"Our new 3-pt. hitch for utility vehicles works great for everything from planters to cultivators, seeders, lawn dethatchers, and snowplows. It lets you use your utility vehicle to do almost anything a compact tractor can do," says Mark Altemeier, RTV Hitchworks, Maineville, Ohio.

"The Farmboy" hitch, as it's called, is designed for utility vehicles equipped with a standard hydraulic system. It can be mounted either on the front or rear, while still allowing you to use the vehicle's hydraulic-operated dump bed.

The unit fastens to the utility vehicle's receiver hitch and comes with 2 other bolt-on brackets that hook up to the cross member on the vehicle's frame. A hydraulic cylinder hooks up directly to the hydraulic ports on back of the utility vehicle. The unit can handle loads of up to 600 lbs.

Altemeier, a produce farmer, came up with the idea as a way to cut costs. "I needed another tractor to pull a Deere 3-row planter that I had recently bought, but I didn't want to spend the money. My Kubota RTV already has a standard hydraulic system so I started looking for a hydraulic 3-pt. hitch for it. To my surprise, I couldn't find anything. So my 4-year-old son and I started building 'the contraption', as he calls it. I used it successfully last spring to plant sweet corn, beans and pumpkins. Farmers tell me it could also be used to plant field corners and drowned-out areas, and to plant wildlife food plots. It only takes about 15 min. to take the hitch on and off."

The Farmboy sells for $1,695 plus S&H.

Altemeier also offers a 3-pt., front-mounted snowplow called the Plowboy that attaches to the Farmboy. An optional hydraulic kit or actuator can be added, allowing you to change the blade angle automatically. "Kubota recommends purchasing heavy duty struts when using a snowplow on front of their RTV," says Altemeier.

The Plowboy sells for $1,395 plus S&H.

Also available is a hydraulic kit that mounts under the utility vehicle's hood. It comes with six 10-ft. hydraulic lines and hydraulic quick disconnect valves. The kit has 4 accessory ports, providing front and rear hydraulics, and operates off the utility vehicle's factory control valve.

The hydraulic kit sells for $995 plus S&H.

Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, RTV Hitchworks, 1295 U.S. 22 and 3, Maineville, Ohio 45039 (ph 513 260-3705; rtvhitchworks@gmail.com; www.rtvhitchworks.com).