Go BottomQuick Hitches
 | Neil Anderson
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2001-04-24 27171
I've got a 96 JD 870 with numerous 3 point hitch implements. I'm considering purchasing a quick hitch. Question 1 - Are they worth the invetment? Question 2 - Need some help in selecting, i.e. Land Pride, National, or what else is out there?
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| Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 962 
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2001-04-24 27172
Neil, try the link below for the Freedom Hitch. I haven't spent the money to get any kind of quick hitch yet, but the Freedom Hitch "looks" like the best one to me. I got their free video and you might want to do that, too. ....
Link:
Click Here
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| JeffM
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-24 27175
Neil, there are two basic "types" of "quick hitches" from what I can determine. One type is like the LandPride. It is a tractor-side attachment that provides a latching mechanism to more easily attach and detach from the implement's 3-point connections. The other type is like the Freedom Hitch referenced by Bird. This is a two-part arrangement with both a tractor-side attachment and an implement-side attachment. The LandPride type is less expensive because there is only one mechanism you purchase. It's main drawback is that Category 1 3-point hitches are notoriously non-standard, so you may have to adjust the hitch differently for different implements. Also, there are some Cat 1 implements that won't work at all with this type of hitch. (LandPride even sells implements that won't work with their quick hitch!) Other than LandPride, I'm not very familiar with the other brands of this type hitch, although I see them in Northern Tool catalog and other places. The two-piece quick hitches are more expensive because you usually will end up buying an implement section for every implement you use often. They either attach onto the implement's 3-point connections via adjustable brackets or you weld the implement section on permanently, depending on the brand. The big advantages to the 2-piece quick hitches are speed and safety. You don't even have to get off the tractor to attach or detach. The brands that I have investigated are Freedom Hitch, Delta Hook (http://www.deltahook.com/), and the Triangle hitch marketed by Bubco (http://www.bubco.com/QuickHitches.asp). The Triangle hitch is really nice, but expensive. The Delta Hook didn't seem to have as much room for a PTO shaft. Overall, I will probably buy the Freedom Hitch someday in the future as it seemed to have the best balance of price and function. ....
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| Paul Fox
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-24 27176
I've seen this discussion on various boards, and my overall impression is that due to the minor variations in 3PH dimensions from implement to implement, they are not all that they're cracked up to be. Don't have one, so can't say from experience, but all the arguments against them made sense to me. I have 8 separate implements, and it's not unusual for me to change back and forth 4 or 5 times a day when I'm busy. Never really seen the need. The only implement that is a major PITA to hook up is the log splitter, and I only use that once a year anyway. ....
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| JonB
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-25 27196
I solved most of my 3ph problems by building platforms on wheels, total cost less than $200. My barn has a concrete floor and hook up is always easy. The post-hole digger is bolted to the wall, and supported by a chain from a custom built stand (2 x 4's). The only problem I have now is the new landscape rake ... which seems especially suited to cause problems. It's too big to put on a platform. I think the two outside points are an inch too wide for my tractor. This rake has me thinking about the Freedom Hitch. I'm hoping that practice will help me figure it out. I'll probably know if a couple of months. Best or luck. JonB ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
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2001-04-25 27202
Like Jon and Paul, I don't have a problem swapping implements. I thought about pallets on wheels, but I just keep implements on blocks. The blocks make it very easy to move an implement short distances with a 5' rock bar. I thought that swapping implements was a problem when I first got my tractor, but the problem disappeared after I gained a little experience. With experience, you should expect to be able to back up to an implement once, most times, and a lower link should drop onto at least one pin or slot. Fine adjustments may be required to line-up the pins. Juggling the 3ph, the side leveler and gentle encouragement by the rock bar, are enough to remove and replace the pins entirely by hand--while looking out for the fingers of course. Implements such as post hole augers, some log splitters, and 3ph pallet forks in my case, remain pains. They fold flat and have heavy carriages that must be lifted to a vertical and supported while making the top-link pin. It's a bit of work, and injuries mounting this type of implement are not uncommon. I guess that's why Jon has his post hole auger bolted to a wall. Anyway, it is something of a pain, but I'm not sure that the supplement hitch systems discussed do much for this problem. It makes my post long, but I'll describe how I mount my pallet forks by myself because I think it may illustrate a problem that is unfamiliar to some and is a reasonably safe way to work alone. My forks are flat on four 10" blocks. I make the lower links and use the 3ph to take weight off one set of blocks so they can be removed. Then, the forks can be lowered to the ground at the tractor end. That provides an angle that reduces the force required to raise the carriage by pivoting it around the pins. Top-link pins are placed in the implement and tractor mounts with clevises around them. A come-along hooked into the clevises is used to raise the carriage. A loop of chain is grab-hooked around the carriage and ROPS for safety. The safety chain is shortened as the carriage is lifted. When the carriage is vertical, the top-link pins and clevises must be removed to make the top-link pin. During that time, the safety chain is essential to support the carriage. The safety chain also is a good idea during the entire lift--and even when several people are available to lift the carriage. The ratchet on my come-along did slip once, and the chain caught the implement after a short fall. ....
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| DanaT
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 138 Clay Center,Ks
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2001-04-25 27209
Neil, I have and use a landpride quick hitch. I'm always swiching emplements.
I would not give it up. But as stated in don't fit everything, what didn't fit did after alittle work (torch & welder)Used with a hyd top link it is a system that can't be beat. I looked at the freedom hitch but since I have over a dozen 3 point attachments it was not cost efective. ....
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| Glenn
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-25 27214
I have a Land Pride quick hitch and have been using it for a couple of years. Before I purchased it, my back and shoulders really complained after I connected a shredder or other implement. The Land Pride cost about $325; what seems to be the same design is available from Northern Tool & Equipment for $200. Once everything is set up the quick hitch is wonderful--fast, easy and minimal physical effort. However, two factors are of primary importance when considering a quick hitch--distance between the bottom hooks and vertical distance to the top hook. You can buy a quick hitch on which the top hook is welded in place and for a bit more money you can get one on which the top hook is adjustable. GET THE ADJUSTABLE ONE!!! I did and was very thankful that I had. Unfortunately, some of the 3 point connections on your implements will probably have to be moved or redone. For example, I had to redo the 3 point linkages on my Modern rear scoop and my Myers crane completely. I was able to use my John Deere shredder and my Bush Hog finish mower pretty much as is; however, I had to substitute a short length of heavy chain for the strap-metal upper linkages or the implements would not be able to adjust to the contours of the land being mowed. The inner measurement between the bottom hooks on my Land Pride quick hitch is about 26 1/2 inches and I have upper hook set at 18 inches. I believe that the bottom hooks on the Northern Tool hitch are a bit closer together. I really like my quick hitch and it saves a great deal of stress on my anatomy; however, it required time, money and effort to get everything set up initially. I also have all of my implements on dollies so that I can roll each one easily behind the tractor and hook it up. I purchased steel castors at Tractor Supply for under $5 each; these take great weight, don't wear out on a concrete surface and don't get flat on one side when standing in one place for an extended period. By the way, I have seen one or two quick hitches made by John Deere (or sold by them), but my dealer was very vague when I asked about them and didn't seem to have knowledge of them. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2001-04-25 27217
I have had salesmen try to pitch these things to me for years telling how much money I would save in change-over time (we do golf course contracting). I have done the math several times and the expense of purchasing the equipment doesn't get paid back for a very long time. However, the change-over of implements is being done by very experienced operators (and strong young ones at that). Others have sworn by them, including a few other 'Pros' I know of. I think the advantage we have is the luxury of being able to put several machines on a jobsite at once, each equipped with a different implement so change-over is minimal. Best of luck. ....
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| JonB
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-25 27228
TomG, you're right about safety. My first time the post hole digger almost fell on me--and I had help. Now the setup is safety oriented. I also have a safety chain holding it up, in addition to rope that I rachet to raise or lower it short distances. I also have a stand made of 4 x 4 that the bottom links "rest" on. All told, it's held in place in about 6 ways, so the one person connection is simple and easy. JonB ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-04-26 27255
Jon: Same thing. The first time I mounted the 3ph forks, my reasonably big and strong brother-in-law and I lifted the carriage to near vertical. I was 'lolly gagging' around getting the top-link ready to make, and I hear him say 'You know, I can't hold this up here much longer.' I dropped everything so the two of us could lower the carriage gently. I was a little more organized with the top-link next time we lifted the carriage. The next time I mounted it, I was alone and had a difficult time with pry bars, blocks, jacks and chains--probably a dangerous time too. After that I figured out the come-along trick, and now it's much easier, although I'll probably do something like your post-hole auger mount when we build a proper shed. In the mean time, the forks are mostly stored on the tractor. The dang thing may be a pain to mount, but it's so useful that it about lives on the tractor between projects that need other implements. Somehow, I just can't seem to keep it off the tractor. ....
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| Dave Wells
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-04-26 27259
Neil, I recently purchased a QH15 from LandPride, and I'm not satisfied with it. The spec's indicate that the unit is 26" wide - that's the distance inside the frame; the distance between the hooks is 3/4"-1" greater than that. Not much, but my Ballast Box (which DOES measure 26" between the pin shoulders) pins don't even extend all the way through the hooks. Also, the top hook is not in line with the bottom hooks - top hook extends beyond the bottom hooks, so the QH15 has to be tilted to get the hooks to line up. And pins were missing, Floating top link (which I didn't order) was included. Seems like they have poor quality control and engineering. I'd recommend the Worksaver unit, which I believe is the one sold by Northern Tool, if you want to try a one-piece style Quick-Hitch, or look at the 2-piece units (Freedom, Jiffy). As someone pointed out earlier, the problem is that many implements that are "supposedly" Category I ain't - the pin spacing is different, etc...Keep in mind that the beauty and benefit of a 3-Point hitch is it's ability to adapt to different implements - the price of a 3-Point is that you have to adjust it when you hook it up. I have a "Quick-tatch" front hitch on my JD4100, which hooks up to 3 different implements, all made by JD. Works like a charm - but it should, since the same company designed both the hitch and the implements. ....
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| turfman
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 97 midwest
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2001-05-01 27629
I Have 3 tractor mounted hitches and 8 implement mounts that are all Freedom Hitches. I love this system. It is faster(back up, tilt the toplink from your seat to match the implement, pick it up, hook up the pto all in less than 3 minutes on any kind of ground) and safer especially if you are alone(no getting off the tractor, moving the implement or the tractor to make the pins match and then kicking the arms to make them go in). I really like this system the best as many have mentioned the uniformity problem with Cat. I implements. All eight implements are made by a different manufacturer and the Freedom Hitch has enough flexibility to be able to accomodate them all. I won't say that you don't need to make some adjustments, when you mount an implement to the hitch piece you might have to take back off and adjust the pin positions to make the implement hook up. But after you make the small adjustments....you will love it. By the way, it is the only quick hitch that works with follow trailing implements with pto like the Aeravator. It has a lot of space for the pto connection to travel. up and down and side to side. Hope this helps. ....
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| JeffM
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-05-03 27702
Your post helped me, Turfman. Now I have the itch even stonger to buy the Freedom Hitch. Don't worry, Mr. Joachim, my money wil find its way to you one of these days. ....
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| ronald65
Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 107 Montana
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2007-05-05 141810
I have been trying to log in to Freedomhitches.com and keep getting 403 error.I've tried to use links from solex.com same thing, Ron ....
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 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-05-05 141811
Ronald, did you notice that this thread was six years old? Freedom Hitches may not be around anymore, or maybe they were bought by another company? From googling it appears that the freedom hitches were made by a company called midwest industries, but they no longer list the product. They're at midwestindustries dot com. Maybe you could drop them an email? ....
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 | DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2007-05-05 141814
Ken/Ron,
Its funny because back around when this was "originally" posted, quick hitches were quite the discussion item. It's been awhile so maybe we all got that figured out or just gave up on a better hitch.
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| DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2007-05-05 141815
Ken/Ron and anyone that has alerts on this thread, I have been using this thread to fix a double quote " and single quote ' problem in the alerts that showed them in escaped format for web delivery instead of email format. So you have been inundated with my testing alerts, think I got it fixed now ;-)
Thanks so much Ron, guess we all ignored that for years!
Dennis ....
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-05-05 141818
I had to fiddle around with a couple of new implements to get them to work with the JD iMatch hitch but now that everything works I wouldn't want to do without. ....
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