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Posted by: NY450ES
just got the cycle country 3 point hitch, CC moldboard plow and CC disc. Assembly was required, now I'm waiting for the ATV mount for my Foreman to come Fri so it can be tested. Will post once I've used it.
Posted by: NY450ES
well....we're pretty happy with the equipment from cycle country. The plot that we did is a grass field that was never tilled. I was told to disc it first, pick up rocks, disc again, then rocks and then plow it, pick up rocks and finally disc it again. ALOT of time was spent picking up ALOT of ROCKS. To make life easier I am going to spray the grass with Round Up just to make life easier the next time we disc.
We made a couple of mistakes. First, the grass should have been killed. The root system of the grass was almost 3 inches thick! If the grass was dead it would have been 100x easier. Next, the wieght of the quad and the implement is not enough. CC should have developed their implements with trays so more weight could be placed on the implement. We wound up strapping 3 bags of portland cement on the back rack of the foreman. That was enough weight to do the trick. When we disked with the added weight the implement worked like a charm. But the down links bent as a result of all the down pressure. So we fabbed the link arms out of thicker steel. Did the trick.
Just remember when making a food plot..if the land has never been tilled get ready to pick up alot of rocks before you can the soil how you like it. I got a deal of the century on the hitch and implements....if I had to pay full price I would advise you not to buy. For that amount of money buy yourself a tractor.
Posted by: NY450ES
Reb2,
I wish we had a tractor to scoop the rocks up. Why do you think placing weight on the implement would work against ATV? I figured it would push the implement in the ground and there would be LESS strain on the link arms. I bent one side pretty bad because the disc would forcibly be pushed up off of the ground and the link arms would get the full brunt of that force when I had all that weight on the back rack. I think if the weight was on the implement those link arms would not have had the pressure exerted on it....the disc would have taken the brunt and might have broke instead too. Who knows whats better. I appreciate your info....if you have any more tips, please respond. I am willing to try different ways to come up with the best way of using these implements. By the way are you using the CC 3 point hitch?
-John
Posted by: NY450ES
yup I see your point. The CC hitch has the ability to float if I take a pin out. When I let it float the disc doesn't work as well, only because of all the rocks. If there wasn't that many rocks...it would be better to use the float system. I wish I had known about your product sooner!
Posted by: LDouglasLJr
Wow, that looks like a very good setup for your 3 point hitch. Do you make them for anyone or are you waiting until you patent is done before that happens? I've looked at the CC, Koplin and a couple of others but none look as good as your setup does. Is the setup the same for the front to apply the down pressure?
Posted by: Reb2
As just a friendly suggestion, go buy one rather than build one. You will be money ahead. Kolpin and Cycle Country both have one plus there are several available that mount on a trailer. As long as you are only doing light to medium duty work the existing systems should work fine but each has its own problems.
I built one for heavy duty work and can tell you from experience the chance of damaging your ATV and ag. system are high if it isn't done exactly right. Mine works well now but I have been at this for several years to get it to this point. Just this weekend I mounted a rake on it for a landscaper that is interested in my system.
Posted by: Reb2
Actually I would do the same thing myself and I admire someone willing to get in and do a job.
Plan on a lot of side force so use a good sway chain. Don't rely on a receiver hitch to hold the side force.
Not sure what kind of actuator you have but plan on the actuator pulling the implement down, not pushing it down. If you try pushing it down the actuator will bend or break from the jarring of the implement. Basically, lift the implement up and pull it down.
Good luck.
Posted by: Reb2
Originally I bought the Quadivator which is along the same line as the Agri Fab unit. Unless you add a lot of weight to them they will just bounce across the top of the ground depending on how hard the ground is. To get them to cut you have to add weight to the implement but that weight works against the ATV or garden tractor. With my soil conditions, that type of system won&39;t work which is why I built my own.
Posted by: Reb2
NY450ES, take a look at my pictures. Last fall I had to dig a trench for a new water line which exposed a lot of rocks, some up to 30" in diameter. I have kind of a before and after picture showing the rocks before I cleared any. I just used the rake on my ag. system to wind row the rocks and then scooped them up with my small tractor. It still isn't finished but over the summer I will finish it up.
Putting the weight on the back rack is a lot better than putting it on the implement from my experience. When the weight is on the implement once it is on the ground that weight is working against the ATV. On everything I have tried my Traxtor has worked well without extra weight but the option is still there to add weight if I ever need it.
Posted by: Reb2
It is a lot easier for the ATV to haul the weight than to drag the weight. With the weight is on the implement, once the implement is on the ground you are dragging it along with the extra weight. If the weight is on the back rack it is helping you traction wise but you aren't dragging the extra weight. I did some expermenting on this with the trailer type ag. systems which your three point system wouldn't be as bad as the trailer type system but would still have some of the same effect. I suspect the reason the link arms bent isn't because you did anything wrong, just the system is built too light and the design is unforgiving.
The system I have is one I designed and built because I couldn't find a system that would do what I wanted to do and hold up. If you look at my system you will see that I apply a forgiving down pressure which means if I hit something while plowing the implement can raise without lifting the back of the ATV. Once the implement gets over the object then it automatically goes back down. My system also doesn't lift the back of the ATV when down pressure is applied like your CC system does so traction issues are miminized. Just click on the camera below my name and you will see what I am talking about.
Posted by: Reb2
I am working with a fab company to build the first production model which will prove out my prints. Once that is done I will build a small batch, 3 or 4, which are presold. That will get a few other people using them so I can see what kind of problems they may have in operating them. From there I will start offering them for sale.
The snowplow system uses the same principles. Last fall I sold several so people could start using them and I could get the feed back. The end result was there wasn't a single problem with any of them. We get a fair amount of snow here so each of these systems received a good work out. I expect this fall I will start offering the snowplow system to the general market.
These systems have been developed over an 8 year period so you can see I haven't pushed it. I want to make sure they serve a purpose.
Posted by: Deerkiller
Hi,
I had a similar plan as you with lifting things from the rear.
The ones available are real expensive. One of the things to me was you are somewhat commited to attachments manufacture by the place that makes the 3 point setup.
I ended up modifying a sleeve hitch from a garden tractor. Sears, Brinley,Cub and John Deere all make them and they are standarized more or less. This lets you use a variety of equipment from different manufacturers. Also making up your own implements isn't too difficult if you can cut and weld steel.
I've taken a Brinley 38" rear blade and extended it by a foot each side. I lift the sleeve hitch with a 1 ton harbor freight winch.
I don't have pictures of the setup yet but it is all attached to the machine via existing holes in the frame and the 2 bolts holding the lower A arms of the suspension. When I'm ready to trade up i can pull the lift off and the quad isn't hacked up.
The rear plow is the nuts for plowing snow. It adds enough weight to the rear to keep excellent traction even with a big plow on the front.
It cuts my turning in half as i can back up to a garage or barn and pull the snow away. Turning is a pain if you don't have to or are not pushing snow.
With one very light winter i paid for both plows and winches on the jobs i do.
I cannot tell you about the three point setups but i design and build things for a living. For the most part the more simple the idea and mechinism the better of you are going to be. Less crap to break and go wrong.
Deerkiller
Posted by: paz21paz
Check this one out. I found it in a magazine, It eliminates the weight on the quad and no actuators. A cheap winch from ebay will do the trick. Let me know what you all think. I think it would be easier to make and you could use it on more than 1 machine.
http://www.agri-fab.com/3pt45_0353.html
Posted by: paz21paz
I bought a Polaris 3 point that is actual a Cycle Country hitch. I also have one for sale that is the same thing. It was made for Polaris explorer models and some others. However I had to modify 2 brackets and ity works great on my 2005 sportsman. If anyone is interested let me know. thanks
Posted by: calsatman
i have also looked into 3 point hitches and will probaly build my own when i get around to it. the main option i wanted on mine was a raise/lower system that could be used from the drivers seat. i looked into a few options for this and came up with either electric over hydraulic or a linear actuator arm but both these options are pretty pricey. you will have to watch as in my opinion a 3 point hitch will put alot of stress on the frame and other components and if your pulling a heavy attachment and was to hook a stump or big rock you would risk breaking something. this is just my point of veiw though so good luck.
Posted by: Sidekickmechanic700
i was wondering if anyone here had a 3-point hitch setup on their four wheeler. i'm planning on making one up for my sportsman this spring/summer. i got my idea from the Kolpin "dirtworks series" setup.
i'm just seeing what everyone else thinks about 3-point hitches and if anyone has anything bad to say about them. good or bad, let me know.
Posted by: Sidekickmechanic700
well, i'm not going to be having any large attachments, it will be setup for cultivating the garden, and possibly a pull behind plow blade for fixing the driveway. both attachments will be custom made, close to the same size as the Kolpin setup, which is for atvs, and the right size for atvs(not too heavy).
i'm planning on having either one or two 12 VDC linear actuators for the lifting system. both run into the same switch if i do the dual actuators.
i won't be doing any thing big, and if i pull anything it will not be pulled by the 3-point setup.
the setup that i am going to have is going to attach into my receiver that i made, so it will be easy to take off and put back on.
Posted by: Sidekickmechanic700
thanks deerkiller for your insite to your setup, i bet that works really nice.
Reb2- i understand the fact that everything has to be perfect especially with expensive things (ie. atvs). my plan is for light work only, lifting no more than 150 pounds(attachments). i actually will be farther ahead money wise if i make it myself, since i have tons of metal to work with(free), and the tools for the job. the only thing i will have to invest in will be the actuators, which i can get for an average price. instead of paying close to $600 on the lift alone, i will be able to design and create the lift and attachments for less than half that.
i thank you Reb for your opinion though, but i will make my own instead of buying one. i have the skills to do the job, so i might as well use them, right?
Posted by: Sidekickmechanic700
that is exactly what my plan is, the actuator will be pulling the attachment down to the ground, not pushing. thanks for that tip though!
Posted by: Sidekickmechanic700
i've seen those agri-fab kits, and i don't really like the setup. you would need alot of weight like Reb said.
i'm not going to be using this on any other machines(i only have one) so i'm just making it to work with my machine right now, i can modify it later if i need to use it on some other machine.
Posted by: Sidekickmechanic700
The CC is like the Koplin... will be interested in seeing your pics and hearing your opinion of it.
Posted by: fudd
I am interested in more info regarding your design of the 3 point hitch setup. It sounds like you may have a better design (heavy duty with down pressure) than the Kolpin, or CC .
