Planter Hitch Rebuild
Last planting season one of the 2 lower pins on the planter 3 point hitch broke when I was lifting it up to go around a tile intake in the field. I replaced both of the lower pins and installed them in the field and finished planting. However the top link hookup part of the planter hitch was damaged by the resulting yank when the lower pin broke.
Arrow 1 shows the angle iron tearing apart right down the corner. Arrow 2 shows the weld seam that broke apart. The top hole is where the tractor top link hooks up. The near side is about 3/4″ too far forward due to the damage.
The Plan
The toplink hookup needs to be rebuilt with thicker metal. I found some salvage steel in our rack that will work great for this project. I will reuse the angle brace and toolbar mount. The first thing I will need to do is cut the damaged pieces out and grind the triangle piece smooth so I can weld in the new pieces. The pictures below show the process.
I used a torch to cut the welds holding the angle irons to the triangular piece.
The old broken pieces are completely cut off and the surface is ground smooth, ready to weld the new pieces on.
Salvage steel that will work great for this project!
I measured the hole locations on the old pieces and carefully marked them on the new angle irons.
I drilled the holes in the new angle irons.
The angle irons are welded to the original triangular frame that attaches to the toolbar.
The project is mounted back on the planter toolbar and ready to hook up and plant!
Watch this project on our YouTube Channel!