1. Welcome Hearth.com Guests and Visitors - Please enjoy our forums!
    Hearth.com GOLD Sponsors who help bring the site content to you:
    Jotul Cast Iron Stoves
    Woodstock Soapstone Stoves
    Hearth and Home (QuadraFire and Harman Stoves)
  1. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    Thanks Jags...will do. I'll try and take some pics before and after drilling

    The best laid plans.... I just wanted a cheap, simple solution. I think I'm now over $30 into this. The darn 5/8 bit was $17. Oh well, still beats me pulling this thing around the yard myself.
    #26

    Helpful Sponsor Ads!



  2. Jags Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2006
    11,309 posts
    Northern Illinois
    Too bad you weren't local to me. I would have made you one for 39 cents in welding rod.
  3. bsa0021 Feeling the Heat

    joined: Oct 1, 2008
    393 posts
    Ohio
    Here's what I did. About $5.

    Attached Files:

  4. gzecc Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 24, 2008
    2,855 posts
    NNJ
    Talk about nuts and bolts. I found this plow frame (on the side of the road) and it fit on my cat 0, 3 point hitch. It does it all for me. Tows my 3 trailers with 2" balls and my drop pin trailer. It also pulls a landscape rake.

    Attached Files:

  5. 'bert Minister of Fire

  6. adrpga498 Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    751 posts
    New Jersey
    I used the drill bit along with a round rat tail file. Worked for me, and I'm far from mechanicly inclined. 2" ball goes from garden tractor to truck which ever is pullin gthe splitter next.
  7. iceman Minister of Fire

    could you show us a pic??
  8. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    I would have thrown in a 12 pack for good measure. :lol:

    I'm going to drill the hole out this week and hopefully get the ball installed.
  9. LLigetfa Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 9, 2008
    7,310 posts
    NW Ontario
    WOW, a dozen welding rods! I'm drooling. ;-P
  10. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    LMAO! "beer"; a 12 pack of beer! The universal currency. :coolsmile:
  11. LLigetfa Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 9, 2008
    7,310 posts
    NW Ontario
    PFFT! Lose the dog and make it a two-four of Canadian beer.
  12. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    Kids...nothing is easy!

    So I get the tractor out of the shed yesterday, bring it up to the garage, get out all the tools, pull out the new bit grab my corded drill....the friggin shank on the new bit is too big for the drill chuck. WTF!, So, for ha ha's, I pull out the cordless drill...the chuck is big enough. Battery is totally dead. So I loaded up the trailer with wood while it charged. Once it was done, it took under a minute to drill the hole out. So, this project was weeks in the making between ordering the ball, getting the bit ect...and the actual drilling out takes less than a minute. Irony.

    I'll post some pics this weekend. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice!
  13. gzecc Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 24, 2008
    2,855 posts
    NNJ
    Skier, I agree, nothing is easy. I'm a contractor, everything takes planing and the right tools. You going to use oil when you drill that hole?
  14. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    I did use some oil. It was such a quick job; the actual drilling that is.
  15. velvetfoot Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    4,840 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Hey Skier76,
    Let us know how it works, okay?
    Seems like it would be a handy addition.
  16. thinkxingu Minister of Fire

    joined: Jun 3, 2007
    1,040 posts
    S.NH
    Skier,
    Did you just drill out the hole in the metal tab coming off the back of your tractor? If so, are you going to be weakening it? Also, will you have to pull the ball off when you want to use a standard pin attachment? If so, it may have been worth having someone fabricate something similar to LLigetfa's or mine.

    S
  17. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    Will do...I'll probably be testing it out today or tomorrow.

    Yep, I had to drill out the plate coming off the back of the tractor. I'm certainly not an engineer, however, the amount I took off was small...just enough to widen the opening a bit. I'm not too worried about weakening it due to the small amount of material removed...and the weight of the trailer I'm going to be moving around the yard. The ball will be used to move around my 4x8 trailer. I store it in the back part of the yard and the darn thing is just too heavy to move by hand. I used to use my ATV for the job, but I keep that up in VT now. So the tractor will be used to move the trailer to and from the back part of the yard. That's probably the heaviest load it will encounter.

    Yeah, that's one drawback. I'll have to remove the ball to use the hitch pin. But luckily, I don't use the hitch pin trailer all the much, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal.
  18. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    Here's a pic I had on my BlackBerry. You can see the hitch pin behind the ball...in another open slot.

    Attached Files:

  19. Jags Super Moderator

    joined: Aug 2, 2006
    11,309 posts
    Northern Illinois
    Hey Skier - just drill a hole to the farthest right of the ball that you can get. Now you got a hitch pin and a ball hitch.
  20. gzecc Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 24, 2008
    2,855 posts
    NNJ
    Skier, I would remove the current ball, and attach another piece of flat steel (at least 1/8" thick) to the old ball hitch hole, re-attach the old ball hitch. Make the steel large enough to add the pin hole to the side or rear. Realize if you make the pin hole to the side the cart your pulling, it might get hung up on the ball hitch during a turn. I suggest making it to the rear to eliminate that problem.
  21. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    Some good ideas guys! I need a bigger garage and more tools. I can only imagine would I could fab up if I had the right tools. Such is life...
  22. ironpony Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 22, 2010
    1,396 posts
    mid-ohio
    o.k. guys
    4 pages on how to put a ball hitch on a tractor
    nasa built the shuttle with less discussion
    drill out the hole and install the ball already
  23. Skier76 Minister of Fire

    joined: Apr 14, 2009
    1,249 posts
    CT and VT
    Look @ the pic...it was done last week.

    And just for that remark, I'll post more pics...hopefully I'll get this to 5 pages. :lol:
  24. velvetfoot Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    4,840 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    I got that one from Lowes yesterday (the Hitchin Post) but I don't like it on my new Ariens (Husqvarna) lawn tractor.
    It does allow bending with relatively little down pressure. I'm going to return it today.
    What's needed is something that's apparently only custom, as in the above examples.

Share This Page