My neighbor has hit me up to make him a receiver hitch for his John Deere riding mower. I had him talked out of it once but he came back with the request again. He is wanting it so he can hook his little trailer onto the back of his mower and pull it a few blocks from home. His trailer is probably about 4' X 6' or so. He is not planning on hauling much in the trailer while he is pulling it, maybe just his push mower weedeater, rake and shovel. possibly put some mowed grass in the trailer also. He is wanting to pull it behind his mower so that his wife will still have their pickup to drive while he is cutting grass a few blocks away. He has taken on a yard or two a couple of blocks away from home to mow.
He has always been a great neighbor and has helped me out on a few projects. I thought I would check first here and see if anyone had made one for their mowers that maybe I could copy your design or find out the good bad and ugly on how well yours worked and what you would have done different next time if you made another one.
He is gone right now for the rest of this week as his Dad just died in another state. I thought I would try and come up with some ideas on a hitch while he is gone. If anyone has pictures of one that you have made please post.
What model JD L&G tractor is it? I found from past experiences both mine and others, that just hanging on a receiver tube on the back of those tractors leads to problems from stresses and bending of the rear portion of the frame. IMHO there is really only one way to make a hitch for them if your gonna pull or tow anything beyond the typical stuff sold for them which use a single hitch pin.
The mount needs to take in the sides for sturdiness and do not rely on that lip that is used for a hitch on these tractors in regards to structural strength. A sleeve hitch is easy to make for these machines, and they can be made electric or manual or fixed.
Attached is an image of a sleeve type hitch (electric actuator type) but it cxold easily be changed to manual or fixed. The way its made it puts the majority of the stresses on the sides of the frame and does not use any of the bottom lip thats used from the factory as a hitch.
If your not lifting heavy implements like a tiller, or pulling loads with a lot of drag (box blade or scraper blade)you can get by on a lighter duty electric actuator hich I often find pretty cheap (under $10 on ebay or at flea markets) which will work fine to make up and down adjustments.
I have seen a lot of mods where a receiver tube was merely bolted and weded up under that bottom lip and they did not hold up all that well. Some were attached mainly ata the back of the frame and the frames eventually bowed out from weight and stress.
I am in the process of scrounging up materials to make the hitch in this image. I already have the actuator........have the majority of materials just need a bit more time and cooler weather.
You can uitilize actuators if you go that route from a satellite dish. Seems the larger dishes are just setting there looking for someone to remove them. A lot of these actuators are 24 or 36 volts but they will work ok at 12 volts but at a reduced time in speed to extend or retract. I mounted a 24" 36VDC actuator to the top link of my side arm cutter to replace the traditional screw type top link, so I could adjust cutting angle from the tractor seat. Its 36 volts, and its been in use over two years now and works fine, so they will work.
Its on the projects page. The photos there do not have the electric actuator shown just the screw type but you get the idea, where it was used and how. Having the ability to raise or lower the receiver tube can be a real back saver if you have any tongue load on the trailer and have to attach or disconnect the trailer. Even on light tongue loads its a back saver. Don;t know how fancy you want to get, but I just figured I would thow this in for an idea.
Last edited by Chipmaker; 07-28-2004 at 07:08 AM.
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Here is another hitch that does not utilize an actuator, and is mainly used for towing. A tube for a receiver could easily be attached to it and not impart any undue stress on the tractors frame. It has provisions to mount rear weights on the horizontal flat stock at the top, which youmay or may not need. This hitch also goes arond and bolts into the sides of the rear of the frame. All the hitches utilize factory drilled holes and no further drilling on the frame or welding to the frame is necessary.
Opinions expressed are those of my wife. I have had no input what so ever.
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www.frugalmachinist.com
Thanks for the photo's. My neighbor originally wanted me to bore the hole out on the back of his mower where the pin hitch is now located at, wanting me to beef it up some afterwards so he could put his trailer ball on it. After I told him that the plate that was there was never going to take that kind of weight he hit me up to put a receiver hitch on it. I told him I thought he was going to have about the same problem if the frame on his mower is no thicker than mine.
I will have to wait until after he gets home from his trip to find out what his frame on his mower looks like. I am not sure what model of John Deere his is but I think it is about 12 years old or so.
this has worked for me for about 3 years now...just to park my little utility trailer and maneuver it around the back yard. I don't pull it with a load at all.
Doog it looks like you must evidently have a pretty good frame to pin your hitch to. I still haven't gotten to see what exactly there is on the John Deere to attach onto, but knew if it was anything like what I have on the back of my Murray it wasn't going to work, as it is a real thin, about car body thickness piece of channel.
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