M 3pt Fabrication

Janicholson

Well-known Member
The hitch shown here is on a 1948 MD. All parts were managed by me as the professor in a CAD (AutoCad) classat Montana State University Northern, Havre Montana.
The side plate mounts were created from an axle housing gasket. that was digitized, and printed full size then traced onto 5/8 plate.
The arms were made from 3/4"X 2-1/2" A36 structural steel with ball sockets in both ends.
The front attachment point was mid positioned where the drawbar was mounted, then braced to the side of the casting with 1/2" strap.
The cylinder is 12" X 4" two way. It is pivoted on the top with 2 connecting rod big end journals and inserts on polished shaft.
The lower end cylinder mount was what the students were designing when the photos were taken. (the cylinder was rotated forward at the bottom much more than in the image.)
The lower mount bolted to the side plates to allow assembly.
The lift arms are made from steering linkage from a Peterbuilt, including the right one that is a steering cylinder. It allows power tilt that is very handy for many purposes like a back blade!
The Cross shaft is 2" Schedule 80 pipe with the cross bar 2 inch solid with machined ends for bushings.
The hydraulic is a stacked 2 way valve with float for the lift cylinder.
Jim
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Very interesting pics Jim looks like more fabrication to follow.Wheels look like steel cut for rubber,looks like 34 inch rubber.Thanks for sharing.Scott
 
Those tie-rod ends (at least what I think are tie rod ends :)) are *stout*

Im curious if you have the "turnbuckle" arrangement for skewing the arms relative to each other, or if that's provided by the "tilt" function?
 
It was finished one week after the photos. The bottom cylinder bracket was fabricated to place the cylinder bottom substantially forward from the dangling position it was in the photos. The hitch worked well (no traction control, but was not attempted. The hitch could easily lift the front wheels off the ground when hooked to heavy things, like a stump. and lift the back off when placed on a stump. Sway restraints and rigid straps were made to use a standard 3pt drawbar. I sold the tractor two months after it was completed in 1998. So it is long gone, and I believe still in use. Jim
 
The right 2 way cylinder provides the skew to tilt the implement left right. The sway is controlled
with chains side to side, or with fixed length straps to keep it centered. The tilt is handy as
can be. Jim
 
Good project and a great job from a group of fairly inexperienced young men. By todays standards the equipment they had available to do the work would be like comparing a muzzle loader to an M16. (Except the Autocad). Today there would probably be a few young women in the class. I am "not" calling young women equipment.
Must have been quite interesting for the students. I would classify it as a research and development project and as a prototype. Both are extremely important. I do have two questions!
1. How many of the project participants barked their shins on the lower arms? I am sure I would have and you would agree if you saw my legs. Not fit to be seen by the public. My dad's are worse. However he lived on his farm 88 years plus 2 in the army. I only lived on a farm 20 years and 29 on an acreage.
2. What was the outcome when testing to see if the rope and chain or the seat bracket were stronger. (LOL)
Thanks for participating on this forum.
Roy.
 
Jim, nice job. How did you like Havre? I have a nephew who worked this summer in Havre laying fiber optic. He said he saved a bunch of money for college as nothing to spend it on. A long ways from any place.
 
The rope gave way when a student tripped and stepped on the end of the lower link when it was near the ground. Thanks for the opinion. It was a great experience for the students, and provided the tangency to reality that I put in my classes. Jim
 

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