Speeco Quick Attach (should I get one) ?

[JR4AL]

New to the Forum and Kubota, not so new to tractors and the aggrivation of a three point hitch!
I am thinking about a Speeco quick hitch. I have looked at the others and read all the threads here but the Speeco seems to keep getting my attention. Anyone have a Speeco (or a quick hitch, in general)? What is the good, the bad and the ugly?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I love mine, works like a charm!

 

[Kennyd4110]

I have the JD version called the iMatch, wouldn't be without it. Just make sure any implements you buy are compatible and meet the ASAE Category 1 Standard S278.6

 

[kubotaman574]

LOVE Mine, have had to Mod a Couple of my implements to work with it, not hard to do

 

[ipz2222]

The quick hitch idea is great but!!!!!! out of 5 implements only 1 of mine hooked up with no problem. 4 had to modified. The width of the lift pins being the biggest problem. The holes or slots for the lift puns are cat3 size, you'll have to have bushings to put on the cat 1 implements or just allow them to flop around. Some implements will not allow the top u hook to be used without major mods, the one thing that keeps you from haveing to get off the tractor. The bush hog is the only implement that I have to get off to hook up, and that's because of the pto shaft.

 

[GWD]

As already mentioned, those solid frame hitches require EXACT measurement between the lift pins.

So measure the distance between the lower quick hitch hooks and measure the distance between the lift pins on all of your implements. If everything measures the same, then you are good to go.

If not, then you have two options.

>Modify the implements to have the same measurements as the quick hitch.

>Buy a quick hitch that adapts to different measurements. Pat's Quick Connect has that feature. The top link has to be hooked/adjusted manually and it lengthens the tractor to implement distance about 4".

http://www.greenwellmfg.com/

 

[Burt]

New to the Forum and Kubota, not so new to tractors and the aggrivation of a three point hitch!
I am thinking about a Speeco quick hitch. I have looked at the others and read all the threads here but the Speeco seems to keep getting my attention. Anyone have a Speeco (or a quick hitch, in general)? What is the good, the bad and the ugly?

JR4AL,

Most changes are relative to what you had before. ANY quick hitch will be better than messing with chains, turnbuckles, crowbars and San Angelo bars to hook up a 3 point.

After reviewing all of the types, we decided on Pat's quick hitch. It was a great decision. Most of our implements don't vary much between the ends of the 3 point contacts. My wife can now hook up a 3 point implement all by herself.

The other devices are less expensive and they do work. It depends on how you want to go about using them. Pat's stay on your tractor and thus makes it ready to change or hook up at any time.

I've heard good reports about the Speeco's and the ones from HF as well. To each his own. You can see the Pat's quick hitch on you tube or at their website.

P.S. Another device that makes 3 point connects easy is Hodge's stabilizers. He's on this site...Unless you really like chain wars.

Burt

 

[HighSierra79]

Have one on my m6800. Use it for everything. Mounted a ball on top of it to pull around gooseneck lowboy for hayrides. No complaints. Bought a harbor freight QH for the B7100. No complaints on that either, especially for $89.

 

[cerlawson]

I see one on e Bay for $289

Thats' about 3 times what Harbor Freight costs. I have had some vicious abuse to mine from HF using cat II tools modified to fit cat I and they don't get bothered. I'd not spend the extra.

 

[PWM3rd]

Have one...not a bad thing to say about it. Makes bushhog, box scraper and blade scraper a snap on/off.

 

[JR4AL]

Alright, so I take the advice and buy the Speeco. I spend after lunch on Friday unhooking my disc and hooking up the Quick Hitch and then installing the bushings with the roll pins and hooking back up to the disc. It was a bit of a task to get everything to line up but I got it all together and I had plenty of daylight to go disc the garden. First pass, perfect. Lift disc, clank, turn around, drop disc, clank. (must be something with this new tractor and set of disc, stop, quick look nothing out of the ordinary) Second pass all is perfect (we are tilling to a depth this garden has never seen!) lift disc, clank (this can not be normal) stop, get off (before lowering disc and before turning around). The top of the square tubing on the disc has been lifted up under the back right fender by about a half an inch and has left a pretty nice bend about two inches wide beneath the tail lights and the disc are still lifted!

Now feeling sick to my stomach (because this thing is financed for the next 5 years) I begin the task of lowering that new set of disc out of that new fender well all attached to that new Speeco Quick Hitch. Needless to say I was some kind of upset at myself for not checking this before. At any rate, I got it out without tearing the fender apart or tearing out the tail lights. I could not figure out how to make it all work and I was running out of daylight. Back to the shop and off with the Quick hitch because I got to disc patches at the camp on Saturday.
Guess what, those bushings are now attached to the disc with those roll pins!

I spend the next couple of hours learning just how permanent those roll pins are intended to be. I got them out with some thoughtful consideration and some serious persuasion with a hammer and a drill bit.
All that to say this, go easy on me when you laugh at me. "Otis" has his first ding and it is constant reminder to check everything you attach (especially if it is new) to its full lift height and if any of you have any advice as to what in the heck I am doing wrong or a modification you have made to make something work with a quick hitch that may not have worked otherwise I appreciate your response.

 

[GWD]

About the only way for the QH/implement to get into the fenders is if the check chains (turnbuckles, stabilizers, etc.) are too loose. Way too much side-to-side movement.

Tighten the check chains until there is only an inch or two of side-to-side movement.

If you are not certain what they are, they are attached to the inside (or sometimes the outside) of the lower lift arms and then to the tractor axle or some point on the tractor. With an implement on, the check chain (generic term) can be made quite tight.

Please excuse the varitety of the above description but there are many variations that all accomplish the same result.

Edit: One more thing. Use a penetrating oil (PB Blaster, Kroil, or even WD-40) on the roll pins to get the advantage. A punch just the right size can be your friend. The pointy end of a drill will sometimes slightly enter the roll pin and expand it enough to make removal next to impossible.

 

[aeblank]

Pictures would sure help.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[JR4AL]

EDIT-In my description I put the square tubing of the disc it was actually the square tubing of the Quick Hitch in the fender.

Yea, that would have been pretty hard to get the disc in the fender! The check chains were a bit loose as recommended by the manual but nothing out of the ordinary.

I know I should have taken a photo but I was so geared up to get the thing out without tearing the fender apart I just did not think about it. I think I may can "recreate" the issue for a photo by sliding on the bushings to the discs and hooking back up. I will not put the roll pins in unless absolutely necessary and I assure you I will not raise it all the way up!

Indeed a center punch would have been ideal. I used a long 3/8" paddle bit. (I had to make do with what I had) The hardware store had closed and the nearest one open was 60 miles south! I was concerned about a regular bit doing just what you described.

 

[cerlawson]

Time to step back and go slow. While your accident may be explained by some here, I have a feeling your statement "New to the Forum and Kubota, not so new to tractors and the aggrivation of a three point hitch! tells us you really are new to tractors. It takes time to be aware of all the things that can go wrong. With any attachment, it takes time to get used to the quirks, rather than immediately putting it to use. Looking back as the job is being done also is a requirement. Good luck, but take it slow.

Send a photo or two also and you might be surprised what they reveal to the guys here.

 

[JR4AL]

Let's you (CerLawson)and I get a few things square.I am definantly not trying to mislead anyone about being around tractors or owning other types...I am not totally sure about why you want to "read into" some sublime message I am in no way trying to send to anyone.

Moreso,I never have met anyone that thinks a three point hitch is not aggrivating at sometime or another. I am a weekend warrior, at best. I am definantly not a farmer but we do keep up a garden in the spring and fall and no we do not depend on it to survive but we eat good and give to anyone that asks and are willing to come by and pick (save the few widows in the church we pick for). I also try to keep up our camp and pond that is not on our property at home.

Nevertheless, if you are suggesting I am intentionally misleading anyone about anything I do apoligize to you and only you. To introduce myself as being ignorant to tractors generally, I personally think would be less than truthful...but for you, I will yield to you being the expert and me being an unintentional liar seeking advice and wanting desperatley your approval.

For the future, please do not respond to my posts because I do not take kindly to anyone suggesting (expressly, impliedly or otherwise) I am a liar. I can take being called ignorant but not a liar. Please stay out of my threads and leave me alone.

To the others, thank you for the quick responses. I will try and get a few pics posted soon.

 

[aeblank]

How did the qa attach to the disc? Did you need one of those adapters for the top link? Those would make you shorten the top link, bringing the qa frame closer to the tractor...i guess. I want a qa too, so I'm watching this.

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[JR4AL]

I had it "hooked"to the pins with the bushings in place. I had the centerlink hooked into an additional part that I had ordered to allow if the QH would not catch the top arm of the disc. It did require me to shorten up the centerlink, not so much so that I thought it could get into the tractor. The square tube on the QH was the original culprit but the arm that closed and was closed did the most damage. I wounder If I should have just cut 1/4" off the top hook or tried to expand the topbar on the disc by a 1/4" to make the top hook catch? I will figure this out, just need some encouragement and good ideas!

 

[D2Cat]

cerlawson, I read your post #15 and didn't understand you to state any accusatory statements. Thought you were offering a word of caution and suggesting pictures would help identify a solution to the problem. Just a word of support. I appreciate discussions that make me think on how to do something better, quicker or safer.

 

[GWD]

Well, it sounds like your best bet would be to hook up the QH by itself and lift/lower it through its range of motion. That should indicate what adjustment is causing the problem.

Push on it so it moves from side-to-side. As posted previously, it should only move an inch or two at all positions. That can't be enough to allow it to get into the fenders. If it does, then the QH is WAY too big for your tractor (I can't imagine it).

Not sure what your manual says, but if the recommended adjustment causes things to swing and damage the tractor then considering an alternate setting seems reasonable.

Hate to harp on it, but a photo or two would help generate suggestions.