Need Info On Ball Hitch

M

mtntopper

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Doc or anyone else with info, can you please post a pic of your clamp on ball hitch for front end of tractor? I have been trying to figure out something to position trailers with and keep the loader bucket/grapple in place. I need to be able to get my 24 foot gooseneck in tight areas when cleaning up slash. It takes a lot of width to pull it through or back it up any distance with a truck attached.
 

Doc

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Good timing. I'll get a pic of it when I take photos of my forks. :thumb:

I have a 25' boat, about 30' with trailer tongue and all. Backing it through the 10' doors to my pole building was a chore. Twisting around in the truck to see behind and check both sides etc ...

With an 8' beam on the boat I'd guess my trailer is 9' wide. With the clamp on ball on my FEL it is soooo easy to push the trailer just where I want it.

I bought both the clamp on forks and ball from paynesforks.
http://www.paynesforks.com/

Both are good quality items. They have pictures on the web site I'm sure, but I'll get you some different angles on what I have later today.
 

Av8r3400

Member
I have a rig that goes in the 3-pt that is "T" shaped with a goose-neck ball on the top and a 3" reciever at the bottom.

$100 from the big-box farm store. Why use the loader??
 

PBinWA

Member
I hook the safety chains to the hooks on my loader and just move it around that way. No need to attach anything. I do have a 3Pt attachment if I'm actually going to be hauling the trailer.
 

Doc

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I have a rig that goes in the 3-pt that is "T" shaped with a goose-neck ball on the top and a 3" reciever at the bottom.

$100 from the big-box farm store. Why use the loader??

The clamp on ball cost 89 dollars when I bought it. So I guess we are down to personal preference.

I like the trailer in front of me. I also find it adventagous to have the ball closest to the front wheels, since they do the turning / maneuvering. I've backed for years with a ball hitch on my truck. I mostly use implements that I have to constantly turn around to see what I'm accomplishing ...so I'm happy to have the hitch out front where I don't have to turn around to see where I'm going with the trailer. It works for me.
 

Doc

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here is a pic of the ball hitch (in use) :D
 

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Av8r3400

Member
Here is what I use. (I didn't realize that you leave the BH attached.)
 

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hgl1ntt

New member
Saw this and thought it might work for you. It is shown in the storage position and you just swap it around to use it. If you use one of those multi ball units you will find it even more useful and it is always where you need it.
 

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California

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For my smaller scale Yanmar a ball bolted right to the bucket works fine. I liked it so well as a 'saddlehorn' to hang stuff from, that I added four more attachment points. These are 'cold shuts', malleable chain splices, left open. They work great to attach my 5/16 lifting chains to, plus smaller stuff like this.

DSCN5022rAppleBucketsInLoader.JPG

And the simple unreinforced ball is sufficient for my purposes. Here I'm lifting the 4x8 trailer to unload 3/4 ton of builder's sand. This is the only time there has been a heavy load on that hitch, so far as I can remember. That trailer usually carries no more than a load of brush, if I have to haul the trailer backward because the backhoe etc is on the tractor.

attachment.php
 

Doc

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Good pics guys. :thumb:

I would like the welded on receiver for a ball hitch but from the looks of it, I could not lower the ball close enough to the ground for my needs. My door is 10' high. Plenty high when I built the pole barn but once my son and SIL added towers to their ski boats 10' was no longer high enough. I have to put the ball down as low to the ground as possible to get through the door without the top of the tower hitting my door frame.

With the clamp on on the lip I can get it as low as needed. Since my pic in this thread I've added a tooth bar. The clamp on ball hitch now clamps onto the tooth bar which makes it more sturdy, and it does not twist when in use.
 

urednecku

Member
Good pics guys. :thumb:

and it does not twist when in use.


That's what I was wondering about....I've got one of the clamp-on, the time or 2 I've used it the ball kept swinging from side to side, couldn't tighten it enough to keep it still. Not to mention I can't see it to get hooked up by myself.
 

Doc

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Mine has a bar that helps it seat right against the loader lip. That helps eliminate the twist. Now the tooth bar also helps eliminate it. Depending on how tight you have to turn it can still twist some, especially with a heavier tongue weight, but I have never lost a load / trailer due to the twist.
 
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