Purchased 3pt quick hitch.

[Bigpuddie]

The Pat's hitch system is great if you run both Category 1 and 2 implements

 

[WranglerX]

Most of the whines I have heard is by people using the Chinese bolt top hook configuration...

I chose the BE brand because it does not seem to need top adapter to clear the bolts....

Dale

 

[TractorGuy]

Great discussion and will help me out a lot! Thanks for all the replies.

I have only had about 30 minutes or so to play with it but right out of the gate, my 3pt hitch will not go low enough to hook to my BushHog finish mower. This is what was hooked to the tractor at the time. My BushHog shredder might be a different story as it sits higher. I can lower the right side arm low enough by adjusting the length. The left only has two settings. It is in the lowest setting. The solution is find another adjustable side link for the left.

I still have to figure out how I can do the top link for the finish mower as I have the adjustable top of the QH all the way up and it is still to short. I can use the adapter for the top link but will have to play with the settings to keep it from binding when the hitch is lowered all the way down.

I picked up a PTO extension so that should not be a problem.

I just need some time to play with it to get the proper settings.

I am planning on getting a hydraulic top and tilt soon. I am thinking I might would like to have both left and right side link cylinders. This would allow me to adjust both sides depending on if I am hooked to the shredder or finish mower.

All my other implements should be easier to modify and not as important as I don't use them often.

I park my mowers on concrete blocks to solve the hookup height problem.

I might would do my mods different if I were doing it over but I found putting the hook in the lowest position aligns with the bolt for the support straps on all my stuff. I just put a bushing between the straps on a few pieces. My landscape rake had a single support strap so I replaced it with two pieces of angle iron. I put some washers in the rear mount where the old strap was bolted and cut a couple of pieces of black pipe to space them out with a long bolt. At the top side I just bolted the supports to the outside. That is the only piece I didn't bush and it seems to work okay just hooking on the bolt.

If you wanted to stick with standard CAT 1 spacing you could make new, longer, support straps where needed and connect them to the outside of the top pin location.

 

[Fallon]

Great discussion and will help me out a lot! Thanks for all the replies.

I have only had about 30 minutes or so to play with it but right out of the gate, my 3pt hitch will not go low enough to hook to my BushHog finish mower. This is what was hooked to the tractor at the time. My BushHog shredder might be a different story as it sits higher. I can lower the right side arm low enough by adjusting the length. The left only has two settings. It is in the lowest setting. The solution is find another adjustable side link for the left.

I still have to figure out how I can do the top link for the finish mower as I have the adjustable top of the QH all the way up and it is still to short. I can use the adapter for the top link but will have to play with the settings to keep it from binding when the hitch is lowered all the way down.

I picked up a PTO extension so that should not be a problem.

I just need some time to play with it to get the proper settings.

I am planning on getting a hydraulic top and tilt soon. I am thinking I might would like to have both left and right side link cylinders. This would allow me to adjust both sides depending on if I am hooked to the shredder or finish mower.

All my other implements should be easier to modify and not as important as I don't use them often.

There isnt a need to use 2 cylinders. You adjust the manual tilt link so the impliment or QH is level when the tilt cylinder is half extended. That way it tilts equally to each side. One cylinder can do enough tilt for most needs I've seen.

Most 3pt lift arms have multiple holes in them. If you attach the lift linkages to the holes close to the axle it moves more. If you attach to further holes it has more lift strength. So check if you can move the links for height rather than strength.

If you want to make your QH worthwhile, everything should fit without adjustment. I modified a few older impliments to fit & built an adapter for my new huge flail. It's a pain, but worth it. I havent modified my Gannon box blade & have to adjust the toplink for that every time it comes on or off. It's a pain & on my list to fix.

 

[K5lwq]

There isnt a need to use 2 cylinders. You adjust the manual tilt link so the impliment or QH is level when the tilt cylinder is half extended. That way it tilts equally to each side. One cylinder can do enough tilt for most needs I've seen.

Most 3pt lift arms have multiple holes in them. If you attach the lift linkages to the holes close to the axle it moves more. If you attach to further holes it has more lift strength. So check if you can move the links for height rather than strength.

If you want to make your QH worthwhile, everything should fit without adjustment. I modified a few older impliments to fit & built an adapter for my new huge flail. It's a pain, but worth it. I havent modified my Gannon box blade & have to adjust the toplink for that every time it comes on or off. It's a pain & on my list to fix.

I understand that I wouldn't need two cylinders for tilting, but was thinking it might be nice to adjust the height with ease. Even without the QH, I must have the left side link in the lowest position for the finish mower. The mower is designed to float behind the 3pt hitch. If I mowed at a higher height then I could make it work but I like a closer cut.

When I hook to the shredder without adjusting the left side link, it puts the 3pt lever in a spot that the stop does not like to stay put.

I was considering getting two hydraulic side links before I bought the QH. Now that I have the QH it makes me think I would like it even more. Less modification to get it working because I would have more adjustments. Any thoughts?

 

[mykleh]

do you have your top link threaded way in?? my cheap HF quick hitch the pins to the 3 pt and the QH couples are at the same height so if it works without the QH it should work with it unless you have the top link cranked way in causing it to tip forward??

 

[K5lwq]

I have not worked out the top link yet, so no, it is sitting straight. It worked without the QH because I could spread the arms to get to the pins. However, even then the 3pt has always been a tad to high. So the mower can float up but not down.

To hook to the QH, I lifted the mower and set on the hitch. Almost to old to get that done anymore.:laughing:

 

[Wagtail]

K5lwq, are you using bushings on all of your 3PH implements?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Here is my junky quick hitch. You can sort of see where I inserted a tube to widen it to fit my Harley rake, which at the moment is really the only thing it fits, but the point was to be able to use my dump trailer, interchangeably without time consuming 3ph hassles, while using the Harley.

It probably sat in my barn for ten years or more not fitting anything, until I had the brain storm to make it fit, and just for the one implement, it's worth it.

 

[K5lwq]

K5lwq, are you using bushings on all of your 3PH implements?

Yes Sir. I won't be able to do much with it till Saturday. Hopefully I will find some solutions. I am going to see if I can pick up a adjustable side link to get me by till I get the hydraulic T&T.

 

[K5lwq]

View attachment 578067

Here is my junky quick hitch. You can sort of see where I inserted a tube to widen it to fit my Harley rake, which at the moment is really the only thing it fits, but the point was to be able to use my dump trailer, interchangeably without time consuming 3ph hassles, while using the Harley.

It probably sat in my barn for ten years or more not fitting anything, until I had the brain storm to make it fit, and just for the one implement, it's worth it.

Looks Good!! Width is not an issue on the finish mower. I will find out about the rest this weekend.

 

[WranglerX]

I have not worked out the top link yet, so no, it is sitting straight. It worked without the QH because I could spread the arms to get to the pins. However, even then the 3pt has always been a tad to high. So the mower can float up but not down.

To hook to the QH, I lifted the mower and set on the hitch. Almost to old to get that done anymore.:laughing:

Park mower up on blocks... With my SCUT I have opposite trouble, my QH is almost to low and have very little "lift" with most implements when I have to raise QH to just get connected...

Dale

 

[pmsmechanic]

I understand that I wouldn't need two cylinders for tilting, but was thinking it might be nice to adjust the height with ease. Even without the QH, I must have the left side link in the lowest position for the finish mower. The mower is designed to float behind the 3pt hitch. If I mowed at a higher height then I could make it work but I like a closer cut.

When I hook to the shredder without adjusting the left side link, it puts the 3pt lever in a spot that the stop does not like to stay put.

I was considering getting two hydraulic side links before I bought the QH. Now that I have the QH it makes me think I would like it even more. Less modification to get it working because I would have more adjustments. Any thoughts?

View attachment 577929

What I did with mine was weld a piece of steel under the bottom links so that they can't go as low as they were designed to. I figure my three point can give the extra flexibility if needed.

 

[Overtaxed]

I use a set of Pat's Quick Hitch.
They are a lifesaver, and very well made. I highly recommend them

I'll 2nd that. I just bought a new set today, I had the cat 2 to cat 1 (because all my stuff was cat 1), but I'm getting more cat 2 stuff, so I ordered the native cat 2 set and I'll just bush up all my cat 1 gear to cat 2 size. They aren't perfect, mine have slop in them which I can't take out or else the angle won't be right for some implements. But not modifying my implements is nice, and oh man, is it nice to back up, lift up and be connected (except for the top link). If you're trying to hook up solo, it's near a "must have" in my book. But I am kind of lazy.

 

[K5lwq]

I am excited to get some goodies for the old girl! I must admit it has been fun doing all the upgrades to the little tractor.

I waited over 12 years to sink anymore money in her. The day I brought it home from the local auction it slung a rod through the block while backing it off the trailer. Ordered a new motor the same day and a week later had it running to discover the front wheel drive was non functional. After fixing that I decided not to put anymore into it till I worked some of the expenses out of her.

Been great ever since with a few repairs along the way.

 

[TractorGuy]

I am excited to get some goodies for the old girl! I must admit it has been fun doing all the upgrades to the little tractor.

I waited over 12 years to sink anymore money in her. The day I brought it home from the local auction it slung a rod through the block while backing it off the trailer. Ordered a new motor the same day and a week later had it running to discover the front wheel drive was non functional. After fixing that I decided not to put anymore into it till I worked some of the expenses out of her.

Been great ever since with a few repairs along the way.

OUCH! Auction equipment can bite you sometimes.

The only thing I've bought at auction with an engine is a diesel generator. Been lucky with it so far. Just had to add fluids, batteries, and some minor troubleshooting. Have over a 100 hours of outages in less than 2 years on it.

 

[Fallon]

No way I'd modify a QH to fit an impliment. Well, other than the longer top hook mod or grinding the hooks so they are standard QH size (had one 1/8" wide & another that was a hair small for standard QH pins/bushings). You should always move stuff to standards, not away from them.

Going forward more manufacturers will be complying with QH standards than not. And if gear isnt standards compliant, chances are no 2 pieces of gear are going to quite match anyway.

If you dont want to go through the effort of modifying things or have to deal with both CAT1 & CAT2 stuff, go with Pat's. As Cat 1/2 stuff is different widths on the pin spacing you'll never get both to fit, unless it's some of the gear that happens to fit both. I see Pat's as being less useful as you need to get off the machine, but it is a lit more flexible.

 

[ovrszd]

I think extendable lower links and Pat's are very comparable.

Pat's is a huge step up on a tractor that doesn't have extendables.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The hitch cost me maybe a hundred bucks and the Harley rake may be worth 13K, or more, so in this case, the choice is obvious.

I can see Pats being better than nothing, but for me the exact spacing of the lower lift points is the best feature of the quick hitch.

I like to extend the top hook, grab the implement (Harley Rake) with the top and retract the top, at just the right height, pulling the two bottom attachments points perfectly into place.

 

[ovrszd]

Yep. With TnT and a QH I don't worry about where I drop an attachment.