't own or need one. The S/CUT buyer is usually doing land improvements and maintaining acreage. Sprayers are not usually considered, at least for people like me who primarily use their tractor to move dirt and haul logs.

And I live in the heart of Amish country, you see basically three kinds of tractors around here, none-because Amish, Old 1066s with steel wheels-because Mennonite, or the English farmers almost all have 100+ HP tractors. I'm one of the very few people who don't farm but own a tractor. In my little hamlet I'm the only one. A lot of my neighbors have more land then me, but simply maintain a small lawn and let the woods do what they will. This is mainly due to the city slicker migration that started in the 90s, when a lot of the old families sold out to yuppies moving from the Main Line.

I'm sure Messick's or Sweets would be able to give you a rough idea of how many sprayers they sell to S/CUT owners, but I bet it's not that many vs. the total volume of tractors that size they sell.

 

[Kodiak45]

It's not worth the energy to research. I just didn't know if I was being unreasonable, but the prosecution rests, majority rules.

 

[oosik]

How do you sleeve down to Cat 1? Lets say the OEM on you lower links is Cat 2. Take a Cat 1 pin and an appropriate length of Cat 1 to Cat 2 sleeve - the Cat 1 fits the implement and the Cat 1 pin with the Cat 2 sleeve will fit the lower link. I have to do this all the time on my tractor - both my upper link and lower links are Cat 2 but can be downsized to Cat 1 with appropriate sleeving.

 

[Kodiak45]

How do you sleeve down to Cat 1? Lets say the OEM on you lower links is Cat 2. Take a Cat 1 pin and an appropriate length of Cat 1 to Cat 2 sleeve - the Cat 1 fits the implement and the Cat 1 pin with the Cat 2 sleeve will fit the lower link. I have to do this all the time on my tractor - my upper link is Cat 1 and my lower links are Cat 2.

That's the easy one. Let's say the tractor links are cat 1 and the implement is cat 2. Sleeving only works when the implement pins are smaller than tractors which is fine. But my case is the opposite.

 

[oosik]

I will agree your situation is a little more technical but not impossible. It does require a Cat 1 pin - two short chunks of Cat 1 to Cat 2 sleeve and sufficient washers to hold this assemblage tight together. The Cat 1 pin will fit the lower arm - the short chunks of Cat 1 to Cat 2 sleeve will fit the implement and the washers will be placed on the outside to squeeze this all together and hold the sleeve where they should be.

I had to do this on one piece of equipment and found the best solution was a grade 8 bolt of appropriate size and a nylock nut and 3 or 4 washers on the outside on each side. Hey - where there is the will, there will be a way.

 

[travlitt]

It's not worth the energy to research. I just didn't know if I was being unreasonable, but the prosecution rests, majority rules.

Why don't you remove the cat. 3 pins from the sprayer and install cat. 1 pins on it. Looks like a simple way to get what you want. May have to remove your quick hitch and connect it to your original draft arms.

 

[Kodiak45]

Why don't you remove the cat. 3 pins from the sprayer and install cat. 1 pins on it. Looks like a simple way to get what you want. May have to remove your quick hitch and connect it to your original draft arms.

Cat 1 pins are much smaller than cat 3. This would require a sleeve pinned where the holes are or some heavy duty washers. I have never seen a cat 1 pin for a cat 3 hole that's threaded. If I have to remove the quick hitch, I'll just use another tractor. I'm trying to migrate everything to use quick hitch and I'll be more than happy to modify. The transition and fabrication isn't the issue, it's the surprise that this thing had cat 3 and 2, but not cat 1 and if that was reasonable and expected.

 

[oosik]

I think most Cat 2 and Cat 3 arrangements are twin tab with the pin running thru and holding the lower arm between the tabs.

mgraham112 - don't give up - if the unit is what you want, then a secure method of attachment is available. AND I will admit - I wouldn't expect a Cat 2/Cat 3 arrangement on a 110 gallon sprayer either.

If your lower arms are Cat 1 and the sprayer is Cat 2 or Cat 3 - then by simple sleeving you can get a secure attachment. It CERTAINLY is a lot easier than torching off the tabs and welding on new ones. And like travlitt said - it may mean removing your quick hitch to use this sprayer.

Remember - variety is the spice of life.

Think about this - if the Cat 2/Cat 3 setup on the sprayer is too wide for your quick hitch or with the quick hitch removed - get extra long grade 8 bolts - run them completely thru both existing tabs on each side of the sprayer - with the appropriate sleeves - attach the lower arms on the inside of the inner tabs on each side. This could well make the attachment points the correct width.

 

[vsteel]

You would need to see if your 3pt would match the width but why not take the cat 3 pins to a machine shop and just have them turned down to cat 1 size. Then you can keep the same holes. You could have them cut off the cat 3 part and just weld a cat 1 top on which might be cheaper than the turning.

 

[hawkeye08]

Did the dealer represent it incorrectly? or did you just buy it assuming it would fit? I understand if you're mad at yourself for missing it and now need to modify it to meet your needs. Lots of ways to tackle it and make it work.

 

[Kodiak45]

The topic never even came up. I assumed wrong. I've got the tabs ready to go. It's just a matter of cutting and welding. It will be like the frame on the boxblade below.

 

[Kodiak45]

 

[orangeandgreen]

I have the same job ahead of me for my 150 gallon sprayer. It is CAT 2 and I need it to be CAT 1. I current have CAT 1 pins in it and just remove my quick hitch when I use it, but it is a PITA. Will be replacing the tabs before spraying season.

 

[EJP1234]

You get Cat1 Pins and washers. I mod implements all the time.

I have Cat1 on my CK30, needed a grader blade for the once every two years we have a snow fall over 4"... we will get hammered every few years. I didn't want a new shiny one that rarely gets used so I bought a used 10'er that's old and rusty from an auction for $50... heated up the rusted to frame pins, put Cat1's on but facing in, instead of out so my lifting arms didn't rub tires, and used big flats to fill the hole on either side... works perfect!