Finding a sorse for sleve hitch steel

[Ingersoll444]

I have an old homemade landscape rake/cultavator, I want to make fit on a sleve hitch. I am having a HECK of a tiem finding some steel to make the hitch part of the attachment. I dont want to spend big bucks, but I have not been able to locate a big enough peice of channle to fit on my sleve hitch. Any one have any "slavage steel" ideas? I was going to make something out of flat steel, and just bend to fit, but at this time I dont have the equpiment to bend something thick enough. Any one make any sleve hitch attachments? What did you use??

[War Eagle]

Paul, I made this ball/pin adapter to fit on my sleeve hitch from angle iron. It's bolted together since I don't weld. Like you, I coulden't find any channel iron that would fit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/dlh2dlh2/hitchadapter1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/dlh2dlh2/ballorpin.jpg

[horseman1]

I have made a lot of these for my sleeve hitch projects. The easiest way I have found is to take 2 pieces of 2" 3/16 thick angle iron and weld them together. This comes out almost exactly right. I'll look for a picture of something I did that way for you.

Kurt

[horseman1]

This picture shows it a little. This was for making a trench for an electric dog fence.

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

[Bruceman]

I make mine like Kurt does. If that's not possible, contact Brinley-Hardy or Agrifab, Bet they'll sell you one, or if you are ever in Oklahoma, stop by, I usually have an extra one lying around. E-mail me if you want, we can work something out.

Bruce

[Bruceman]

Kurt, how did that trencher work for you? Looks like you made that spade, nice work.

Bruce

[horseman1]

Hi Bruce,

It worked well for this task (invisible dog fence). For much of anything else, it isnt too useful. Also, I should have added more space between the tractor and the spade and made the distance from the spade to top longer. I had to stop and dig the clods out every once in a while. The other thing I could have done was to make the pitch adjustable. I had to dig a hole to get started, but after that it was fine. I used this when I had the manual sleeve hitch that I was able to lock in the down position. With the winch powered hitch, I would need the services of a son to stand on it :). I think it would work the best with an electric actuator.

Like many of my projects, I sometimes build them with one task in mind, dont spend a lot of time on the details and is usually made of materials I have collected or purchased for repairs of some type (read cheap). Many quick ones like this never see a coat of paint. One good thing I can say about them is they usually arent flimsy :)

Kurt

[Ingersoll444]

Nice job!! That peice looks so nice you dont NEED paint!!

Thanks for the tip on the angle aron. I thought I tryed that a year or so, and it would not work, but maybe I was using the wrong size. I will check agean. Thanks!!

[Argee]

War Eagle....nice job on that ball/pin adapter. Goes to show you that you don't need a welder if your ceative enough. ;)

[Ingersoll444]

Well happands I found something in my own scrap pile. Sometimes you just have to open the eyes I giess.

[Carl]

Nice job on that hitch.

More skyscrapers are fastened together with bolts than welded!

But which uses more electricity? Drilling the hole for the bolt. Or welding?