Cat II quick hitch. Question for those that have em.

[LD1]

Want to get a cat 2 quick hitch. Never had one with the old L3400 cause nothing would fit it. Homemade implements, old disc's and plows and cultivators, etc. 1950's -1980's implements weren't designed for such, and most weren't difficult to hook anyway.

Now with a cat 2 mx5100....stuff isn't hard to hook up, but my stuff is now standard. The issue I have is I am unable to get all the slop out with the telescoping stabilizers. And swinging around a 1600# mower is wreaking havoc on lunch pins, not to mention the thus every time I turn direction can't be good on things long term.

So I want to get a QH. Was considering building one, as I have plenty of steel, but it would be real time consuming with the intricacies of the latching, and cam-over handls and all. Not really my thing. And seeing how I can get one for $200 ballpark, seems it really wouldn't be a worth while project.

Now the question. Seems to be two types of QH's. Ones with an adjustable top hook, and ones that are fixed.

The fixed ones seem to all be 14.88" height. That will work for both my implements. In the year and a half, I only hooked to 3 things. My woods Ds96, my frontier rb2308, and a trailer mover. Both the blade and the mower would work with a fixed hook height. I'd have to rework the trailer mover regardless as lower spacing is wrong.

So, just how beneficial is the adjustable top hook? What implements are out there, that are correct on the lower spacing but not the vertical distance?

There is a used johndeer one piece QH, (looks cast so any modification is out) with a fixed height for $200.

It I can get a new (China) one from rural King
Category 2 Quick Hitch S1411 - Pins - Parts - Repairs - Tractor Parts & Accessories - Agriculture : Rural King

Not too worried about "quality". If it breaks I can fix it easy enough, but doubt my little MX will hurt it. As long as dimensions are correct...$200 seems alot better than the $609-$800 name brand ones I have been seeing.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I'll be following to see how it goes. I'm in the cat 2 category and while the telescoping draft arms are easier to hook up than the fix cat one end links, I think it it would be nice to get a QH!

 

[bigtiller]

My experience is with cat 1 only. I had one with a fixed top hook that got traded in with the old tractor. The new tractor came with an adjustable top hook. I thought I would use it quite a bit but it turns out I usually have the time and materials to adapt the hitch on what ever used attachment I buy. I adjusted it once to get a wood chipper home from the dealer after verifying that the used chipper was in good running order. I put the hook back in the 15" position and never moved it again. But, I did cuss the frame and mounting bolts for the hook. They would hang-up on the implement if I didn't back into it squarely and inline.

With one exception, the fixed hook would be good enough for me. Still.... not cat 2 but maybe/hopefully it's relevant.

 

[KYErik]

The adjustable top hook will give you more flexibility- but if the attachments you have will work with a cheap fixed top hook model- then go for it. I use a cat 1 quick hitch in my 40 hp tractor all the time. I have a cat 2 quick hitch (fixed top hook- a $100 craigslist find) for my 80 hp tractor but I also use the cat 1 attachments from time to time so I haven't put it on yet.

 

[Sun Treader]

I added a Cat II quick hitch to my Case 495.

Figured out pretty quick that it didn't fit anything, including new attachments that were "Cat II quick hitch compatible."

Rather than rework everything to fit I switched to a Cat I quick hitch and it works with just about everything.

The Case has a Cat II hitch but its right on the edge between the two categories. The Cat I hitch feels plenty strong for this machine but I could imagine a much larger machine needing the heavier hitch.