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"Ballast Hitch" Great For Compact Tractors
Greg Parnow wanted a way to easily add rear ballast to his compact tractor without losing use of his hitch. His Heavy Hitch does both and more.
  “I have a long, steep driveway that needs to be cleared of snow in the winter, and I needed ballast to counter the front-end loader,” explains Parnow. “I also wanted to be able to use my receiver hitch-mounted salt spreader.”
  With the help of his father-in-law, Parnow came up with a few designs. After a handful of prototypes, he settled on one that does everything he wanted. After using it for a while, he made a second and offered it on eBay.
  “It sold quickly, and I made a few more, and they sold as well,” explains Parnow. “I added a website, and sales took off. I quit my job and started selling them full-time. Sales have really taken off.”
  The versatility and ease of use makes it easy to see why the Heavy Hitch is in demand. With its 3-pt. quick-attach hitch pins, Parnow can pick it up fully loaded. Offsetting is just as easy.
  “I can hang up to 600 lbs. of weight on my hitch using standard suitcase weights,” says Parnow. “Yet, when I set it down on its storage cart, my 7-year old daughter can push it across a concrete floor.”
  The weight frame includes a standard 2-in. receiver hitch. An optional second receiver hitch can be installed top/center on the frame for use moving gooseneck trailers.
  “I just back under a trailer and raise the Heavy Hitch on my 3-pt. to engage it,” says Parnow. “If I’m just moving it around the yard, I leave the jack stand in place and set it down where I want to leave it.”
  Other options include a sleeve hitch adapter. It lets Parnow use his hitch with older style, sleeve hitch tillage equipment like a Brimley Plow. It includes two, 5/8-in. Allen screws. They secure the implement side to side. A connecting pin locks the implement in place.
  Parnow’s Heavy Hitch fits any ASAE standardized quick attach, including John Deere’s iMatch and other brands. It comes in black, John Deere Green and Kubota orange. Models are available for Cat. 0 and Cat. 1 hitches. An upgrade model is available for use with 70-lb. suitcase weights.
  The Cat. 0 Heavy Hitch starts at $189. The Cat. 1 model starts at $219. The stand with wheels sells for $149.
  Parnow also offers a toolbar ($79) that fits the standard receiver hitch. Off-the-shelf coulters, chisel plow shanks or other tools can be attached as desired to create a customized tillage tool. Parnow does offer a variety of clamps as well as disc hillers, sweeps, ripper shanks and other tillage tools.
  “When used with weights on the Heavy Hitch, you have instant down pressure on tillage tools, even if you don’t have down pressure capability on the tractor’s 3-pt.,” notes Parnow.
  Other options include a chain hook receiver hitch ($20) on the Heavy Hitch, pallet forks ($249) that fit on the lower bar of the Heavy Hitch frame and a pickup bar ($39) for picking up and hauling trash cans.
  “We call the trash can pickup our Hitch’N Can,” says Parnow. “It makes it easy to take the garbage can out a long driveway.”
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Heavy Hitch, 
S3516 Falcon Dr., 
Fountain City, Wis. 54629 (ph 507 450-8151; toll free 888 337-8999; info@heavyhitch.com; www.heavyhitch.com).



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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #4