Hitch receiver mounted on Quick-attach mount plates?

[hayden]

Has anyone tried welding an old receiver hitch to quick-attach mounting plates to create a trailer mover? I'm getting a Bradco pallet fork frame and forks and was originally thinking of getting their hitch receiver attachment. It mounts on the frame much like the forks mount. But the more I think about it the more I realize I'd have to take the forks off to use the receiver, and that I might need to take the receiver off when using the forks depending on what I'm carrying.

Then I came across generic quick-attach mounting plates that can be welded to whatever you want. I suppose you could weld them to your car and carry it around on the loader if you wanted. Anyway, I've got an old trailer hitch in the basement and was thinking I could just weld the mounting plates to the hitch and call it a day.

Anyone tried this? How does it work?

Thanks,

Peter

 

[htatro]

Are you talking about something like this?
Skid Steer Quick Attach Hitch Trailer Mover Bob Cat - (eBay item 180167457417 end time Oct-14-07 18:46:04 PDT)

 

[hayden]

Are you talking about something like this?
Skid Steer Quick Attach Hitch Trailer Mover Bob Cat - (eBay item 180167457417 end time Oct-14-07 18:46:04 PDT)

That's an interesting approach. One of the things I hope to accomplish is to have the hitch ball visible from the operator's seat so it's easy to see while engaging the trailer. I think this means two things given what I've seen so far.

First, I'd like the hitch in the middle of the loader. I think if it's in front of one of the two mount points like the one referenced above visibility will be blocked by the loader arms and mount.

For the same reasons, I'm leaning away from a full 44"x16" univeral mount plate since I believe it will also block visibility of the hitch and ball.

I've seen one universal mount that consists of two plates that engage the two mounts, and a single bar across the top to tie the plates together. It's otherwise open in the middle. I'm thinking that if I just weld my old trailer hitch receiver across the mounting plates I'll have a solid unit with good visibility.

 

[VA_Joe]

Just look up "skid steer hitch receiver" on ebay. Several will come up. The $150 - $200 for one of these is well worth the price. Extremely handy for maneuvering trailers in tight spaces (with full visibility). Can also be used with other 2" receiver accessories (such as a hook).

Joe