Mounting a trailer hitch ball on the rear of a BX23S

[ejb11235]

Do you know the model of the wood chipper? Depending on how heavy it is and how long the tongue is there may be a way to just lift it with the rockshaft arms while coupled to the tow ball without even needing to put the rest of the 3pt setup on the tractor. Im assuming the rockshaft arms stay on the tractor but the top link and lower arms, lifting links etc are off it while the backhoe is on? If you’re thinking about the 3pt carryall purely for moving the chipper and dont have any other reason to put the 3pt on, might be worth examining that possibility.

It's a small towable DR Chipper ... can't remember the specific make, but it's light enough I can move it around by hand as long as I'm not going up hill or over bumps. My desire to use the carryall is to end up with a compact setup that doesn't involve towing. Then I can just go wherever I want to and I don't have to worry about backing up. Also, with the chipper mounted on a carryall, the chipper output will face to the side. Recently I have started running the chipper without the output chute ... I see no safety problem with that and it eliminates jamming, but I can't direct the chips.

 

[Vigo]

like this? It seems there are a variety of them out there.

Anyway if you had rockshaft arms and a tow ball on the tractor, you could just couple the trailer tongue on the tow ball, affix some chain hooks to the rockshaft arms or even bolt through them, and either put a chain hook on the trailer tongue or through-bolt the chain itself through the middle of the trailer tongue right in front of the engine plate in this pic. If you get the chain lengths right it should work out that when you lift the 3 pt the rockshaft arms would tilt the back end of the chipper up, pick up the tires, and hold it roughly centered behind you on the chain, but when you lower the 3pt the chipper would still ‘tow’ more or less normally with enough slack in the chains to make some turns. So in all likelihood youd only pick it up off the ground when going around a tight turn or backing up, and just let it tow ‘wheels down’ the rest of the time. This doesn’t do anything about the discharge chute problem, though. It just makes it so that you can use your ‘3pt’ to lift and carry the thing, without having to put together the whole 3pt or get a separate carryall, etc. Assuming your rockshaft arms are on the tractor all the time.

 

[ejb11235]

like this? It seems there are a variety of them out there.

Anyway if you had rockshaft arms and a tow ball on the tractor, you could just couple the trailer tongue on the tow ball, affix some chain hooks to the rockshaft arms or even bolt through them, and either put a chain hook on the trailer tongue or through-bolt the chain itself through the middle of the trailer tongue right in front of the engine plate in this pic. If you get the chain lengths right it should work out that when you lift the 3 pt the rockshaft arms would tilt the back end of the chipper up, pick up the tires, and hold it roughly centered behind you on the chain, but when you lower the 3pt the chipper would still ‘tow’ more or less normally with enough slack in the chains to make some turns. So in all likelihood youd only pick it up off the ground when going around a tight turn or backing up, and just let it tow ‘wheels down’ the rest of the time. This doesn’t do anything about the discharge chute problem, though. It just makes it so that you can use your ‘3pt’ to lift and carry the thing, without having to put together the whole 3pt or get a separate carryall, etc. Assuming your rockshaft arms are on the tractor all the time.

Yeah my chipper is like that one except it's an older model that has the discharge port on the front rather than the top. The discharge chute on the new models are really nice because they're open, so clearing a jam would be super simple. Mine has a closed chute and when I was first learning how to use my chipper, I had a couple of jams that took over 30 minutes to clear.

As far as your suggestion about using chains and the 3PH arms to lift the chipper ... that's an interesting possibility. The load angles aren't ideal but the chipper isn't that heavy ... it might actually work! I'm kind of curious to see if it works at all and how stable it is. Yes, the arms stay on the tractor, and not having to set up the whole 3PH and attach a carryall to it ... that would save a lot of time.

 

[Henro]

Pardon Our Interruption...

Under $60 delivered now. Still not bad…

 

[ejb11235]

Under $60 delivered now. Still not bad…

Almost worth buying just to have in case!

 

[Dave Ogren]

Pardon Our Interruption...

Under $60 delivered now. Still not bad…

I just bought one a couple of weeks ago. I paid $69.50 plus tax on Amazon. I was shocked on the high quality, came with all the pins etc. I believe the weight is about 25 pounds. Wish I would have gotten one a couple of years ago.
Dave

 

[Vigo]

I bought a different style of those and do a couple of ‘unusual’ things with it.. I built a set of forks you can drive under and drive out of without getting off tractor, and i run an atv landscape rake off it. And normal hitch things too, of course.

With it on a long bar i can reach over top a pile of brush, stab down into it and drag it. The little Case actually has down pressure on the 3pt which helps. But without downpressure you can add weight.. Ive also used the receiver on a quick hitch, to a hitch ‘splitter’, to the rake and a ‘hitch basket’ to hold some weight on top.

Also turned a leaf spring and a plow blade into a ‘reversible ripper/plow’ for the little Case, too.

Since im a car guy one thing ive planned to do but havent done yet is to just put a trailer coupler on a 2” square tube so i can hitch up to a car’s tow ball and push/pull it around without risk of slip-up.. or less risk anyway. Ive had a couple vehicles i set up to flat tow with tow bars and they turned out to be excellent ‘yard mules’ to couple to a different vehicle’s tow ball and push that one around.. figured to do the same with the tractor.


Anyway, im pro-2”-receiver. Its not just for trailers you know.

 

[DustyRusty]

I bought a pickup truck trailer hitch and a friend cut it up to make one of the 3-point hitch units as pictured above. This was a couple of years ago. I probably have more than $60 in materials plus his time to construct it.

 

[McMXi]

I bought a King Kutter receiver/trailer mover for $50 from the guy who sold me the Land Pride snowblower last year. It was a heck of a deal, and to be honest, well worth the full price of $300 or so. It's actually built properly and it's virtually unbreakable. I don't have a need (currently) for the 2-5/16" ball welded to the top of the receiver, but if I ever buy a gooseneck trailer it will come in handy. Moving trailers around with this thing, whether it's on the M or MX is as easy as could be. I need to switch between 2-5/16" and 2" balls regularly so this King Kutter works well for me. I might add a storage bracket onto the frame for whichever ball I'm not using.

When I'm pulling the 10' or 16' dump trailers loaded up with wood, dirt or rocks, I don't worry about the receiver failing. I added (temporary fix) the big chain shown to anchor the 3-point to the draw bar, but the King Kutter models come from the factory with a chain mounted to a tab on the rear of the vertical support to mount to the draw bar. I'll get to that at some point.

 

[Vigo]

I haven't operated a BX but if it's like my b6100 and b7100 where you can turn around and reach the top link from the seat, leaving the 3pt 'stabilizers' loose makes it real easy to hook a 3pt trailer ball up to a trailer without having to back up 100% perfectly to it, because you can just reach back and shift the whole 3pt side to side with your hand while you pull the lever to slide the ball up into the tongue. Downside of leaving it loose is it 'drives' loosey goosey too but hopefully if you're towing with a BX you ain't going too fast! It's also possible to rig chains so that the 3pt is loose side to side when lowered, but tight and centered once you lift it.

Honestly, i'd pay money to take a class on 'rigging tricks' with chains/straps/ropes etc. Watching somebody tuck up a bunch of loose strap in a clever way, or tie a cool knot, just interests the heck out of me. I've never worked in 'hauling' so i just come across the stuff slowly, but i know a lot of truckers and loadmasters and sailors and various other people just have all this stuff kicking around in their brain and i wish i could flip a switch and get it all.

 

[ejb11235]

Honestly, i'd pay money to take a class on 'rigging tricks' with chains/straps/ropes etc. Watching somebody tuck up a bunch of loose strap in a clever way, or tie a cool knot, just interests the heck out of me. I've never worked in 'hauling' so i just come across the stuff slowly, but i know a lot of truckers and loadmasters and sailors and various other people just have all this stuff kicking around in their brain and i wish i could flip a switch and get it all.

I wish I knew how to back up with a trailer! Having said that, a short thing like my chipper, which I can't even see behind my truck, is hardly a fair fight. I might have to borrow my neighbor's trailer and see how bad I am at it.

 

[McMXi]

I wish I knew how to back up with a trailer! Having said that, a short thing like my chipper, which I can't even see behind my truck, is hardly a fair fight. I might have to borrow my neighbor's trailer and see how bad I am at it.

Backing up a trailer isn't a problem if it's visible, and longer trailers are much easier to back up than shorter trailers since they don't react as fast. One tip a friend told me many years ago is to place your hand(s) at the 6 o'clock position on the steering wheel and then move your hand(s) right to make the trailer go to the right relative to your vehicle, or left to make the trailer go to the left.

I flat towed my Jeep behind the LMTV recently and I have no idea how to back up in that scenario. The front wheels of the Jeep seemed to have a mind of their own!

 

[ejb11235]

Backing up a trailer isn't a problem if it's visible, and longer trailers are much easier to back up than shorter trailers since they don't react as fast. One tip a friend told me many years ago is to place your hand(s) at the 6 o'clock position on the steering wheel and then move your hand(s) right to make the trailer go to the right relative to your vehicle, or left to make the trailer go to the left.

I flat towed my Jeep behind the LMTV recently and I have no idea how to back up in that scenario. The front wheels of the Jeep seemed to have a mind of their own!

I've heard the tiop about putting your hands at 6 o'clock, but the trailer is so short and low I can't see it! I know I could put fiber glass poles on it but I rarely have to back up. And I'm not too proud just to unhook the trailer, reposition it and the truck and get on with business. Having said that, this is why it will be nice to eventually have a solution that mounts the chipper to the tractor so I can get it off the ground and just turn around.

 

[McMXi]

I've heard the tiop about putting your hands at 6 o'clock, but the trailer is so short and low I can't see it! I know I could put fiber glass poles on it but I rarely have to back up. And I'm not too proud just to unhook the trailer, reposition it and the truck and get on with business. Having said that, this is why it will be nice to eventually have a solution that mounts the chipper to the tractor so I can get it off the ground and just turn around.

Maybe a back up camera?

 

[DustyRusty]

I haven't operated a BX but if it's like my b6100 and b7100 where you can turn around and reach the top link from the seat, leaving the 3pt 'stabilizers' loose makes it real easy to hook a 3pt trailer ball up to a trailer without having to back up 100% perfectly to it, because you can just reach back and shift the whole 3pt side to side with your hand while you pull the lever to slide the ball up into the tongue. Downside of leaving it loose is it 'drives' loosey goosey too but hopefully if you're towing with a BX you ain't going too fast! It's also possible to rig chains so that the 3pt is loose side to side when lowered, but tight and centered once you lift it.

Honestly, i'd pay money to take a class on 'rigging tricks' with chains/straps/ropes etc. Watching somebody tuck up a bunch of loose strap in a clever way, or tie a cool knot, just interests the heck out of me. I've never worked in 'hauling' so i just come across the stuff slowly, but i know a lot of truckers and loadmasters and sailors and various other people just have all this stuff kicking around in their brain and i wish i could flip a switch and get it all.

Join the Navy and see the world as you learn!

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Having grown up on a New England dairy farm, and driven since I was about 10, backing up a trailer was learned so early it is now a natural, I don’t have to think about which way to turn. Learning to back a 4 wheeled wagon into the hay barn was learned so late I have to tell myself which way to steer and do it by trial and error! IMHO there is no way to back up a flat towed vehicle and I have tried thinking it would be like a wagon, it isn’t. One additional skill is backing up the trailer with only the mirrors to see back there. It reverses everything again. If you want to learn these skills practice but remember you will never be as good as you would have if you were 10 when you began!

 

[Vigo]

I wish I knew how to back up with a trailer! Having said that, a short thing like my chipper, which I can't even see behind my truck, is hardly a fair fight.

To be fair almost anyone would be 'bad' at backing up a trailer that short! Plus side is, that thing is probably small enough to take off the truck and maneuver by hand when needed. As long as the ground is somewhat smooth and flat.. And if you get your 3pt to pick it up, or put a ball on your FEL you have more options there as well.

 

[ejb11235]

To be fair almost anyone would be 'bad' at backing up a trailer that short! Plus side is, that thing is probably small enough to take off the truck and maneuver by hand when needed. As long as the ground is somewhat smooth and flat.. And if you get your 3pt to pick it up, or put a ball on your FEL you have more options there as well.

Yes, and disconnecting the trailer is exactly what I do!

 

[skeeterbug]

I had a local shop build a slip on ball that slides over the drawbar with a pin to attach it.
When I get mulch on my trailer 6x12 I hook up with my BX1860 and go around the yard with it instead of my truck or moving the mulch twice. It’s pretty cool. I had one made for my B2920 at our cabin but i don’t use it much there since I don’t always have the trailer. Im not home otherwise id send a pic. If I find one I’ll send it to you. It really works well for me. When I’m done I just pull the pin and put the ball and bracket on the shelf.

 

[skeeterbug]

I had a local shop build a slip on ball that slides over the drawbar with a pin to attach it.
When I get mulch on my trailer 6x12 I hook up with my BX1860 and go around the yard with it instead of my truck or moving the mulch twice. It’s pretty cool. I had one made for my B2920 at our cabin but i don’t use it much there since I don’t always have the trailer. Im not home otherwise id send a pic. If I find one I’ll send it to you. It really works well for me. When I’m done I just pull the pin and put the ball and bracket on the shelf.