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Opinions/feedback on 3pt quickhitch ??

Started by btulloh, January 13, 2022, 07:41:01 PM

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btulloh

I've been looking into these quickhitch attachments for the back of the tractor(s) and starting to think it would be a good thing for most of my equipment.  Looks like a worksaver for some of the things I change frequently. I've read a bunch of reviews and reports from various sources and of course there isn't total agreement on their benefits. 

Seems like if the implements are fairly recent vintage and hitch geometry is standard then a quick hitch can work pretty well. I'm pretty sure a lot of people on here have used them.  

One ongoing concern I've seen is using the cat2 hitch with cat1 equipment. Some talk about the need for expensive sleeves for each piece of eqpmnt and some just use regular inexpensive bushings.

Any feedback from your experiences?
HM126

beenthere

Not expensive to adapt attachments to the quickhitch. Have changed up rotary cutter (brush hog), carry-all, turbosaw, chipper, ballast box, forks (from FEL ). Handy as a shirt pocket. 

But most handy because of the hydraulic top arm. Without that, there would be less advantage to the drop-and-go or the pickup-and-go.  

Some do require getting off and hooking up a PTO. 
But the 5-10 minutes it takes in -20° F to drop the ballast box, pick up the forks, pick up a pallet of firewood and drop it near the wood burner, and return is well worth having it. More so when the wind is blowing as well..  ;D

Bushings used... 


 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Southside

I have a Cat III narrow, a Cat III wide, and a Cat II that go onto the back of my big tractor depending on what I am doing.  I absolutely love the gyro hitch on my Kuhn disc mower - but hooking that stupid thing up by yourself without the quick hitch can take 20 minutes and 20 trips back into the cab.  With the quick hitch - 2 minutes.  You may find that you have to shorten PTO shafts in some cases.  
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Magicman

I have used a SpeeCo Quick Hitch for many years but don't overlook the Pat's Quick Hitch.  It too is a very good option with different advantages.

My Kubota has a SpeeCo and the John Deere has a Pat's.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

newoodguy78

Magicman I honestly expected to see a picture of your other half hooking up your implement for you when I saw pats quick hitch.   :D
You got me on that one. 

frazman

I have no experience with the quick hitch and it sure would be handy at work. Unfortunately we still do it the old way. I find as long as you have a go eye and line up well, it goes on pretty easy.

We also have a JD with Cat I and Cat II connecter on the bottom arms. Just turn the metal ball to what ever is required. Pretty handy.

mike_belben

i never had one, but i know id have to cut apart and change half my stuff for lack of all lining up. it would be nice if every piece clicked right on but i know it wont.  ive been converting my more cumbersome attachments to double shear lift arm tabs that take a full hitch pin and cotter.  then i can pull up to it, adjust my lift arm spread via the chain turnbuckles to be just right, and drive right into.  get it, lift an arm to jiggle a pin through with ease, no moving the tractor or attachment anymore.

  little light stuff i still use standard single shear threaded pins 

with such a light front end i cant afford the extra few inches of setback the quick hitch would create anyways.
Praise The Lord

LeeB

I've got one. Never use it. Maybe if I had any level place for my stuff it would be usable for me.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

newoodguy78

The neighbor just bought a category 1 for his tractor I believe it was a kioti, seems well made.  He was disappointed it requires bushings for all his implements. He called around the only one that he found that didn't supposedly is the Speeco e hitch. Not sure if it's the same as magicmans or not. The best deal he could find for bushings was about 40 bucks per implement. 
Other than that I have no first hand experience.
Have seriously thought about one though there's plenty of days I'll have 6-8 different implements behind me depending on what's going on.

hedgerow

I run quick hitches on my bigger tractors 140 HP and up Cat 3. Any equipment put on those tractors were built for quick hitch and when your work by yourself like I do the quick hitch is a must. With that said on my MX-6000 Kubota I don't run a quick hitch on it as I use both Cat one and two equipment on it and none of them are set up for quick hitch. They would all have to be fab some to be able to use a quick hitch. Not worth it to me to spend the time and money to do it for them. Most are smaller equipment so the hook up is not too bad. If you do quick hitch watch your PTO shaft length and you may have to buy new longer shafts. 

btulloh

Well, good reports as usual. Thanks for the replies. Very helpful.

Like many things, it depends on a number of factors for me.  I've got some homework to do to sort this out.  Measuring implements, figuring out which implements are going to be used mostly on which tractor and how often, etc.  I've got a mixture of cat1 and cat2 on both the tractor side and the implement side so it's kind of a puzzle i need to work on.

FWIW newoodguy, Landpride makes a quickhitch that's strictly cat1, although it sounds like your friend is already committed. I see those bushings like beenthere showed for as low as $25ish/pair. Some people just use the simple sleeve bushings and a hitch pin.

After I do all my homework I may find I'm better off as is, or with a quickhitch or with the Pat's version, or all of the above.  My new tractor has the extendable lower arms and telescoping stabilizers which help a lot, but certainly not as convenient as the quickhitch. I'm gonna head out and do some measurements and then see if I can figure this all out this weekend when the ugly weather gets here.
HM126

Roxie

I only came in here to miss Cowboy Bob. 

Carry on  :'(
Say when

newoodguy78

Well Roxie hopefully somewhere in your thoughts you found a reason to smile. 

newoodguy78

btulloh I'll pass that info on to him thank you. Be interested in what you end up deciding. 
In the meantime I'm gonna start looking for a heated/ air conditioned massaging operators seat with heated and cold cup holders for your beverage of choice while running that pimped out tractor of yours.  :D
Like I said you Virginia guys don't mess around setting up your equipment. You've got good taste. 

TroyC

I have 3 tractors, Cat 1, all with HF quick hitches. I've bent a couple if them but they can usually be straightened. It is a chore setting all the 'standard' implements to fit them. I've not found what the 'standard' is. The bottom plow won't fit at all.
Spacer bushings were about 20.00 a pair but skyrocketed in the past year.
The top link hook in the HF hitch is a problem. The hook sits too close to the hitch body and the implement usually hits the hitch instead of floating.  There are replacement hooks on AZ and eBay that work good as they  allow clearance to the implement. Hooks are about 40.00.
HF has a 25% coupon today. Their hitches will be about 100 or so with the coupon. Titan runs about 250.00.
I change implements often when doing food plots. They definitely save a lot of time. 
Hydraulic top link is wonderful!

Magicman

The Pat's is more user friendly when you have a variety of implements, and/or uneven ground.

Thank you Roxie for your comment.  We always carry them in our heart.  When I am at the farm, I constantly think about my Brother that I lost in '84, and my Dad that I lost in '95.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

btulloh

A bottom plow on a 3pt hitch is pretty unique in the geometry. I wouldn't want to try that on any type of quick hitch. 

Roger that on the hydraulic top link. It's a wonderful thing.
HM126

newoodguy78

 
 Ease of hooking up is a definite bonus. Cutting down on the use of these dang things is something to factor in as well. If ya know ya know.
 

Magicman

The Quick Hitch rocks with my subsoiler.


 
Yup, you gotta stand it up to fit into the quick hitch but you also had to stand it up for the regular hitch.


 
At my age I would not want to be without a quick hitch of some variety.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Andries

Quote from: newoodguy78 on January 14, 2022, 06:20:05 PM. . . Cutting down on the use of these dang things is something to factor in as well. . . .
You don't know pain 'til one of these bad boys snap down on a cold finger. 
I've got the Cat 2 Speeco behind my loader. It took a bit of finangling to get the new Peavey Mart land plane to fit, but the much older Woods mower fit right on. Go figure.
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

Crusarius

I have an HF one on my tractor. Not the best quality but I primarily use it with my box blade and have yet to bend it. My dad has bent his 4 times. usually backing the mower into the brush.

Everything that I want to use with it needed to have the 3 pt massaged in one way or another. I got lucky with my box blade, after some reconfiguring I can hook the bolt on the top of the frame I do not use the top hole. It works slick. I do not use any bushings or anything and have not had any issues with pins getting damaged at all.

chevytaHOE5674

I have a couple them laying around. Only have a couple 3pt implements around here anymore and none of them are any sort of standard dimensions. All my tractors have extendable lower links which makes hooks just as easy.


Tom King

I prefer telescopic drag links.  I had a quick hitch on a category 1 tractor when we first started here.

It worked okay when I had a nice flat place to leave the implements setting, but if where the implement was sitting was offcamber to amount to anything relative to the tractor, it became a pain.

With the telescopic drag links, you back up close, tele the arms out, and attach them, get back on the tractor to back up and tele the arms back in, and get off one more time to attach the top link.

Corley5

If only IH had licensed their Fast Hitch to aftermarket implement manufacturers :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

btulloh

Pat's hitch on telescoping arms could be a have your cake and eat it too scenario. The telescoping function still works with those installed. 

I agree with MM on age and ease. My outlook on hooking up has changed in the last few years. 
HM126

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