Newbie 3 point hitch advise pls

[Doghouse]

If everything goes well, I should be buying an bx1860 in the next week.
With the SWMBO List in mind, I have been thinking of building an attachment platform for the 3 point hitch. I am often guilty of over thinking things so please be patient with me as I know NOTHING about tractors. Up until now all I have needed was a lawn tractor.

My assumptions:
1. The two lower arms do all of the lifting work
2. The top arm is to lock the "plane" the attachment sits in. (forcing it to pivot at the hitch's fulcrum?)

If those are correct, I should be able to use something like:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/countylinereg%3B-cross-drawbar-category-1-3-4-in-dia
For a base, and if I added 2 vertical rods to a cross member and a third from the cross member to the top of the hitch, I should have a rather solid platform.

I am thinking that i could use that to attach clevis, drawbar hooks, or even a receiver for a hitch.
The weakens I see is that those rods would have a large amount of force on them and would likely bend if not rather beefy.
Would it be ok to not use them if I did not need to keep it constantly in the same plane?
Is the rear hitch strong enough to pull out a bush? The manual says 670#s, but without the top hitch point should I cut that in half?

THANKS in advance for the advise.

 

[Paulemar]

First of all you need to get the tractor. It will be much easier for you to actually look at what you have and then figure out the best way to accomplish what you want to do.

That being said, they make all kinds of inexpensive straight, twisted, clevis and hooks for a drawbar. There is even a 3 point receiver hitch available if you really need one.

Your assumptions are correct.

It is generally frowned upon to try to pull stumps or logs, bushes or whatever from the 3 point hitch. Many experienced tractor owners have had their tractor flip over backwards on them while attempting that sort of thing. If you really must do that, use the drawbar. It is imperative that the pulling stress be kept lower than the rear wheel axle. A BX1860 is lightweight and has very little room for error on that point. If you have a lot of smallish stuff to remove, get a tractor with a backhoe or at least a front end loader with a tooth-bar.

A BX is capable of doing a lot of surprising things and if taken proper care of will provide years and years of service. Just make sure that you don't get less tractor than you need.

There is no such thing as over thinking your first tractor purchase. It IS difficult because all you have now is a lawn tractor which is a totally different animal. How much property are we talking about anyway?

 

[Doghouse]

We have 5 acres, but only about 1 is cleared. I have been doing most of the stuff by hand and with my CubCadet 1525. I was thinking that using the 3-point would make my visibility better than using the loader, but unless I had a load in the bucket, I could see how the lack of counterbalance could quickly lead to problems.

We only have a small(ish) garden and this tractor is overkill for most of what I am going to be doing. We are going to be putting in a couple of retaining walls and filling in a fair amount of dirt (13'x13'x4') and there are a couple of trees I will need to move after dropping and cutting to length. I guess I am looking to get a mechanical advantage over medical expense I am getting a little old for wrenching my back.

 

[Paulemar]

With 5 acres things that might take days or weeks to finish by hand can take hours or days instead with the BX. There will be projects that you would like to do that suddenly become easily possible. Think of how you would now handle storm damage to trees in a wooded area. With the BX you need your chainsaw and a little time to remove the debris-------with very little threat to your back. I guarantee that you will be able to do more with less effort than ever. And you will want to do it too!
Let us know how it goes.

 

[skeets]

Having a BX I guess I am a little on the biased side,, That being said I just gave my cub away, it was about the same size as my BX but there is no way it could do what I have done with my little orange tractor. Just MHO but I have 5 here as well and the cub just couldn't make the grade,, I wish I would have bought a little orange tractor 15 years ago instead of the cub

 

[bandaidmd]

Welcome to the forum doghouse hope yesterdays storms didn't hit you too hard over there in tornado ally.
You will find that the tractors lack of mass will prevent it from doing some of the things you hoped for such as pulling out stumps but don't be discouraged its still going to be a very usefull tool. Your tractors manual will tell you that all towing should only be done from the drawbar but having one of these is a great addition. http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRAILER-REC...avy_Equipment_Attachments&hash=item43bc945d6c

Slide one of those ball mounts that includes the chain hook for extra versatility.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRI-TRIPLE-...Parts_Accessories&hash=item564cd21609&vxp=mtr

Just remember that if you have the hitch potion raised above drawbar height don't try to move something that doesn't want to move or you risk your tractor doing a backflip.

 

[hodge]

Welcome to the forum doghouse hope yesterdays storms didn't hit you too hard over there in tornado ally.
You will find that the tractors lack of mass will prevent it from doing some of the things you hoped for such as pulling out stumps but don't be discouraged its still going to be a very usefull tool. Your tractors manual will tell you that all towing should only be done from the drawbar but having one of these is a great addition. http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRAILER-REC...avy_Equipment_Attachments&hash=item43bc945d6c

Slide one of those ball mounts that includes the chain hook for extra versatility.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRI-TRIPLE-...Parts_Accessories&hash=item564cd21609&vxp=mtr

Just remember that if you have the hitch potion raised above drawbar height don't try to move something that doesn't want to move or you risk your tractor doing a backflip.

The axle height is the pivot point- anywhere above that line, and you will risk lifting the front end and flipping. It happens REAL fast, and many people have been hurt/killed improperly pulling objects.
When you build your platform, keep in mind that you have a limited lift capacity, and you greatly reduce that the farther you get from the ends of the lift arms. I put a platform on the back of my B7100. I could get one or two large blocks of wood on it before 1) it wouldn't lift, and 2) I could push the front end around with my finger (with suitcase weights and loaded front tires). On a tractor as small as the 1860, you are going to be very limited what you can carry on that platform, which is a consideration in deciding whether it is worth building one. I had planned to build a smaller one for my tractor (than the one I was using), but the size it would have to be to make it usable negated the usefullness. That was my experience.

 

[Doghouse]

Thanks for the advise guys.
I take this stuff very serious, when I was in college I worked cutting trees. I saw the result of a "it will be quicker if". The log jumped off the blade of the skidder and shot through the cab guy was dead in an instant.
That day I learned 2 things quickly:
Ask first if you are not sure - Thus my question and the great answers.
If you still unsure after asking, find a better way to do it!

The storms missed my neighborhood, but is was nasty, and more on Tuesday maybe?

I appreciate the advise and it is good to know that I can get learned answers from this group.
John.

 

[DanDan]

The axle height is the pivot point- anywhere above that line, and you will risk lifting the front end and flipping. It happens REAL fast, and many people have been hurt/killed improperly pulling objects.

I suppose it is simply b/c the rear of the tractor is "where you connect stuff" but it strikes me that the risk of flipping the tractor is completely eliminated by reversing the direction: chain the thing (root ball, etc.) to the front of the tractor and pull it out by backing away from it. Has the added advantage of easily watching the load without craning your neck. We have grab hooks mounted to the frame up front specifically for this.

Maybe with a geared tractor, you could have a lower forward gear than in reverse, but with the hydro, not sure there is a difference...

What you will find with the BX1860 is that the bigger/stubborn stuff will not budge and the little beast will simply spin her wheels.

That's what we do anyways.

 

[BadDog]

Seems to me there are 2 main problems with pulling backwards.

First, you have far less traction. Partly due to directional tires (hmm, maybe that's why my 7100D came with the tires backwards? ), and if 4x4 or hooked too high, partly due to unloading of the main rear tires.

The second is 4x4 specific, and alluded above. If pulling backward with front engaged, unless hitched very low, the front pull wants to unload the back, which gives more weight and bite to the front. If it does not move or spin, that may break the front drive which is much weaker than the rear drive. But with front drive, enough traction and nothing breaking, and hooked high, physics dictates you can flip it that way too. Same problem, just less likely due to inherent limitations that are also more likely to make you unsuccessful at your task.

For hard pulling at the limits, I would want to be pulling forward from the draw bar (height) for the reasons above, plus that lower gearing.

That's how I see it anyway, but I'm certainly no tractor authority.

 

[DanDan]

Excellent points!

On balance, I guess I would still rather risk not pulling it out or tweaking the front axle vs. maybe flipping it.

 

[BadDog]

Or just hook it low (draw bar pin) and pull the "right" way.

 

[rednecklimo85]

You can certainly lift the back end with a FEL pulling. I used the FEL on my B7200 to pull 4x4's from the ground by hooking a choker chain to them and driving forward and backward to loosen them up, and then pulling them straight up, letting the choker fall down the 4x4 as you run out of height. I did something similar with an 8 ft ground rod and my B6100 three point, worked very well and ripped the ground rod right out of the ground.

 

[armylifer]

Seems to me there are 2 main problems with pulling backwards.

First, you have far less traction. Partly due to directional tires (hmm, maybe that's why my 7100D came with the tires backwards? ), and if 4x4 or hooked too high, partly due to unloading of the main rear tires.

The second is 4x4 specific, and alluded above. If pulling backward with front engaged, unless hitched very low, the front pull wants to unload the back, which gives more weight and bite to the front. If it does not move or spin, that may break the front drive which is much weaker than the rear drive. But with front drive, enough traction and nothing breaking, and hooked high, physics dictates you can flip it that way too. Same problem, just less likely due to inherent limitations that are also more likely to make you unsuccessful at your task.

For hard pulling at the limits, I would want to be pulling forward from the draw bar (height) for the reasons above, plus that lower gearing.

That's how I see it anyway, but I'm certainly no tractor authority.

I have a BX 1860. It is the first and probably the only tractor that I will ever own. At first I thought that I bought a tractor that was too small for my 5 acres but I have since discovered that it is really a powerhouse in a small package.

My BX 1860 came with the front grill guard, the FEL and the 54" mower deck. I paid about $11,300 after tax for it. I do not know if that was a good deal or not but I bought it anyway.

I have literally pushed down several cottonwood trees on my property that are about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. I then ran over them with the mower and chopped up most of the branches. After that I hooked up a chain to a Northern Tool 3 point trailer hitch and pulled the trees out of the ground and burned them.

I am amazed at how much power that this tractor has. 18 HP seems like a little but if you take on a job in planned stages and do not make the tractor work harder than it was designed to, it will do wonders for you.

Speaking of the power of the tractor, I have actually bogged down the engine enough in waist to chest high grass to stall the engine when cutting it. The BX 1860 is a powerhouse in a small package but you have to learn its limitations. I am not yet sure if this is the right size tractor for my 5 acres but I do not think that I made a mistake in purchasing it at this point. Only time will tell. I will say this though, if you can afford to but a bigger tractor and if your planned projects justify a bigger tractor, then you probably cannot go wrong with a bigger one. Much of your decision may depend on how much time you have to finish your project as well as your budget.

I just know that in the end, I think that I have a tractor that will do what I want it to in a reasonable amount of time if I plan my work and take into account the equipment that I have purchased. I am convinced that the BX 1860 is enough to do the work that I have planned for my 5 acres.