Quick Hitches Bushings or not?

/ Bushings or not? #1  

Trophyduck

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2017
Messages
48
Location
Maryland
Tractor
LS XR4145 (45hp HST)
I just bought a bush hog quick hitch. Do I need bushings on my implements? I was told no when I bought it but there is lot of room at the hook. It's a cat1
 
/ Bushings or not? #2  
I would use bushings. The sloppy fit without them would bother me. You don't need the expensive 2-diameter pin-on bushings. Just use the cheap category adapter bushings.

Bruce
 
/ Bushings or not? #3  
The more surface contact the less wear. Land Pride (now a branch of Kubota) makes a complete set of various lengths for top and bottom pins. I have bushings on each implement so they are there when needed and not in the grass somewhere.

Ron
 
/ Bushings or not? #4  
As Tractor Seabee said. ^

I, too, have bushings on all of my 3PH implements for use with my JD iMatch quick hitch (I'm Cat 1 also). They eliminate most of the 'rattling around' due to a more snug fit and not all 3PH implements are built quite to "standard" dimensions... and the same can be said for the various makers of 3PH quick hitches.

Pick a couple of sets up at either your Dealership or a rural supply store and try them out.
 
/ Bushings or not? #5  
I was told the same thing, that they are not "needed". I guess most folks don't use them? I dunno about that, but my dealer said I was the first one that he's had that ordered extra sets. I bought them for each of my attachments, plus a couple of spare pairs. Because that is a *lot* of slop, and it would bother me to run them that way. They were a pain to get the roll pin in the bushing (at least mine were), so I started the roll pin in the bushing hole by using my hydraulic shop press to press the roll pin into the hole until it was just short of entering the inside of the bushing pin hole. That helped a lot, as I just had to use a ball peen hammer to drive it the rest of the way through once I had it on the 3 pt hitch pin.
 
/ Bushings or not? #6  
Need is a bit strong of a word. It's best to use them though. I have them on most of my impliments. My King Kutter tiller cant use them though. There isnt enough clearance between the frame & the pin with them on. I could rebuild things with the pins an inch or 2 further out, but I havent bothered. It's not wearing badly or anything.
 
/ Bushings or not? #7  
Here is what I use. Inexpensive compared to the adapters. 20191107_180432.jpeg
 
/ Bushings or not? #8  
Need is a bit strong of a word. It's best to use them though. I have them on most of my impliments. My King Kutter tiller cant use them though. There isnt enough clearance between the frame & the pin with them on. I could rebuild things with the pins an inch or 2 further out, but I havent bothered. It's not wearing badly or anything.

Not sure which dimension needs more clearance for your tiller. But you know you can flip the bushing around, so the collar portion is to the outside (or vise versa if you need).

I had to flip them on my brush hog:

20200105_123612.jpg
 
/ Bushings or not? #9  
I use the bushing/adapters on all my 3pt attachments with my Quick Hitch just because it helps snug everything up and at 5.50 a pair at fleet farm it was not to expensive to do. I bought the 5 pair they had because the price was so cheap.
23E67D80-785F-4053-B06E-BC552C294EC7.jpeg

ADF972D5-C11C-4DD1-87D6-67C4AA7D2C82.jpg
 
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/ Bushings or not? #10  
Not sure which dimension needs more clearance for your tiller. But you know you can flip the bushing around, so the collar portion is to the outside (or vise versa if you need).

I had to flip them on my brush hog:

View attachment 635618

Only my (free :thumbsup:) JD ballast box required that type of bushing... it was probably designed for a Cat 0/1 so the pins were a wee bit short.

All of my other implements use the type that Citydude posted.
 
/ Bushings or not? #11  
Not sure which dimension needs more clearance for your tiller. But you know you can flip the bushing around, so the collar portion is to the outside (or vise versa if you need).

I had to flip them on my brush hog:

View attachment 635618
You can see the rust on the frame behind the pins from where I tried & failed to hitch up with the bushings on. There is about 2.5" of clearance without bushings which is enough for the hooks to clear. With the bushings on it wont slide into the hooks as they hit the frame.

I've converted several non-standard impliments to be QH compatible & am working on welding a new top hook mount for a cheap back blade now. I just cant be bothered for the tiller as it works fine without bushings. At the rate things are wearing on it I'll be through at least 3-4 sets of tines before there is any real wear on the pins.20160910_192538.jpg
 
/ Bushings or not? #12  
Not sure which dimension needs more clearance for your tiller. But you know you can flip the bushing around, so the collar portion is to the outside (or vise versa if you need).

I had to flip them on my brush hog:

View attachment 635618

These are great. They are more expensive than regular bushings but they are probably worth it.
 
/ Bushings or not? #13  
Outside pins get the entire bushing that is slid over with a roll-pin. Keeps the implement from wandering because of the larger end. For clevis style hookups I do normal bushings. The thing that is annoying is that most "Quick-Hitch" ready implements also need 2 cat1-to-cat2 bushings and then 2 cat2-to-cat3 to fill up the quick hitch. I guess it depends on the size of your quick hitch arms, but it seems like they all end up being a cat 3 sized bushing. They should supply them as one could argue they aren't really ready to just be hooked to a quick hitch without possible rounding things over.
 
/ Bushings or not? #14  
Is your quick hitch a cat 2 or a cat 1,
from what I have worked with and seen,
if your tractor is cat 1 and you buy a cat1 quick hitch the hooks are cat 2 size so one to two bushing take up the slack.
When using a cat 2 tractor with a cat 2 quick hitch the hooks are cat 3 size and cat 2 to cat 3 bushing will take up that slack.
 
/ Bushings or not? #15  
All my cheap Cat 1 QHes had hooks sized for Cat3 pins.
 
/ Bushings or not? #16  
The MX5200 comes as cat 2 with cat 1 bushings. That is attached to the quick hitch. The quick hitch takes cat 3 bushings and most of the implements have cat 1 pins. That is why I go cat1-->cat2-->to end at cat3. I wish the sold just a cat1-3
 
 

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