What's this doohickey?

[dbsoundman]

I inherited a pile of random tractor parts, implements, and accessories with my Ford 8N, and I think I understand most of them. But this one in particular has me stumped.



It looks like some sort of quick attach mechanism, but I only have one, and I don't know what it would work with. I assume it might have something to do with the "hitch" below my PTO on the rear:



I also found this large metal "plumb bob" in the toolbox. Not sure if it's a gigantic pin or something else?

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

I inherited a pile of random tractor parts, implements, and accessories with my Ford 8N, and I think I understand most of them. But this one in particular has me stumped.

View attachment 147140

It looks like some sort of quick attach mechanism, but I only have one, and I don't know what it would work with. I assume it might have something to do with the "hitch" below my PTO on the rear:

View attachment 147142

I also found this large metal "plumb bob" in the toolbox. Not sure if it's a gigantic pin or something else?

View attachment 147141

It is an automatic closing hitch. Spring loaded it locks open and closes around the pin when you back into it. I have one and have used it a lot. You can put a rope on the mechanism to release it without getting off the tractor. Haven't seen one anywhere else for a long time. I may be wrong on the rope part, the top looks a little different than mine. Some more pics of the top would be helpful.

 

[dbsoundman]

It is an automatic closing hitch. Spring loaded it locks open and closes around the pin when you back into it. I have one and have used it a lot. You can put a rope on the mechanism to release it without getting off the tractor. Haven't seen one anywhere else for a long time. I may be wrong on the rope part, the top looks a little different than mine. Some more pics of the top would be helpful.

What kinds of attachments use this kind of hitch? Is it very common?

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

What kinds of attachments use this kind of hitch? Is it very common?

I used it to tow a trailer I had behind a Farmall H with it bolted to the bow shape drawbar. Probably not that useful now with the 3 point hitch on most tractors.

 

[ET]

The quick release hitch was commonly used on forage harvesters and hay balers to unhook wagons with the pull of a rope. No need to get get off the tractor.

 

[Timmycornpicker]

The quick release hitch was commonly used on forage harvesters and hay balers to unhook wagons with the pull of a rope. No need to get get off the tractor.

I had one like that looks exactly like it on a New Idea corn picker.

 

[Old Jigger]

The 'plumb-bob' doohickey looks like a draw pin for your hitch located below the PTO.
It goes in from below and you give it a 1/4 turn to lock it in place.

 

[Ray,IN]

The quick release hitch was commonly used on forage harvesters and hay balers to unhook wagons with the pull of a rope. No need to get get off the tractor.

So it just allowed the harvester/wagon tongue to drop on the ground then? That would eliminate the quick attach part.

 

[paul]

Oh it was a wonderful day when my uncle got one of those quick hitches on the corn picker and one on the tow tractor. Dad and unckle picked ear corn together.

Without a kid; Take wagon out to field, get off unhook wagon. Get on tractor move tractor. Get off tractor, wait for picker, unhook wagon. Walk over to empty wagon, hook up wagon to picker. Get on tractor, back up to wagon, get off tractor hook up wagon. Get on tractor and go.

Now the picker driver couldn’t see the hitch so he was backing up blind to you. You learned to line up and throw the pin in quick on the move as he was backing. Then hooking up the full wagon, need to be perfect or you were getting on and off the tractor several times….

Do that for 18-23 loads a day for a week or more on two farms. And you were seriously tired!

With a kid the kid did all the leg work, saved a lot on the tractor driver. Remember the tractor driver had to unload the wagons too, so he was still getting a workout.

That little hitch made thing so much easier!!!

Paul

 

[paul]

Oh, uncle made a rod with a hook on the bottom, handle on top. Could reach down from the tractor seat and hook the wagon tongue lift it up and back into the wagon, so didn’t have to get off to hitch the wagons.

So now drive to the field, pull the rope drive to the side, get off, the picker driver pulled his rope to unhook the load, backed up to the empty wagon the tractor driver just had to hold up the hitch as the picker backed into it, get back on the tractor back up to the full load use the hook to lift the tongue back into the hitch and drive away.

So so so much easier. They were very common back in the day for picking, hay, silage, etc.

 

[paul]

They were kind of built for about 100 bu wagon size, so got to be too light weight for bigger stuff in the mid to late 70s.

A company I can’t think of the name, begins with a B, makes a Speedy Hitch that is very popular now, much bigger and stronger. It is designed to back into and hook up a hitch that is on the ground.

The one you picture is designed to pin onto a regular tractor drawbar through the bidder hole, and then the 2 small side holes clamp down onto the drawbar.

I can’t say as I recognize that tractor design you show, there must be more framework to the rear of the tractor to normally hold a real drawbar?

Paul

 

[Timmycornpicker]

So it just allowed the harvester/wagon tongue to drop on the ground then? That would eliminate the quick attach part.

One of the brands had brackets to weld on the wagon hitch pole and the piece the hitch pole bolts to on the steering (I can't remember the name for it) and a pair of heavy adjustable springs went between them. You adjusted the tension to hold the hitch pole up at the right height for the claw to grab the pin.

 

[Ray,IN]

One of the brands had brackets to weld on the wagon hitch pole and the piece the hitch pole bolts to on the steering (I can't remember the name for it) and a pair of heavy adjustable springs went between them. You adjusted the tension to hold the hitch pole up at the right height for the claw to grab the pin.

Sounds like a solution without a problem.

 

[paul]

Most of the big 500-700 bu newer wagons have such heavy tongues now they have a spring or two built in to them like that now to at least help lift the tongue up, if not hold it up for a person.

The trouble with using it for this type of hitch is you need very level flat ground in order to consistently have the tongue at the right height to beach into. That was not really possible on my farm as there really is no level place anywhere.

Paul

 

[Steven Allen]

ow the picker driver couldn’t see the hitch so he was backing up blind to you. You learned to line up and throw the pin in quick on the move as he was backing. Then hooking up the full wagon, need to be perfect or you were getting on and off the tractor several times….

Once upon a time on the railroads, you could tell an experienced brakeman from a novice by counting how many fingers he had lost doing that for cars joined by link-and-pin couplers. At least, you could for the ones who survived.

It was a wonderful day when the Janney knuckle coupler was mandated for all interchange traffic.

 

[rrlund]

Most of the big 500-700 bu newer wagons have such heavy tongues now they have a spring or two built in to them like that now to at least help lift the tongue up, if not hold it up for a person.

The trouble with using it for this type of hitch is you need very level flat ground in order to consistently have the tongue at the right height to beach into. That was not really possible on my farm as there really is no level place anywhere.

Paul

My chopper boxes have spring assist on the tongues. But ya, quick hitch and extendable tongues, just back up and get close, lift the tongue by the latch, pull it forward with the pin in it, hit the latch on the quick hitch with the pin and you're ready to go.

 

[dbsoundman]

Here’s a side view. This 8N has a bracket below the PTO that looks like it would fit this, and the “plumb bob” looks like it would be the appropriate pin for it too.

 

[Timmycornpicker]

The bracket under the pto is for the optional Ford swinging drawbar. Slide the quick hitch up in there and see if that center hole lines up with the one in the bracket. I don't think it will, because of how far it is in from the end of the plate.

 

[dbsoundman]

Ok, you gave me some keywords there. I found an informative doc on n tractors about drawbar attachments and found out that my “plumb bob” is indeed the pin for the swinging drawbar bracket, and I also realized some other mystery arms that came with the tractor are the drawbar stabilizers that connect to the top link of the three point. I may have the swinging drawbar attachment/plate but I’m not sure yet.

I’m wondering if this quick connect thing was attached to the drawbar for certain implements given the size of the mounting hole.

 

[paul]

The quick hitch was designed to bolt into most typical swinging drawbars of that era. Bolt through the center hole of it and the hitch hole.

A U bolt or 2 bolts and a strap through the other 2 smaller holes to clamp around the tractor drawbar.

Fords of that era did not always have a typical singing drawbar like IHC, jd, Allis, Massy, etc had. That socket o yours seems to be in an odd location. I’m very familiar with a swinging drawbar on the 100 series Fords, but not much experience with the Ns.

Paul