Every time I do a video about the difficulties in hooking up an implement I get several comments from folks that wonder why in the world I don't own a quick hitch. Good question...

When I was in the dealership world I had a bad experience with the first quick hitch I sold. We sold a new tractor, the hitch, and a whole bunch of implements of various brands to one customer. I had not been around quick hitches before and assumed they'd work on everything. They won't.

We ended up carting the customer's implements back to the dealership and adapting all of them to fit the quick hitch we'd sold him. He wasn't real happy because we were welding on the frames of all of his new attachments, it made us look bad, and from that point forward, I never sold another quick hitch.

Also, a lot of the time when I'm changing implements, I'm going from a brush hog to a post hole digger. Post augers are their own top link, so you have to remove the quick hitch to get one of them mounted. So, the quick hitch sorta didn't make sense, except I constantly find myself trying to maneuver around the woods in tight quarters with the brush hog on the back because I'm too lazy to take it off and put it back on.

What made me think I might want a quick hitch is the advice my mentor gave me. He's like a second father and he taught me nearly everything I know about the equipment business. He once told me, "You're crazy if you don't get a quick hitch." So, I finally broke down and ordered one.

If you're thinking about getting one, first make sure you know if your tractor is Category I or II. The one in the video is going on a Category I tractor. Here's my video that discusses the different categories of three point:    • The Different Categories of 3 Point H...  .

If you have a Category I tractor and decide you want to take a chance on a quick hitch, here's the link to exactly what is demonstrated in the video: http://amzn.to/2i9hVqj. If your tractor is Category II you can still click on the link to take you to Amazon, then do your search for "Category II Quick Hitch" and you'll find the same thing for your tractor. Either way, I'd recommend getting the NorTrac Quick Hitch Bushing Set as well, you'll need one pair for each implement to make everything connect snugly. Make sure you watch the video all the way through before ordering.

There may be better quick hitches out there, some are almost double the price of this one. I think the principles of how they work are the same, regardless of which one you get. Since I didn't know how well I'd like mine I got the cheapest one I could find on Amazon, which also was the one with the most ratings stars. I got it in about a week, and while it was Chinese built, it seems heavy enough.

I have three main thoughts about the quick hitch after my evaluation:

1) When quick hitches go right on implements they're AMAZING! The hitch slipped right on my brush hog with no modification. That was the first test and at that point I was thinking everyone in the world should own one of these.

2) They don't work on all implements. The implement has to be narrower from pin to pin (counting the little collar on the pin) than 27 3/16" or there'll need to be MAJOR modification to the implement to work. Also, the top link attachment point has to be out in the open and away from braces where the claw can get under it, and finally, the space where the top link goes in must be wider than 3". If you have any "off brand" implements, like I do, they may not work on a quick hitch without some serious blacksmith work.

3) If you're buying all new implements, consider buying all the same brand and getting their quick hitch. They may cost a little more up front, but if you change implements often it will be worth it.

While the quick hitch fit my cutter, it did not fit my elcheapo rock rake or my homemade blade. I'm not willing to spend any time or money modifying those two implements to make them fit. Maybe someday when I'm retired and looking for things to do.

The bottom line for me is, I now have a way of taking my brush hog off and putting it on easily and that's worth what I paid for the quick hitch. I give it one marginal thumbs up.

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