ball hitch

[Q'man]

I'm looking for something I can purchase to mount on the back of the new tractor to mount a ball hitch and pin types without removing one or the other.

It would be really nice if it was such a device that didn't get in the way of the sleeve hitch down the road or even was part of the sleeve hitch.

I found something on the craftsman site that's one piece but don't want to bend the frame or put to much tongue wait in one spot. Would rather see it attached to at least 3 areas.

I've noticed a lot of homemade jobs, but I'm not that good to make one.
Any suggestions?

[simple_john]

I bought this at cabellas:

http://a1460.g.akamai.net/f/1460/1339/6h/www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/52/09/20/i520920sq01a.jpg


heres the link..
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp;jsessionid=NFGJNQNDLNHEFTQSNOISCOWOCJVZII WE?id=0006000520920a&navAction=jump&navCount=0&indexId=&podId=0006000&catalogCode=UD&parentId=&parentType=&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.1_A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true&_requestid=25691

i still have it under my desk.. never installed it as some folks said it 'may' damage my hitch plate..
i believe a few folks use them though..

it only attaches in 1 place so trhis may not be what you are looking for...

[draddogs]

Q'man, does your tractor have a rear hitch at all????

John, I may be wrong but it looks like the ball and pin hitch bolts to you tractors hitch plate. If that is so then the plate is fastened to frame and possibly axle which involves 4 or more mtng points on the frame and or axle. It all comes down to the amount of weight you plan on putting on the hitch and the terrain to be traveled. Those standard hitches I am sure capable of towing 500-1000lbs which should give you a tongue weight in the neighborhood of 50-100 lbs. Unless you are over weight as I , you can probably use that adapter. I would check you owners manual for the proper weights for the tongue and towing weights. ;)

Q'man let us know about the rear hitch on your tractor. :)

[Q'man]

My tractor is the husqvarna gt 22hp.

John, that is the exact hitch I was looking at; but wasn't sure of buying it for the reason of damaging the hitch plate like you said. It is a nice set up, but all the weight is at one point.

I've seen some people here make their own, that mount in 3 different spots to the plate, has anyone accross something like that?

I would be interested to know if anyone is using the one John has? For my use I would like to move a 19 ft carolina skiff from the barn to the house. No worries about braking, since I'm in Fl all is flat.

[simple_john]

I would be interested to know if anyone is using the one John has?

Leolav? you out there? i think he uses one

[Q'man]

Ernie...there's no hitch yet.
Now I'm just toting a small dump cart for yard work with a pin connection, using the whole in the hitch plate.

[draddogs]

Q'man, what tongue weight for your 19' boat?

Have you given thought to a sleeve hitch which would allow you to use ground engaging equipment or a ball for things such as moving trailers??

[Q'man]

I thought about the sleeve hitch, didn't know you could use a ball hitch with it. That would be perfect. The tongue weight is almost 200 #. Would that be too heavy?

I appreciate the info., I'm still learning what the tractor will/ won't do. I've seen the sleeve hitch on the gt but didn't see how the ball would attach; or is it just used on the regular whole that is on the plate?

[bontai Joe]

A 200 pound tongue weight is a lot! Any way to lighten that a little?

[Q'man]

I can move the boat on the bunks a bit, it is heavy in the front. But it comes off the trailer easier this way.

I also have a cart with a 1 7/8 hitch I want to pull around the yard, so the boat isn't the only thing in tow. You think it's too much for this tractor (husqvarna gt)? I saw a picture of a guy pulling a heavier boat with his gt. So it can be done, but I don't want to put too much strain on it.

I looked through the manual and couldn't find any pulling or weight info.

[bontai Joe]

I've pulled as much if not more with an old Deere 316, but the hitch plate on that is 1/4" steel plate with formed gussets and bolted to a 1/4" thick frame member. Deere doesn't build the 300 series like that anymore, more like 1/8" thick sheet metal.
old Deere hitch plate:
http://cgi.ebay.com/JOHN-DEERE-110-112-120-140-300-312-314-REAR-HITCH-PLATE_W0QQitemZ7711742231QQcategoryZ50374QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[John WA]

I'm not sure if this one will fit your tractor and it is pricey but take a look at it. This guy makes some other interesting stuff too, but they're all pricey.

Here is the link: http://hayes-ent.com/hitch/MultiHitch.htm

[bontai Joe]

That is a pretty slick setup for a multipurpose hitch! Yeah, a little pricey, but very versitile!

[bontai Joe]

Man.... I knew I saw that Hayes logo somewhere else. They are a sponcer at www.weekendfreedommachines.ORG and the guys at WFM won't take sponcers unless they are ok :fing32: So if it's worth the $$ to you to solve the problem, they should be OK to deal with.

[jbetts15]

this is that l made l have to take if off then l want to use a pin type trailer but it works good it does not put much wait on the hitch plate eather but all a pull is a 4x8 trailer my hitch does have a hole bignuff to put a ball in it but it sits to low so all this does is raise it a bit

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jbetts13/Ballhitch3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jbetts13/ballhitch2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/jbetts13/ballhitch.jpg

[Q'man]

Thanks John...that's a sweet hitch set up, I like the height it gives too; but 200 bucks.
I guess you get what you pay for. With that set up, you don't much have to worry about the weight distribution; it's a solid set up and fits the pin also.

[horseman1]

Here is a thread that shows a few.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=2368

I made a height adjustable 2" receiver with wheels that attaches to a sleeve hitch for towing a large horse trailer. The wheels eliminate the tongue weight issue.

[Q'man]

That's a great idea with the wheels and the horse trailer. Do you have any pics? I would like to see that set up. I saw the green bracket you made earlier, when I did a search. Can you still mount a sleeve hitch with that on? You have some talent. Looks like it was made for your tractor. Nice work.

[horseman1]

Thanks Qman,

I'm likely to get teased about this funny looking thing, but it really works good. It was one of my first tractor projects I came up with. The picture isnt very good but I hope you get the idea. The column that hooks to the sleeve hitch is made of 2" receiver tube. The wheels slide in the bottom and are secured with a 5/8 pin. Because of all the holes in the column, both the wheels and the 2" receiver are somewhat adjustable.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/kurt_co/welding/hitch-ball2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/kurt_co/welding/wheels1.jpg

[Bruceman]

Qman, if you're just going to be pulling light stuff with the pin hitch, why not not just take a piece of 1/4" stock say 4" long or so, and drill two holes one to sandwich between the ball and the rear plate of the mower so the 1/2" hole sticks out the back enough for your pinned attachments? Now if you foresee any heavy weight AKA full lawn sweeper back there, then you would want to go up behind the back of the rear plate or some thing for added support.
You can't see it real well but this is how I did mine with the sleeve hitch bracket mounted. It has 3 holes, suppoted by the ball and the bolt.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/lazydog8870/108_0816.jpg

[Bruceman]

Horseman, I've been wanting to find some time to build a engine hoist/boom pole for mine, to run off the winch. I have some scetches that aren't too far off from that beast you made.
I'm too embarrassed to show my first L/G project ( a landscape rake, made from 3 steel tine rake heads, 2 push mower wheels and mounting/adjusting hardware, some steel pipe, handle bars from a broadcast spreader, bent-up length of rebar and one nut and bolt

[horseman1]

Bruceman,

I welded that thing up with a free 120V stick welder, 1/16 rods, many passes and it took me way too long and lord knows how many of those little rods. Never again. I bought a new welder shortly after this project.

The biggest problem with that pole was the danger of the cable coming back to visit me if it were to break. Also, make the wheels a little wider for better stability and have a axle larger than 5/8 (I bent mine a couple times pulling t-posts) For those of you who havent had the pleasure of seeing this contraption, the pole goes into the top of the column and a couple pulleys run the winch cable to the object (victim) to be lifted:). The scorn and ridicule I would receive for posting a picture of this thing might be more than I could deal with! :bonk:

[horseman1]

OSHA would have a fit.....Dont try this at home and I'm not a professional.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/kurt_co/tractors/septic_lid1a.jpg

[chrpmaster]

Kurt

OSHA may not like it but I sure do. very good project! :trink40:

Andy

[horseman1]

Thanks Andy, it was quite useful for a few things. It does have its downfalls like I mentioned. Also, driving around with a 200 lb 6 foot pendulum has its own hazards!

Q'man,

What are you thinking you might go with? Do you need a 1-7/8 ball or a 2"? If all you need is the 1-7/8 then buy a sleeve hitch and put on a 1-7/8 inch ball with a 5/8 inch shank through the hole and you are done. A 2" ball will require a 3/4 inch shank and some amount of fabrication will be required. I think the stock drawbar might bend some without the reinforcements like JBetts did.

[Q'man]

Horseman,
I really liked the adjustable set up you have with wheels. I may try to do something like that. I want to move the boat around and don't want to bend the hitch plate. Looks like you got the solution with the wheels. 1 7/8 will work fine for my yard trailer and moving the boat from the barn to the front garage. Thanks for the tips, good lookin stuff you put together.

[chrpmaster]

Kurt

your set up gave me an idea on how to operate a dump trailer I had been planning. I already have the winch and donor trailer. I will need to fab up the dump capability for the trailer and I'm thinking your setup would work well to pull up the front of the trailer to empty it. I don't have any kind of hydrualics on the tractor nor do I have any available in the scrap pile so I think I'll need to use some kind of electric setup. I may do the wheel setup like you did to use it without the trailer.

Thanks for the idea
Andy

[professor]

Qman, I suggest a big angle iron across the back with both balls mounted on it - keep it close to the back of the tractor - not hanging out where the weight would be a big lever. Attached this way, the 200# tongue weight is no problem. You could do the thing without welding, using bolts into the sides of the rear mount and bolting the angle to the existing tab. The more mounts the better. I made a super strong frame style hitch for my old Mustang using multi- point attachments to the hitch bar. Same principle. You do need to be able to drill holes and saw off steel.

Mike

[horseman1]

Mike has a good idea. I dont think that 200 lbs would be too much if i is close like he recommends.

Andy,

You're welcome. I planned on a dump trailer too for the winch to lift and I even welded up the frame for it, but when I got the 2210 with the FEL I didnt need one for the tasks I had in mind.