3 point hitch 101

[PaulR]

....and I mean barely 101, this might be elementary school.
alternative title: I'm an accountant, not a farmer, more money than brains......

Question: Hooked up and used my 3 point hitch for the first time last night, why did it take me 30 minutes to attach my chipper and why is it crooked????

 

[Jchonline]

You need to loosen the left lower link and tighten the right one (these are called turnbuckle stabilizers) to align the implement. You will probably need to lift the chipper off the ground first. If they are too tight with the weight, remove the implement, get the lower arms centered, then re-attach.

How to Adjust Tractor Three Point Stabilizers - YouTube

 

[PaulR]

Thank you kind sir. That video was perfect.

 

[bmblank]

And it took you half an hour because that's how long it takes when you don't have some sort of easy or quick hitch. Obviously, with practice you'll get better, but... Yeah, it's a huge pain in the ass. I just struggled with the damn brush hog last night and tried breaking my kneecap in the process.

Save yourself some grief. I just ordered a Pat's easy change. My brother loves his harbor freight quick hitch. Whichever you choose, it'll save you buckets of time and frustration.

Quick Hitch vs Pat's Easy Change: Which is Right for You? (#85)

Category #1 Pat's Easy Change with Stabilizer Bar: https://amzn.to/3jNtoHuHarbor Freight HaulMaster Cat 1 Quick Hitch: https://www.harborfreight.com/3-point-...

tinyurl.com

 

[GreensvilleJay]

3PH is a PITA 'system',kinda ok IF you have a large concrete pad to store all your implements on, with custom blocks to get 'alignment' reasonably good.
Still have the 3PH kit in the box from my BX23S.I'll never use it but is was free when I bought the tractor.
Nothing, absolutely nothing beats the Snap-Coupler system

 

[nbryan]

After a few years I've gotten good at installing the 3-point and aligning it for use by my 3-point attachment collection. The post hole auger particular attachment requires ALL the releasable pins to come out, including the lower arm lift rod attachment arm. That takes me about 1/2 hour. Some 3-point things are quicker, like swapping between the box scraper and the trailer hitch receiver where there's no pto to struggle with and the widths are the same.
But 1/2 an hour is a reasonable time to carefully mount an attachment and make adjustments. Some will make you sweat to make it, others will leave you a few sips of your coffee after you're finished, in that 1/2 hour.

 

[B737]

can you tell us about your chipper? the woodland mills website is down (again)

 

[Russell King]

If you learn a few “tricks” the 3PH is really not that bad (not fun either).

First back up to be fairly square to the pins and fairly close to centered on the implement.

Lower the arms below the implement pins.

Disconnect the stabilizer link from the lower arms so they can swing easily. (Most turnbuckle style have removable pins at one end)

Lift up on the arm and align it with the implement pin.
This is generally where difficulty starts. The implement or tractor ma need to move. Being on flat terrain is the best, flat concrete is even better. If the implement can be moved move it. A geared tractor can be moved by using the rear wheel to pull or push on. No idea if you can move a hydrostatic by hand.

Do not allow someone to move the tractor unless you want to be squished between the implements and the tractor and go the hospital. Move it yourself or get well out of the way.

Use boards underneath the implements if on dirt, wheeled dollies if on concrete. Learn how to nudge the implement using levers and pry bars.

If you can get one side on then pin that arm to the implement. Then you can use the tractor to gently push or pull the implement into position to attach the other arm. If you can’t move your tractor slowly don’t try this or you can damage both tractor and implement.

Get the second arm onto the pin. Pin in place.

Reattach the most slack stabilization link.

Attach the PTO shaft to the tractor if there is one.

Attach and adjust the top link.

Pick implement up.

Attach second stabilization link and adjust both sides to remove MOST of the slack.

Adjust the side to side levelness of the implement if needed.

You need to put the implement down in a parking spot that is level if that is at all possible.

 

[Fastball]

I had a 4-foot long steel bar that I use to jam under various corners of my implement to lever it around that last inch or so so it all lined up to connect. Then I bought a Pat’s.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

....and I mean barely 101, this might be elementary school.
alternative title: I'm an accountant, not a farmer, more money than brains......

Question: Hooked up and used my 3 point hitch for the first time last night, why did it take me 30 minutes to attach my chipper and why is it crooked????
View attachment 61554 View attachment 61555

I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the pin on the right side, and maybe the left, is longer than it needs to be. This would cause you to spread the arms to near their maximum to straddle the pins. Then you have very little play side-to-side.

 

[NCL4701]

If you’re storing implements on a concrete pad or other hard, relatively smooth surface, putting them on swivel castered dollies makes a huge difference in ease of hitching to 3 point. I can easily remove an implement in less than 5 minutes, roll it out of the way, roll another implement over and have it hooked up in another 5 minutes or less. Add another 2 to 5 minutes to hook up a PTO shaft. I will admit I have decades of practice but it’s really not that hard. For the chipper I just used the steel pallet it shipped on.



I’ve also found for PTO implements, particularly the chipper and generator which have a pretty restricted area around the PTO once they’re on the 3 point, it’s MUCH easier to hook up the PTO first while it’s a little ways back from the tractor and then roll the implement forward to hitch to the 3 point. Personally, I would definitely not hook up the PTO and then back the tractor toward an implement sitting on the ground for fear of something binding and causing severe damage. Pushing the implement on a dolly using my puny one man force, no danger of damage.

If storing on dirt or gravel I’d consider some sort of quick hitch system. That 5 minute stuff above… no way without a quick hitch. More like 15 to 20 minutes if you’re good. If you’re trying to figure it out and have no help, pack a lunch and a lot of patience.

Oh, and the advice above about bumping the tractor around a bit by hand: you can do that with HST, just put the range selector in Neutral. You have to be on level ground or have at least one pin hitched to do it, otherwise your tractor could roll away.

Have around 60 hours on my WC68 and have been very pleased with it. Hope you enjoy your chipper as much as I have mine.

 

[mcfarmall]

If only the planet had standardized the McCormick Fast Hitch system instead...just Back, Click, and GO!

 

[anomad]

How well or not well do quick attach solutions work with 30 year old bent up attachments? I've looked at them, but do they only work well with straight equipment where everything matches up nicely?

A friend of mine has 3 tractors, kind of a pricey solution, but really cuts down on swapping out tools!

 

[PaulR]

can you tell us about your chipper? the woodland mills website is down (again)

Not yet unfortunately.
Took it out of the box Monday night.
Last night girls softball tournament.
Maybe tonight I can finish putting it together.

First glance: looks very well built, very well packaged. steel cage container on a pallet, well wrapped.
Took ~2 months from order to arrival.
For the smallest unit (wc-46) it looks to be very stout.
Watching a comprehensive YouTube video, looks like there are a number of adjustments to learn, unlike the old stand-alone, start it up and dump em in wood chipper.

PS: Thanks everyone for the advice/tips. I thought it was just me having a hard time being a newbie.

 

[bmblank]

How well or not well do quick attach solutions work with 30 year old bent up attachments? I've looked at them, but do they only work well with straight equipment where everything matches up nicely?

A friend of mine has 3 tractors, kind of a pricey solution, but really cuts down on swapping out tools!

A system like Pat's should still work as well as you can expect with out of square implements. Main reason I didn't go with a QH of some sort is needing to modify a good majority of my implements in order to get them to work with QH. If they're out of square they'd need "modification" to make them work.
With a pats easy change, pretty well if it fits on the standard 3pt lift arms it'll fit in a pats.

 

[marrmanu]

I replaced the clevis pin with these lock pins, makes releasing the stabilizers a little easier.
I also flipped one the stabilizers end for end so that if you want to tighten the spread of the lower arms you turn in towards the center and to loosen you turn out.
Not sure if it had been mentioned before, but because the upper arms do not move independently, I will release one side so the upper arm is no longer connected to the lower arm. Then one lower arm can be connected without having to manipulate the other at the same time.
Enjoy your new equipment!

 

[NCL4701]

At lesrt

Not yet unfortunately.
Took it out of the box Monday night.
Last night girls softball tournament.
Maybe tonight I can finish putting it together.

First glance: looks very well built, very well packaged. steel cage container on a pallet, well wrapped.
Took ~2 months from order to arrival.
For the smallest unit (wc-46) it looks to be very stout.
Watching a comprehensive YouTube video, looks like there are a number of adjustments to learn, unlike the old stand-alone, start it up and dump em in wood chipper.

PS: Thanks everyone for the advice/tips. I thought it was just me having a hard time being a newbie.

Mine came set up so no internal adjustments were needed. I called tech support before running it to confirm. I strongly suspect the internal adjustments would be appropriate after blade sharpening but you can reverse them once so you can dull them twice before having to adjust anything. After 60 hours mine are still sharp enough to slice paper. No clue how many hours it is before they dull.

Only real adjustment needed in routine practice is feed speed. If you’re chipping stuff without sticky sap (oak, hickory, etc.) full speed works swell. If you’re chipping sticky sap stuff like fresh pine or eastern red cedar, sometimes the discharge chute will clog at full feed speed. If it’s clogging, reduce feed speed. Of course that’s a slider thing with a set screw type knob on the side that you can easily adjust without even shutting down (at least it is on mine).

Other than feed speed noted above you should be able to fill the hydraulic tank, hook it up, and start chucking stuff in it.

Edit: And I’d suggest feed it from the left side (left as you’re facing the rear of the machine). Due to direction of rotation if the limb catches hard when it hits the flywheel it will slam the limb hard right. If you’re in the way it’s kind of like your tractor hitting you with a baseball bat. Not leg breaking hard, but not exactly pleasant either.

 

[dirtydeed]

here's another option specifically for your BX...

These are similar to what we have on the B series and I wouldn't have it any other way. They work great.

Telescoping 3 Point Stabilizer Kit for BX tractors

Since I've seen several complaints about the standard turnbuckle lower stabilizers for BX tractors recently, I just received a notice that there is an upgrade kit available. Perhaps, there are some folks on here that would be interested. I had trouble in the past with mine on an older model...

www.orangetractortalks.com

Field Ready #K2561-38300FR Telescopic Stabilizer Kit - Kubota BX Series

Fits all BX Tractors: BX00 Series (BX1500, BX1800, BX2200) BX30 Series (BX1830, BX2230, BX23) BX50 Series (BX1850, BX2350, BX2650, BX24) BX60 Sereis (BX1860, BX2360, BX2660, BX25) BX70 Series (BX1870, BX2370, BX2670, BX25D) BX80 Series (BX1880, BX2380, BX2680, BX23S) Install...

messicks.com

 

[PaulR]

Yes I'll be doing some pin substitutions. I'll leave the stock pins with cotters where they don't have to be removed every time I take off the 3 point to put on the hoe, and replacing all the pins and cotters that do get removed with those quick lock pins pic'd above. I have a bunch of those in stock already for the trailer legs.

 

[jimmyjoe]

If only the planet had standardized the McCormick Fast Hitch system instead...just Back, Click, and GO!

X2 on IH fast hitch