Farmer-Built Variable Width 3-Pt Hitch

Farmer-Built Variable Width 3-Pt Hitch HITCHES Hitches 20-1-23 "As a part time farmer with small fields, I've always liked the maneuverability of 3-pt. mounted equipment. The only problem is hooking up," says Charles E. Hill, Lynn, Ind. "Hooking up a 4,000-lb, chisel plow to a 12,000-lb. tractor can be a real chore and a safety hazard. So I went out to buy a quick hitch and put it on my tractor. When I went to hook up to my chisel plow, I discovered to my amazement that the vertical distance between the lower hitch points and top point were not compatible. I then tried it on my moldboard plow and discovered the horizontal distance between the two lower points was not compatible. I took the hitch off the tractor and returned it. "Later I was talking to my wife's brother and learned he had experienced the same problem. The quick hitch he bought would only fit one piece of his equipment. "That got me thinking and, after measuring my equipment, I decided I could modify a quick hitch to make it universal. I went back to the farm supply store and bought back the hitch I had returned. "What I did was to modify the hitch so it can be set at two different widths and so that the vertical distance between the top hitch point and lower hitch points could be set at two different points. Horizontal width is adjusted by simply adding or removing two bolt-in-place spacers, and vertical height is adjusted by moving the third arm attachment point up and down. "I used a Skil saw with a cut-off blade to cut two chunks out of the top beam on the hitch. Although the spacers are 3 in. wide, you actually have to cut out 3 1/2 in. to compensate for the 1/4-in. plates that weld back into the opening. Then you weld plates onto either end of each spacer, and drill holes so you can quickly bolt them into place, or take them out and bolt the two plates on the hitch together. I used grade 8 1/2-in. bolts to hold them together. "I used 17-in. long pieces of 1/4-in. plate steel to modify the top hitch point. The hitch point can be moved to two different positions between the vertically-mounted plates. "If enough people are interested in this modification, I will take the time to document the details of these modifications." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles E. Hill, Rt. 2, Box 131, Lynn, Ind. 47355 (ph 317 874-1507).

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