Purchased 3pt quick hitch.

[Fallon]

When I talk about an extended toplink you can see what I'm talking about in the photo below. I've seen those other links called flex links or flex adapter.

You can see the OEM holes visible, then the pins going through the extension I welded on the back. The holes I drilled weren't quite straight vs the originals so it sags a bit.

Without the extension a few impliments rubbed up against the rest of the frame where the pins are.

I replaced the original bolts with pins for easier adjustment. There is no side load & I'm sure those pins are harder than the bolts.

The red marks are QH standard. The green mark is for my Peruzo flail before I fabbed up a proper length adapter & my Gannon box blade I haven't gotten to modifying yet.

The black OEM Peruzzo flail toplink adapter was expensive, poorly made & way to short for CAT1 (might have been CAT2). Really just 2 bars with 3 poorly drilled (crookedly & jaggedly torched actually it looks like). The adapter is tightened solid instead of using the slot it covers up. No big loss to me as I always mow with my hydraulic toplink in float for both my flails & my old rotary cutter. Im not sure if it can be run loose to flex. I replaced it with properly long bars with better holes drilled. I sheared cheap 1/2" bolts on the adapter before upgrading to 3/4" grade 8 bolts. Others probably need the flex link adapters.

 

[TractorGuy]

When I talk about an extended toplink you can see what I'm talking about in the photo below. I've seen those other links called flex links or flex adapter.

You can see the OEM holes visible, then the pins going through the extension I welded on the back. The holes I drilled weren't quite straight vs the originals so it sags a bit.

Without the extension a few impliments rubbed up against the rest of the frame where the pins are.

I replaced the original bolts with pins for easier adjustment. There is no side load & I'm sure those pins are harder than the bolts.

The red marks are QH standard. The green mark is for my Peruzo flail before I fabbed up a proper length adapter & my Gannon box blade I haven't gotten to modifying yet.

The black OEM Peruzzo flail toplink adapter was expensive, poorly made & way to short for CAT1 (might have been CAT2). Really just 2 bars with 3 poorly drilled (crookedly & jaggedly torched actually it looks like). The adapter is tightened solid instead of using the slot it covers up. No big loss to me as I always mow with my hydraulic toplink in float for both my flails & my old rotary cutter. Im not sure if it can be run loose to flex. I replaced it with properly long bars with better holes drilled. I sheared cheap 1/2" bolts on the adapter before upgrading to 3/4" grade 8 bolts. Others probably need the flex link adapters.View attachment 578340View attachment 578341

The top hook on the OPs hitch is the factory extended version. Same with the hitch I bought from AS. They don't stick out quite as far as your modified hook but further than yours did before you welded the piece on the back.

 

[K5lwq]

I realise that you've solved your problem but here's how I got around the problem. I've got two implements that require a top link 'extender' (my ballast roller and the landscape rake) so I employed an 'equestrian' fix... a curb chain. In my case I used a chain for a fence-gate which goes from the top of the adaptor, under the QH hook, and onto the other side of the adaptor. It prevents (curbs) the adaptor from coming out of the hook when raising.

Something similar crossed my mind when I did not use the original hitch point with the extender. The extender would just roll off the hook as I raised the 3pt.

 

[lennyzx11]

A few random thoughts

I changed my hook and it’s been working fine though I had the top hook adapter from HF and use it frequently. I also just flip the adapter forward when using the hook.


My land pride FM has the floppy links. After tightening them for friction fit, running a piece of rope to reach back and pull them up, and reaching back with a rod with a hook on it to lift them during hookup ideas didn’t work, I’ve resorted to sitting the mower on a pallet. Problem solved.

I heard all the talk about Pats and got a set. Good build quality but they just don’t work right for me.
You have to screw with the (easily bent) arm that holds them apart, the ends seem to always move out of adjustment and they let my old flail mower be dropped out one side when backed into some shrubs the other day causing all kinds of trouble getting it unhooked, dragged out, and reconnected . And have dropped my back blade a couple of times.
I am not impressed and went back to my QH.

I’m saving them to try on a 2nd tractor when I get one in hopes they’ll work better with certain implements and I’ll just use that tractor for those implements. Or sell them here eventually.

 

[Overtaxed]

I heard all the talk about Pats and got a set. Good build quality but they just don稚 work right for me.
You have to screw with the (easily bent) arm that holds them apart, the ends seem to always move out of adjustment and they let my old flail mower be dropped out one side when backed into some shrubs the other day causing all kinds of trouble getting it unhooked, dragged out, and reconnected . And have dropped my back blade a couple of times.
I am not impressed and went back to my QH.

I知 saving them to try on a 2nd tractor when I get one in hopes they値l work better with certain implements and I値l just use that tractor for those implements. Or sell them here eventually.

I've found that with Pats, the secret is to leave them loose on the arms. Shim them so they are level (from the bottom), but don't install the set screws for the sides. The problem is, as you change the distance between your 3pt arms, the angle of the hooks changes. So, if you have the hitch set tight and square to pick up with 22 in between the arms and then you reset 3pt to pick up with 28 in between the arms, the angles won't be right and the hitch won't engage all the way because it's no longer square to the implement. Might not be explaining it well, but imagine if the ball in the 3pt arm didn't swivel. You'd only be able to pick up things that were exactly the distance apart where the balls were dead square with one another. I think that's kind of what happens when you tighten down the Pats (like you're supposed to). I leave my loose, and now they engage fully every time I pick up. And when they are engage fully, it's not possible to drop an implement (well, unless the pin falls off the implement of those funny washers break, but I've never had that happen).

 

[kendive]

I bought this set from someone on this forum and can't remember because it was long ago when I bought my first tractor the Kubota B7510 They have never failed me yet. I just removed them from that tractor and installed on my new to me 2017 Kubota L2501.

 

[TractorGuy]

I don't see any flex in your arrangement.

Try this.


View attachment 578259


Bruce

The pic Bruce posted is the correct method.

When using a QH the triangulated hitch points on the attaxhment should be fixed. This prevents accidental unhitching. The flexibilty for movement should be in the attachment bracing.

By modifying the top hook with free swinging brackets the whole purpose of the QH is defeated.

I may have to give this a try. Should work on my finish mower.

My brush cutter has the slots for the top pin to float in instead of the pivoting arrangement.

This seemed like a good idea at the time but would not work on either of my mowers. I will just stick with what I have been doing on those. The extender is simple to connect on my finish mower and removing the hook to get it to float on my Howse brush cutter still takes far less time than removing the QH and connecting it straight.

 

[K5lwq]

This seemed like a good idea at the time but would not work on either of my mowers. I will just stick with what I have been doing on those. The extender is simple to connect on my finish mower and removing the hook to get it to float on my Howse brush cutter still takes far less time than removing the QH and connecting it straight.

I can defiantly see this being better on my shredder, but it still won't work for the finish mower.

I am thinking of making some type of L bracket for the finish mower that would still use the original swing bracket on the mower. If the L bracket was somehow fixed(i.e. welded) at the correct angle and was the proper length, then as the hitch came up I believe it would have to stay in the hook.

Does this make sense?

 

[K5lwq]

Ok, I need some more help from my smart friends on TBN!

So I rearranged the hitch on the shredder and it gives more float if it remains in this position.

But, if you raise the 3pt it will go past center.

Then when you lower back down it binds.

It will do the same thing when I go down a steep enough grade like the bar ditch.

How would you correct this issue?

 

[bcp]

Weld a bar or rod across the back of the U section of the floating link, so the pins won't line up and jam.

Bruce