Do-It-Yourself Quick Hitch

Do-It-Yourself Quick Hitch HITCHES Hitches 24-3-29 "The drawbar hitch pin on this tractor isn't visible from the cab, so we had to constantly get on and off to line things up. That wasted time and puts the operator at risk. I wanted something that would speed things up and be safer for my young son," says John Schreyer, St. Anne, Manitoba, about the quick-hitch he built for his Versatile 276 bi-directional tractor. Schreyer's hitch is designed so that the wagon tongue only has to be within 6 in. of the center of the receiver to engage. A lock pin drops and locks automatically. The wagon is uncoupled û stopped or moving û using tractor hydraulics. A pivoting hitch bar simply pins to the front of the wagon tongue. It moves back and forth to find the center of the receiver "cone" on the tractor. The hitch bar has a slot in it. Once it finds the hole and slides into the hitch, a lock pin is pushed down into the slot by a small double-acting hydraulic cylinder that locks it into place. To release the wagon, you simply lift the lock pin up. Truck leaf springs mount under the wagon to hold it up for hitching. Schreyer says the exact dimensions of the hitch are not important. You could use different materials and different parts. But the concept of the pivoting hitch bar û pinned to the front of the drawbar û and the locking cam are the key components. "Now I can send one person to the field to load and haul bales. We sell a lot of hay and move a lot of hay for our dairy cattle, so this one-person setup really helps," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Schreyer, St. Anne, Manitoba, Canada.

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