Handy Devices

Lift the Hitch

Dan Miller
By  Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
Hitch Lift (Illustration by Ray E. Watkins Jr.)

Neal McCleary, Elkton, Maryland, finds it difficult to match the tongue of his equipment to the tractor hitch. To do that, he acquired a spare 8-inch hydraulic cylinder. He welded a 6- x 6-inch plate to the shaft end of the cylinder. To the top, he welded a short length of 2- x 2-inch box beam. Next, he welded a slightly smaller diameter box beam to the side of the tongue. McCleary drilled two holes for pins to secure the connection between the cylinder and piece of machinery. Then, with the hydraulic cylinder raising or lowering the tongue, he quickly connects the piece of machinery to his tractor.

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Dan Miller