Trouble Hooking a SkidSteer Quick Hitch

[WNYBill]

I have a new to me FEL with the SkidSteer quick hitch and have an awful time getting it lined up so I can attach an implement without being on and off the tractor 5 times. (I'm old) YouTube makes it look easy, but they are on flat cement.
Is there a secret or do I just need more practice. Don't have as much trouble with the old Kubota and the Euro-Global hitch.

 

[Tx Jim]

IMHO SSQA is much better suited for a skid steer machine with no hood obstructing operators view/line of sight vs on tractors with tractor hood blocking operators line of sight/view.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Get a couple of fiberglass driveway markers (for snowplowing) and fasten them to the attachment so they can be seen over the hood, and steer in between them.

 

[wh]

Spray paint bright orange stripe on out side edge of connection point. Makes it easy to line up. That is what i did

 

[sotxbill]

With out the wife,, its dang near impossible to hook up what you cant see... So, its ether get off and on 10 times or make ugly jesters at the wife... Shes a really good tractor driver...despite my waving and yelling.

 

[Adrian Billheimer]

A thought, how about a remote camera similar to a swift hitch?

 

[WI Dan]

I have a new to me FEL with the SkidSteer quick hitch and have an awful time getting it lined up so I can attach an implement without being on and off the tractor 5 times. (I'm old) YouTube makes it look easy, but they are on flat cement.
Is there a secret or do I just need more practice. Don't have as much trouble with the old Kubota and the Euro-Global hitch.

I have the same issue, but can usually crane my neck to see close-enough.
Just get the top started, the whole thing doesn't need to be engaged. I curl forward to hook the lip, and it's just a bit of side-to-side jockeying needed.
Once the lip is hooked, raise up the loader arms, then curl back and the bottom will nestle in. Then flip the levers. I often use my foot.

 

[Koolaid]

Yep as WI Dan said - curl it forward - get the upper lip under your implement, raise it, then roll it back.

One thing to watch out for - we had a fork attachment that had a lot of left-right freedom in the plate, but not in the pin holes at the bottom. That was a pain until we modified it (we either slotted the bottom pin holes wider or put some filler blocks on the sides to constrain it better - can't remember which).

 

[paul]

More practice.

I never end up looking smooth, but usually you can see one top corner of the hooks and attachment, look to the side or some such. If you catch that corner right the other side should fall in place also, and then curl up to get the bottom in place.

Paul

 

[Jim.ME]

If you can see down the inside of the loader arms. Get it on and centered then paint down the inside of the attachment plate along the inside edge of loader bracket.

As has been mentioned catch the top with the loader bracket tipped out, then roll it back to bring the attachment plate into locking position.

 

[sandcastle1]

I put my implements inside and made dollies; I roll the bucket on its dolly up to the tractor. I do the same with bale spear on the loader. For 3PH mounted rototiller I do the same at the other end of the tractor.

 

[Doug Wi]

I have a new to me FEL with the SkidSteer quick hitch and have an awful time getting it lined up so I can attach an implement without being on and off the tractor 5 times. (I'm old) YouTube makes it look easy, but they are on flat cement.
Is there a secret or do I just need more practice. Don't have as much trouble with the old Kubota and the Euro-Global hitch.

I'm old too and have the same problem. I have thought about welding "wings" on each side of the attachment point of the attachment to sort of guide the hooks into place. haven't actually done this so don't know if it will work, but thought I would toss the idea out there. Another solution would be to have a seperate tractor for each attachment then you wouldn't have to change.

 

[Willow Lane]

The bucket on my Kubota has the sides flared where the QA attaches, like the wings Doug-WI is thinking of installing. It does help, but the biggest help is practice. The other suggestion is to hit slightly off center and cut the wheels to slide the QA sideways, you can feel it slide into position. And as others have said, keep the QA tipped forward slightly so that only the top is hitting.

 

[cjunrau]

I have a new to me FEL with the SkidSteer quick hitch and have an awful time getting it lined up so I can attach an implement without being on and off the tractor 5 times. (I'm old) YouTube makes it look easy, but they are on flat cement.
Is there a secret or do I just need more practice. Don't have as much trouble with the old Kubota and the Euro-Global hitch.

Build a platform for the attachments 4 ft off the ground. Think Like a loading dock and fill with dirt. poles in the ground 2x6 and back fill idea. then the attachment is off the ground where you can look over the hood and see what you are doing. I like to put them on real tight round Flax straw bales. saves me a lot of time and when the bales start sagging I just grab some more. The bales were free except I baled them. Used them for wind break for years already.

 

[WNYBill]

Thank you all! It is nice to know I am not alone. I often drop an implement where it is not level and flat and I think that may be part of my problem. I actually had a lever hooked into the top of the implement! And then I tipped the implement over. I'll get the orange paint out!

sotxbill​

When my wife of 65 years sees me walking down the driveway to get her, it is instant tears! She can drive race cars, sports cars, trucks, but NO TRACTORS!

​

 

[Tim in New York]

I have a new to me FEL with the SkidSteer quick hitch and have an awful time getting it lined up so I can attach an implement without being on and off the tractor 5 times. (I'm old) YouTube makes it look easy, but they are on flat cement.
Is there a secret or do I just need more practice. Don't have as much trouble with the old Kubota and the Euro-Global hitch.

Getting the attachment level seems to be significant. I just got a quick attach conversion for my older (2013 or so) Kubota. I have pallets under the forks and bucket, but have trouble keeping them level. And I have had problems a couple of time getting the top connected but not the bottom, so check that first thing after you think you are hooked up - curl the attachment both ways. Not sure that practice will help much, going slow and careful, yes.

 

[wh]

With a little you can hook up when they are not level. Get both sides against implement and lift slowly. One side catches then as you lift the other side will catch. Does take some practice. Extend top top of hit h as far forward as possible.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I have a new to me FEL with the SkidSteer quick hitch and have an awful time getting it lined up so I can attach an implement without being on and off the tractor 5 times. (I'm old) YouTube makes it look easy, but they are on flat cement.
Is there a secret or do I just need more practice. Don't have as much trouble with the old Kubota and the Euro-Global hitch.

The bucket on my Kubota has the sides flared where the QA attaches, like the wings Doug-WI is thinking of installing. It does help, but the biggest help is practice. The other suggestion is to hit slightly off center and cut the wheels to slide the QA sideways, you can feel it slide into position. And as others have said, keep the QA tipped forward slightly so that only the top is hitting.

Bill. I put casters under a 4x4 ft pallet. Put plywood on top and beefed up the pallet to mount the casters. It is hard for me to install my 4 foot Titian forks without using the pallet to put them in the proper place. Try using a pallet.on wheels. My Titian forks weigh more than I can handle.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

The global is way easier especially as the tractor hood gets bigger there are a couple skidloader attachments used on both that we put the global to quick attach adapter on the attachment before hooking up the tractor which you would think would be more difficult but isn’t. If we didn’t have the skidsteer…but it’s a necessary evil with cows

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

It's like hooking up to a trailer with your pickup truck. You can't see the ball, yet you can hit the mark first time every time. The reason is because you've figured out to sight down your mirrors to get centered. Quit trying to look at the quick hitch. Find other features to use to line you up, get the right height and angle...