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Small Tractors? Massey Ferguson 230?

aighead

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Welp, I bought some "Pat's Easy Change" adapters to (hopefully) make switching implements a bit easier. These things slip over the lower balls on the 3 pt. hitch, then get bolted down tight. Since nothing I do can be as easy as advertised, my balls were too wide (a common problem, I know!) and the adapter things would not slip over without some modification. I started grinding down the balls and I don't know if anyone knows it but those dang things wiggle and spin around a bunch. The balls were probably about 1.75" wide and they needed to be less than 1.4".

So, a test for you all, and more to see how dumb I am... It was a challenge to keep the balls exposed enough to grind them down. I've already got what I think it the correct answer, and it worked without messing up the shape and/or function of the ball.

How would you suggest grinding these things down a bit, I needed to lose a bit more than a quarter inch?
 

Delmer

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A belt sander would probably work as well as anything.

Did you check the bore diameter of the balls to make sure you have a cat 1 three point on the tractor? I'd expect a cat 2, but the internet says it's cat 1.
 

aighead

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I used a grinder but had to figure out how to keep the balls from moving... The answer I came up with is maybe simpler than I thought of for about an hour and a half.

I thought about if maybe it was cat 2 balls, I'm not sure. I'm likely not searching the correct words as the only thing I see is a John Deere spec of 1.77" for the balls. Mine were probably not quite that big.
 

Delmer

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Category 1 is 40HP and under and uses 7/8" pins, so the holes in the three point balls will be 7/8" also. Category 2 would be 1 1/8". There are other differences obviously, but that's the easiest to measure. There is some interchangeability between those two sizes with bushings, or replacing pins on equipment. Some tractors even have both sets of balls that pop out to change back and forth.
 

Welder Dave

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It's category 1 for sure. I've never seen where cat. 1 is only up to 40 HP. There are 70+ HP tractors with cat. 1 3 pt. hitch. Some of the tractors 60 HP and up have dual cat. 1 and cat. 2 3 pt's. and bushings are also very common. Regardless, I wouldn't grind the balls at all. It might cause them to come out. With experience hooking up implements gets a lot easier. A blade or mower are fairly easy to hook up. What you should look at is a quick hitch but need to make sure the lower links on your implements are the proper width for the quick hitch.
Edit. Just looked at your link. I bet you could get a full quick hitch with the same style of connectors for less money. What I'm not sure about is if those style lower link connectors work on single sided pins. By single sided I mean the pin is bolted on 1 end with the retaining pin on the other side as apposed to a loose pin supported by a steel plate on either side. I think a quick hitch would work on both but never looked into it very much. Just the different style connectors wouldn't make it much easier to hook up. You'd still have to move the implement back and forth or the tractor to hook them up. For 2 implements I don't thinks it's worth spending over $200 for different style connectors but that's just my opinion. Not all my implements have the same spread on the lower pins so a quick hitch wouldn't work on all the implements. I could use something to make changing implements easier though. I don't have much strength after the stem cell transplant and have several different implements I use.
 
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aighead

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Well, we'll see Dave. As per my usual it's already done! Balls are already ground down, I probably took off a bit less than a quarter inch or so. and I don't think they are going to pop out, especially with these adapters on them.

I looked at reviews for the full quick hitch and it looked like people had some issues with them, especially with implements of differing pin widths.

The ones I got are supposed to remove a lot of the hassle of lining the arms up and making sure everything is just right and level. Still need to hook up the middle hitch manually but I've heard nothing but raving reviews for the ones I got. I'll give a report later.
 

Welder Dave

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Maybe they will work good and make hooking up easier. I never had too much trouble hooking stuff up but I struggle now with most physical things. I go for a cortisone shot on Thu. because I have Bursitis in my right shoulder. My other joints ache but not as bad. My back is still the worst though. I don't really have to do anything other than be on my feet and my back feels like it's in knots. It makes even simple things a challenge and really sucks. Kneeling down it's hard to get back up.
 

aighead

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I guess I haven't made it abundantly clear that I'm a soft baby boy compared to you tough guys! :)

I hope it works, I'd imagine I'd get used to hooking stuff up but I figured I may as well take advantage of whatever I can to help avoid the frustration, which would inevitably make me not like using the tractor.

I hope you get to feeling better Dave.
 

colson04

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Apr 11, 2016
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Delton, Michigan
I've used quick hitches for years and love them. Well worth the investment. The downside, is you have to make all your implements fit the quick hitch you have, or else it doesn't work.

As for the PATS system, it works too. My father in law put them on his 30hp sub compact and is happy he did. He grew up farming so changing implements wasn't new to him, he was just looking for a quicker way to get more done in a day. He works a ton during the week and has limited time on weekends to cram as much in as possible. I'm pretty sure he had to tweak his 3 pt arms with a grinder to make his fit as well. Afterwards, he's been pretty happy with them. Makes it easy to drop his 3pt counterweight, grab the bush hog, then later, drop the bush hog for the grader blade, then put that away and grab his counter weight again. No muss, no fuss.
 

Welder Dave

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I've used quick hitches for years and love them. Well worth the investment. The downside, is you have to make all your implements fit the quick hitch you have, or else it doesn't work.

As for the PATS system, it works too. My father in law put them on his 30hp sub compact and is happy he did. He grew up farming so changing implements wasn't new to him, he was just looking for a quicker way to get more done in a day. He works a ton during the week and has limited time on weekends to cram as much in as possible. I'm pretty sure he had to tweak his 3 pt arms with a grinder to make his fit as well. Afterwards, he's been pretty happy with them. Makes it easy to drop his 3pt counterweight, grab the bush hog, then later, drop the bush hog for the grader blade, then put that away and grab his counter weight again. No muss, no fuss.
Nice to hear from someone who has experience with them. I hope they make it easier for aighead to hook implements up. Look forward to hearing how he likes them. I was thinking they are too expensive because I've seen quick hitches under $200 in Canada and figured the Pats couplers would be about $400 in Canada. What I need is a robot to hook and unhook implements. Some 3 pt. arms telescope in and out 2 or 3 inches which would make hooking up easier.
 

aighead

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I got them hooked up yesterday and they seem to work well! My issue currently is that the lynch pin on the mower deck rotates up and down on a pivot and the down angle is lower than the arm on the driver's side goes. I'll either have to figure out how to raise it while backing up or deal with it. It was still much, much easier to get off the tractor and lift the pin into the adapter thing. I haven't tried hooking up the blade yet but that should work well, I think. All in all I think I'll be pretty happy with the set up.
 

Old Doug

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I wanted to get some kind of a quick hitch but never have . My biggest problem is i try to put my implments in places out of the way and thats a place were its not flat or tight on space were i cant get lined up easy.
 

aighead

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From what I've read this style (Pat's Easy Change) seems to solve that problem Doug. These things leave the lower arms independent so they can adjust to off-level implements, it's not one big thing you install on the machine like skid steer quick change plates. You still need to get off the tractor with the Pat's system but it's just to hook up the upper link arm, not monkey around with the lower arms fitting into the balls.

I'm thinking, temporarily to raise my driver's side lynch pin, to just drop the mower deck front on a wood block to raise it up a bit, only need about 2 inches.
 

Welder Dave

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I got them hooked up yesterday and they seem to work well! My issue currently is that the lynch pin on the mower deck rotates up and down on a pivot and the down angle is lower than the arm on the driver's side goes. I'll either have to figure out how to raise it while backing up or deal with it. It was still much, much easier to get off the tractor and lift the pin into the adapter thing. I haven't tried hooking up the blade yet but that should work well, I think. All in all I think I'll be pretty happy with the set up.
Looking at your pic. of the mower and some online, I'd guess the rotating lower attachment points are to let the mower follow undulating ground but the left and right should rotate the same. I'd also guess the leveling crank on the right (passenger side) may be turned down and that's why it goes lower. With a mower you normally want them level from side to side. Online it looks like there is a pin behind the rotating attachment point that that prevents it from dropping too far. If the lifting arms are level when lowered but only the left side rotates or rotates lower than the right side drill a hole in the frame to put a bolt to stop it from rotating down so far. You could put a little spacer on the bolt or a couple thick washers. Another option would be to weld a little piece of round bar on the frame to do the same thing. If I'm mistaken can you post pics. of the left and right attachment points on the mower?
I just thought of something you may already know, the lift arms can be easily raised by hand when hooking up implements but they raise together. It is usually easier to connect the lowest arm 1st and the 2nd arm will raise a little bit to ease putting it on. If the arms are quite a bit different in height or the implement is on really uneven ground, hook up the left lift arm 1st. and use the leveling crank on the right lift arm to move the arm and or down as required. Once attached you can level the arms back out with the same crank. The leveling crank can be use to tilt your rear blade too if you want to do some light ditching. If you ever hook up a 3pt. plow, you have to use the leveling crank because the left and right arms hook up at different heights. The leveling crank lets you adjust the plow to be level with the ground and/or adjust how aggressive it cuts into the ground. I thinks it's called a leveling crank mostly because it's for leveling a plow.
 

aighead

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So my manual calls for SAE 20 engine oil. I'll be dogged if I can find it anywhere that isn't in the hundreds of dollars range for a 5 gallon bucket. Is that right?

I found McMaster Carr has some for less than 200 bucks but I don't know if I should trust that?
 

Delmer

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Is this a continental gas engine? I'd use any modern dino oil, 10w30, 10w40 whatever. Or 15w40 if you have that, the new stuff doesn't have the ash it used to before diesel emmisions treatment, so it won't foul spark plugs as bad.
 

aighead

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Thanks guys! Yes, I think it is the Continental gas engine. Somehow I missed the notification that you'd replied. I don't believe the oil has been changed in this beast in quite a while, so sourcing sae20 as slowly as I was was concerning to me. Nice to hear I should just be able to run to the local auto parts store. I need to look into the hydraulic oil that was mentioned above and hook up with some of that too...
 
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