Front Mounted Trailer Hitch?????

Bill VA · Jul 3, 2016

Had a great day in the hay field yesterday. Storage is about maxed out.

Right now, aside from the 100+ year old barn, we have a couple of 10H X 20W X 30L ft dome shelters. One is drive through and the other has one end walled off. I plan to wall off the other shelter on that end too.

It's nice to pull through these shelters with the wagon, drop the wagon pin and keep going with another wagon. However with no end on at least one side, we loose space to wind driven rain, be it hay or equipment.

On the shelter with the walled off end (part of the dome shelter kit), we been backing the trailers into it.

I think it would be easier to back these 4 wheel hay wagons in to the shelters, and additional car ports, if we had some sort of front mount bumper. From there we could see easier how the wagon is tracking and realize faster correction/direction changes so close to the front steering.

Anyone have/use some sort of front mounted trailer hitch to maneuver 4 wheel wagons into a barn?

Thanks!
Bill

Russ from MN · Jul 3, 2016

I think most farmers have done that. a hitch on the bucket of a skidloader would work well, we used to use a small crawler. That was before everyone had a skidloader.

Bob Bancroft · Jul 3, 2016

Yes. Just a piece of heavy angle iron, or whatever it takes to attach to the front of the tractor, with a hole in it for the pin.

Richard L · Jul 3, 2016

Growing up on a TO 30 we had a front grill guard with a place to put the tongue with a pin through. We had one wagon that was the only way to back that wagon into anyplace.

4520BW · Jul 3, 2016

Dad had a 4000 ford with one built in the brush guard. Worked well for backing wagons in the barn. Now I just cut a hole the pallet forks on the skidder and use it.

DGinVT · Jul 3, 2016

When I worked for my Uncle back in the early '50s, he had a front hitch on his JD "B". Made it a lot easier to back a wagon into where you wanted it. I use one today on my small Kubota to back in the wood splitter when finished with it. Much easier to compensate for any adjustments in the backing in process.

sd pete · Jul 3, 2016

Had a 300 Farmall and had a hitch on the lower bolster it worked well for pushing trailers.

Traditional Farmer · Jul 3, 2016

You put a wagon with the wagon hooked to the rear in places you can't with a front hitch,you just need to learn how to back a wagon.

Dieseltech · Jul 3, 2016

Dad has one on the front of his 2002 Dodge ton pickup that he likes to push wagons with as he can see better that way.

Leroy · Jul 3, 2016

Definatly, Just wish my trucks had them on now. Cost is just more than I can afford now for what little I would use them anymore being retired from farming. The only problem with them is trying to push a heavy load up a grade with a light front end tractor, will push the tractor sideways.

Switchflicker · Jul 3, 2016

You will see them on Motor Homes when they need to launch a boat. Not impossible, but the rear hitch is a bear to see with the back up camera.

Aircraft tugs nearly always push with a front mounted hitch.

JLG · Jul 3, 2016

I wish I had a picture. My father in law built a hitch that'll sit on the front of a John Deere suitcase weight bracket, and is held in place with a pin. It can come on and off in seconds. We use it to push hay wagons into the bank barn to unload them. If there's 2 wagons in the barn there's not much wiggle room. Works great.

Glen SW Wi · Jul 3, 2016

Yup, had one on our motor home just to launch the boat. Never had to worry about getting the drive wheels in the water or slippery mud.

495man · Jul 3, 2016

There is already a hitch on the back of the tractor for backing wagons up with. Practice is your friend. Use slowest reverse until you get good. I used to be able to back up baler with hay wagon hitched behind easy. Takes practice.

Waste of time hitching and unhitching. Never understood the front hitch thing?

David G · Jul 3, 2016

I have a front hitch on my narrow front Farmall H

Grampy · Jul 3, 2016

I have one pickup and my old jeep with a front receiver hitch. Very handy at times, worth doing for sure. I got the idea 40+ years ago when I went to work in an oil co. truck shop. We had a 3/4 ton Chev. pickup rigged up with a front pintle hitch to move 'pup's' in and out of the shop. As here, there was usually a truck driver (expert)or two hanging around drinking our coffee that would tell us they could 'back it right in' with the semi. Never saw one of them do it however !

tim s · Jul 3, 2016

We started making front hitches for our pick ups back in the early 80's they work out great, now my Bros. have been buying a hitch from some where, they fit nice and are tough..

D beatty · Jul 3, 2016

Have a hitch on front of my 450 that came off our M and works great for pushing wagons into barn. Dad built this in early 60s because he had trouble trying to see where he was backing up. It makes it easier to put a wagon onto a tight spot.

farmerwithmutt · Jul 3, 2016

Seen them on a lot of tractors . Backing up is ok I've done it with wagons hooked to baler and even tandems the right tractor the ground tips right . But not everything is perfect I have neck and back problems so backing isn't as easy as it used to be and the older you get the more you will wish you done it sooner. There is also attachments for bobcat for the bucket I had one that was nice especially for elevators. That's another good use backing elevators in

Janicholson · Jul 3, 2016

Once you do it you will never look back. As I mature, I find twisting backwards in the seat to direct the tongue of the wagon is less desirable than driving forward where everything is moving where I want it to go. (I am good at the backing thing, and have a trophy to indicate the fact, but why struggle. Jim

Grampy · Jul 3, 2016

My problem too, I have had arthritis in my neck for years.

Billy NY · Jul 3, 2016

Didn't see it mentioned, but the handiest tool I ever used for this purpose was having a hole in a fork tine for a hitch pin. I know of one person that can back a hay wagon quite well from a rear drawbar, and he preferred the ole 620 JD for the purpose. One fork tine with a hole, is another option.

D beatty · Jul 3, 2016

I cut and made a hole in bucket of loader of Farmall B but use it for moving light item since tractor is a light tractor.

Goose · Jul 3, 2016

The bucket on the loader on one of my H's has a hole centered behind the front edge. You can either bolt a hitch ball in it or simply drop a hitch pin through it.

D beatty · Jul 3, 2016

You can put wagons in barn faster with front hitch. Hitch on front of tractor has faster tongue reaction than hocked to rear of tractor. If you ever had back or neck problems you see why guys like front hitch.

gtractorfan · Jul 3, 2016

Much easier steering wagons with a front hitch. Much quicker response on the wagon tongue. Been decades since I've done it but well remember you steer the tractor in the direction you want the back of the wagon to go.

JD Seller · Jul 3, 2016

Bill I have several of these style bumpers on different tractors. The grille guard helps to protect the front sheet metal or screens. The hitch is real handy for pushing wagons. These are common for around $200.

BushogPapa · Jul 3, 2016

My Grandad had a wagon tongue-like piece with BOTH ends having a double holed "Pin Hitch".. often we would use his Farmall "H" with a hitch-hole in the front and the portable wooden Hitch spacer hitched to the rear hitch of the wagon and we just pushed the wagons inside.. One man just steered the wagon with the wagon Tongue..

Way back when, I used to back 2 wagons into the barn at once. (we didn't have an elevator at that time)..The JD "B" was best for that in my opinion...

Ron.

BushogPapa · Jul 3, 2016

My Grandad had a wagon tongue-like piece with BOTH ends having a double holed "Pin Hitch".. often we would use his Farmall "H" with a hitch-hole in the front and the portable wooden Hitch Tongue hitched to the rear hitch of the wagon and we just pushed the wagons inside.. One man just steered the wagon with the wagon Tongue up front..

Way back when, I used to back 2 wagons into the barn at once. (we didn't have an elevator at that time)..The JD "B" was best for that in my opinion...(Steered Easy)..

Ron.

Front Mounted Trailer Hitch?????

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