Mtd 990 3 Point Hitch Build

Sawdust

Sawdust

Jim from Kentucky
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I've been wanting to do this for awhile but finally made some time. I'm working off some very well done plans. I'm not sure where I down loaded them from. I also cant find the pdf file on my computer.

I cut the pieces for the draft bars & upright arms from 1 3/4" w x 1/2" thick flat stock.
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I haven't had time to make any attachments for my hydraulic press brake so I'll just do the cut & bend method. I first made a scaled pattern on a piece of scrap wood so I could get my bends accurate.
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I opened up the cut areas by grinding away some metal for a good weld bead.
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Next up I'll do some welding to close up the bends.
 
You may want to bend them a bit more before welding as the weld may change the angle just a bit when it cools. Or you can weld the edge cuts first and hopefully it won't move then.
 
You might be aware of this but I'm telling it anyway in case. The uncut section of the metal will get a bit weaker from the bend, there will be micro-fissures in the stretch. A trick I was given by a welding teacher to correct this is to lay a weld bead over this metal after having welded the other (removed) section. The heat will help the metal restore it's strength. You do not need to lay a big weld, the goal here is mostly to melt the metal temporarily.
 
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KennyP said:
You may want to bend them a bit more before welding as the weld may change the angle just a bit when it cools. Or you can weld the edge cuts first and hopefully it won't move then.
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MacWorld said:
You might be aware of this but I'm telling it anyway in case. The uncut section of the metal will get a bit weaker from the bend, there will be micro-fisures in the stretch. A trick I was given by a welding teacher to correct this is to lay a weld bead over this metal after having welded the other (removed) section. The heat will help the metal restore it's strength. You do not need to lay a big weld, the goal here is mostly to melt the metal temporarily.
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Both you guys are ahead of me with very good points. I used this method for the first time several years ago & learned the hard way. After welding the bend did move a great deal back even after tack welding it first. After correcting that later it did fracture on the back side like mentioned. One other thing I was going to mention is I will bevel the edges to get a better penetration for the weld where the upper brackets meet the arms. Thanks guys.
 
Lookin good...... Im late to the party but if you need any comparison to an OEM setup I have one on a 960 and two more in the parts dept.
 
Lance Skene said:
Lookin good...... Im late to the party but if you need any comparison to an OEM setup I have one on a 960 and two more in the parts dept.
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Good to hear from you Lance glad to have you aboard. The drawings I have I believe are OEM from another member on another forum. Thanks for your offer.
 
No of course not... but in this case I think you might be better off building them, or getting someone local to build them for you, they arent hard to duplicate so it might be cheaper than shipping from here... Im in Alberta.
 
Wow what a week gone by. High 90's with humidity just too hot to be welding. Now it's down to the mid 50's at night & low 60's during the day.

I went ahead & finished up the draft bars & primed. I added 3/8ths diameter hooks per drawing. I had to fudge the location of the hooks a little to accommodate the chain I lready have. Once this dries for a few days I'll paint either gloss black or the charcoal silver I used on the 990.

I'm considering a few different ways of making the pull bars.
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Lookin Good...... heres an idea for the drawbar... I added a short upright which when attached to the upper link keeps the drawbar level regardless at what height the lift arms are at, when a trailer ball is on there it always remains perfectly vertical for trailers with differant hitch heights

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Lance Skene said:
Lookin Good...... heres an idea for the drawbar... I added a short upright which when attached to the upper link keeps the drawbar level regardless at what height the lift arms are at, when a trailer ball is on there it always remains perfectly vertical for trailers with differant hitch heights

View attachment 6105
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Lance I was wondering about that but haven't decided on that yet. That's a good idea. I also was thinking about instead of that type of draw bar to make the triangular shape 3 point attachment that has the 2" Reese type hitch receiver. Like this
Lance Skene said:
Lookin Good...... heres an idea for the drawbar... I added a short upright which when attached to the upper link keeps the drawbar level regardless at what height the lift arms are at, when a trailer ball is on there it always remains perfectly vertical for trailers with differant hitch heights

View attachment 6105
Click to expand...

Lance I was wondering about that but haven't decided on that yet. That's a good idea. I also was thinking about instead of that type of draw bar to make the triangular shape 3 point attachment that has the 2" Reese type hitch receiver. Something similar to this.
Screenshot_20180926-102032_Google.jpg
 
With the tall center post the angle of the reciever will change with the height of the lift arms.. that creates a problem if you need to tow a small trailer with a simple pin hitch... I had one similar on a Ford LGT a few years ago and didnt like it much so it went with the tractor when I sold it. You could cut one like that down or weld the reciever under an oem style draw bar like mine. In order to maintain a level drawbar the upper link and lift arms need to be parallel.
 
A few years back when I tried using a reciever hitch on my GT... most of the time which ever hitch insert I needed at the time was back at the shop because there wasnt enough storage room on the tractor to carry them all... in the end I decided it was easier to keep both a 1 7/8" and 2" ball with the tractor at all times.
 
Lance Skene said:
A few years back when I tried using a reciever hitch on my GT... most of the time which ever hitch insert I needed at the time was back at the shop because there wasnt enough storage room on the tractor to carry them all... in the end I decided it was easier to keep both a 1 7/8" and 2" ball with the tractor at all times.
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Your probably right a guy would need a wagon to carry all the attachments. Lol I like your method, much simpler & easier to make.
 
I have 3 trucks with reciever hitches and 8 diff trailers of all sizes, I probably have over a dozen differant reciever inserts with differant ball sizes and differant heights aswell as basic tow hooks... using them on a GT just got to be more pita than it was worth for me.
 
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