Ball hitch for lawn tractor, need help...

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.
Ram 1500 with an axe...

Ram 1500 with an axe...

Minister of Fire
Mar 26, 2013
2,327
New Jersey
Hi all, I just got a new wood hauler and I'm looking to put a 2" ball on the back so I can tow my husky 22 around the yard. Please direct me to the easiest and cheapest way to get this done, thanks so much.....

[Hearth.com] Ball hitch for lawn tractor, need help...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've seen them at tractor supply with a bolt on bottom appears as if u can just bolt it through the hole u have ur wagon hooked up to in pic
 
  • Like
Reactions: TreePointer
Big papa said:
I've seen them at tractor supply with a bolt on bottom appears as if u can just bolt it through the hole u have ur wagon hooked up to in pic
Click to expand...
It's a pretty thin hole, but thanks....
 
Right behind the drivers seat.....drill a hole and mount the ball....or, can anything be done with the bagger mount (if you have one)
 
I have a similar tractor all the metal is the same thickness so not sure what would b sturdier to hook to unless u were to build something
 
If I put a ball in the hole that the cart is connected to, would that be too low for the splitter? It is probably 6" off the ground... Thanks...
 
Big papa said:
I have a similar tractor all the metal is the same thickness so not sure what would b sturdier to hook to unless u were to build something
Click to expand...
Oh, I was referring to the size hole that the cart pin hoes in, it is not wide, definitely less than 1 ".....
 
I pulled my splitter around with a 1 7/8" ball through the hole like that for years through three garden tractors. I recently bought a two inch hitch receiver for the current one but the ball through the hole works just fine.
 
Beer Belly said:
Right behind the drivers seat.....drill a hole and mount the ball....or, can anything be done with the bagger mount (if you have one)
Click to expand...
What I mean, was thru the body
 
Like Bart, I drilled out the existing hole on a Craftsman tractor to accommodate a 1 7/8" ball and pulled my 20 ton splitter with no problem. No need to get fancy or spend any more money.
 
Thanks guys, the hole is 1/2 in, I found a 2" ball with a 3/4 in shank for $16.99.....
So far this the way I'm leaning, thanks for helping....
 
Ram 1500 with an axe... said:
Thanks guys, the hole is 1/2 in, I found a 2" ball with a 3/4 in shank for $16.99.....
So far this the way I'm leaning, thanks for helping....
Click to expand...

Do it, i drilled another hole offset from the original, this way my lawn cart doesnt bang around as much, works fine on my Husqvara GT48xls
 
That HITCHIN' POST I linked to above does it all with no modifications to the lawn tractor. It's a direct bolt on to the pin hole of the tractor's tow plate and is stable because of it's anti-rotation plate.. I bolted a 2" ball to the top of it for my Huskee splitter, yet there is also a pin hole for the other equipment I tow behind (cart, lawn sweeper, spreader). It has built in hooks to attach the safety chains of the splitter/trailer/etc. I highly recommend it.

Lawn tractor is a 2009 Husqvarna 2354GXLS.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Ashful
Just depends on how fancy u wanna go and what is safe don't think u have to worry about high rates of speed and breaking but what do I know
 
Yeah, that tractor doesn't have "high speed" even without a load. The thing I like best about the HITCHIN' POST is that I don't have to bolt, unbolt, or change anything when I switch from towing a the cart (pin) to the log splitter (ball).

Another thing the HITCHIN' POST does is raise the ball a bit higher above simply attaching the ball directly to the tractor's pin hole. The higher position keeps the splitter's tow bar closer to horizontal.

I'll try to get some pictures with the splitter and the cart tomorrow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Big papa
I don't think u can go wrong with tree pointers idea seems pretty practical but I sometimes just look at quickest way to go. So $19 for hitchen post $16 for ball =$35for a do all hitch sounds reasonable to me
 
Last edited:
I found the same type of ball for 6bucks, the shipping costs more than the ball at HF and FindAHitch.....
 
I have the 3 nib grass bagger, which has a larger mount than the one you have. I had a buddy add some beef & a hitch plate to it that will accept the ball. It works great when you can keep the splitter tongue level.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woody-mustash.110700/ (pics in post #15)
 
mustash29 said:
I have the 3 nib grass bagger, which has a larger mount than the one you have. I had a buddy add some beef & a hitch plate to it that will accept the ball. It works great when you can keep the splitter tongue level.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woody-mustash.110700/ (pics in post #15)
Click to expand...
I like it thanks, I'm going to try BB's way first but if I don't like it, I'm going that way........I'm not hauling very far, just along the driveway, but I really like what you did.....thanks....
 
In the beginning, I had drilled out the regular hitch hole to accept the 3/4" shank on the ball. That worked but connecting & dis-connecting the splitter was a HUGH PITA because the tongue was at such an angle, the hitch coupler did not like to release.

The 3 bin grass bagger mount hangs on a shoulder bolt on each side of the tractor frame & attaches to the hitch hole with a pin & cotter pin. The whole mess comes off in 30 seconds. The only drawback is that I have the fat 22 x 11 tires, so I have to remove the shoulder bolts (and loose the bagger mount / ball hitch option) when I want to run tire chains.

I works great, beats the heck out of manually lugging a 700 lb splitter around my hilly yard.
 
Great advice and thanks for sharing the experience, your tractor looks like mine but is much more cleaner, I found out mine was sold in 99 after I bought it, the guy told me it was about 8 years old, I got fooled but I never had a tractor before so in the end I'm happy.... I lug my huskee 22 slowly up my rock driveway, sometimes I get my son to help so it is easier, but I think im going to see a big difference when I get it hooked up to the tractor......:cool:
 
Yeah. Three minutes to screw the nut on the hitch ball, doesn't have to be nailed down for a road trip, and three minutes to take it back off.

Lug that sucker.
 
Like my neighbor says."If you have 'chinery. Use 'chinery."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Don2222
U.S. Stove 5660 - Auger Bushing turns with auger and auger hole for hitch pin ripped.
Replies
2
Views
691
The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves
Don2222
Don2222
A
Making an electric power pac for tractor splitter
Replies
20
Views
2K
The Gear
brenndatomu
brenndatomu
C
Ek385 new user needs help
Replies
0
Views
88
The Boiler Room - Wood Boilers and Furnaces
Colethewonderdog
C
G
Need some help with my Harman
Replies
3
Views
534
The Pellet Mill - Pellet and Multifuel Stoves
Washed-Up
Washed-Up
Grave digger
Advice needed, go new or fix what I have
Replies
30
Views
556
HearthStone
begreen
begreen
Top Bottom