clevis hitch

[suxatpball 0]

hello ive been searching for about 2 days now and i guess its time to post. I just got a B80 and I just cant get enough of this thing. Now to my question Ive got a gravel drive and i would like to use a box blade to smooth it out. Ive been searching on info about the clevis hitch, first off im not spending 200-300 for one from wheel horse. I can find pieces and parts here and there. Im really just lost on how exactly the lift mech connects to the lift handle (PICTURES WOULD BE GREAT). Also i dont have my exact B80 number but i have see that there are different types of the clevis hitch ie. the lift cable or lift bar. does mine take the cable or bar? i already have the houseing the runs on top of the tranny. Any help would be greatly needed. i think my eyes are fried from searching the net for so long...

Thank you,

Tim

[rmaynard 16,292]

:D

Nice to have you aboard. I'm glad you found us. Though I don't know the answer to your inquiry, I'm sure that you will have an answer soon.

Bob

[rickv1957 74]

Hello and Rick

[HankB 16]

Hi Tim,

I can't help with the clevis hitch, but I'll question the use of a box blade for smoothing a gravel drive.

This spring I used a tiller on parts of my back yard. Anywhere the ground was not perfectly flat, the front would drop, lifting the tiller in the air or it would lift, digging the tiller into the dirt. I compensated by using the hydraulic lift on my tractor, but it was still an effort trying to keep things level. It seemed like having the tiller outside the wheel base magnified the up and down movement. I wound up using a hoe to knock the high spots into the low spots before the final pass.

I would expect the same sort of problem with a box blade. I thought that what I needed was a grader blade, but I didn't think I would have enough use for one to try to explain it to SWMBO.

I bet a grader blade would work better for your needs if it can be mounted to a B-80. And that would sidestep the clevis hitch, unless you had other plans for that. :D

[gwgdog66 23]

:D Do a search at the bottom of this section. Three pages worth of clivis hitch topics. Pictures too

On your set up, if your gas tank is under the seat, then you will need the lift bar parts. If your tank is under the hood, you won't need that part.

[suxatpball 0]

Hank: I think the box blade will do best bc my gravel is mostly packed down hard and i would ilke to lossen to manage my pot holes. i dont think the mid mount grader bladed would have enough weight to loosen the gravel.

gwgdog: my fuel tank is under my hood. so what exact lift parts will i not need.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

i dont think the mid mount grader bladed would have enough weight to loosen the gravel.

But...... you can stand on the grader blade for extra down pressure. :D

[linen beige 15]

Hank has a good point about the difficulty of keeping things level with a blade mounted outside the wheel base. However, box blades were designed to compensate for that. I have one I have used quiet a bit on the rear of a 1054A. The key is paying attention to where it is picking up material and where it is putting that material back down.

You will probably need to add some weight to the top of the blade frame (a couple of "cap blocks" work great) when you are first breaking up hard ground. After the surface is loosened up you can set your lift so that the blade is a half inch or so off the ground on a level surface. This allows the blade to scrape dirt off the tops of high spots, filling the box, and deposit it into the low spots, thus leveling the surface. Just dragging one around behind the tractor doesn't work very well, and may be a reason some folks who don't understand their design haven't had success with them.

The mid mount blades work great as levelers and work pretty much automatically. As TT said weight can be added by simply pushing down on the blade with your feet.

One disadvantage to using a mid mount blade is that they can't get into tight corners. That is likely not a problem in a driveway. On that note, the box blades can be hard to maneuver along a wall, curb, etc., which is easy to do with a mid mount.

[suxatpball 0]

So from everything i have gathered I need. The clevis hitch bracket itself, and the steel cable. And I then just hook the cable to the lift lever (thats stock on my b80?? the same that lifts the mower and snow blade) and then hook it to the clevis hitch... is this all???

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

What year is your B-80? (is it a 4 or 8 speed)

[suxatpball 0]

at work for 48 hours straight and cant remember the year its a 4 speed.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

That would make it either a 1974 or 1975.

The lift cable for that model would hook "directly" between the bottom hole on the vertical bellcrank arm of the lift lever shaft and the hole on the clevis hitch lift arm.

Although this IPL is for a slot hitch, it should help you figure out how things are to be installed: LINK

Some of the parts are NLA, but can be substituted or fabricated easily. I actually used an 80's Ford Mustang emergency brake cable along with a thimble, clevis, and cable clamps from Tractor Supply to make the last lift cable I needed. :D

[suxatpball 0]

its all clear now... its so simple lol... thanks to all for your help

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

You're welcome!

Here's something else that might help:

[Horse Fanatic 51]

The mid mount grader blade is the best for leveling!

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Another option is to get the dozer blade. The advantage there is that it can be used for snow as well.

Of course the more tools the better, eh ? Once you get more than a few you will find yourself wanting more tractors so you don't have to spend so much time switching implements!

I good friend of mine, a woman, looked at one of my horse brochures that listed the "25 different attachments" and said - "oh, it is like a doll, the accessories are what really counts".

Cheers

:D