Pintle hitch on front of truck?

[bendtrees]

It seems that lately I've had problems backing up steep tight drives. I'm tired of feathering the clutch. So, I am thinking about putting a hitch on the front bumper. The chipper is a model 13 and the truck is an international s1700.
I'm guessing that the granny gear is half the ratio of my reverse?
Does anyone do this? Is this the dumbest idea ever?
Thanks in advance

 

[clearance]

Why not? Never seen a pintle on the front, but lots of ball hitches. And yes, low low is lower than reverse.

 

[Marco]

Know of a marina that runs K5 blazers with plow frames with a ball on, looks handy

 

[lawmart]

sounds ok, but thats alot of work - unhooking, - hooking on again in front - driving it in,
- unhooking, driving it out fliping the truck, then reverseing it back in.
i have a 13 great chipper

lawmart

play safe

 

[begleytree]

I've always wanted steering axles on a chipper for those tight windy uphill backs. just fire up the chipper engine and use the hydraulics to steer it with a ram and lever. set a groundy on the chipper and go.
I just can't see how it would be hard to do, just needs done.
-Ralph

 

[redprospector]

I've always wanted steering axles on a chipper for those tight windy uphill backs. just fire up the chipper engine and use the hydraulics to steer it with a ram and lever. set a groundy on the chipper and go.
I just can't see how it would be hard to do, just needs done.
-Ralph

Now there's an idea.
I do that some with my vermeer 1250, but it only steers one way.

Andy

 

[John464]

not a bad idea, but if you are really in such a tight space then how will get the truck out when its time to start chipping? oh ya, the chip box strapped to the hood of the truck

skid steer with a hitch can back a chipper into turning spaces just a few inches wider than the chipper itself.

 

[begleytree]

skid steer with a hitch can back a chipper into turning spaces just a few inches wider than the chipper itself.

true, but not really practical. not everyone has a skid steer and no one wants to drag one out to a job that you don't need one on. imo, if it's that tight, where do you park the extra truck and trailer that hauled the skid steer out to begin with?
-Ralph

 

[Steve-Maine]

I had a hitch on front of F-350 when doing stumps. Sure is a lot easier to drive stumper into stump than backing in. You can see so much better. I did a job of about 75 stumps one day and my wife drove truck and we propbably did it in 25% of the time if backing in. We were using a Vermeer 24-65 which has tongue that you can jack machine from side to side. Very good feature. It was a 1974 Machine with 80 HP Diesel I used that for all large stumps until retiring a couple of years ago. Good Luck

 

[John464]

true, but not really practical. not everyone has a skid steer and no one wants to drag one out to a job that you don't need one on. imo, if it's that tight, where do you park the extra truck and trailer that hauled the skid steer out to begin with?
-Ralph

I realize not everyone has a skidsteer, merely a suggestion, and the easiest way to get a chipper into a tight spot. If something bothers a business owner on a repetitive basis it may be something he should look into.

As for the truck and trailer, it would go on the street. the skidsteer has wheels or tracks so it shouldn't be much of an issue of getting it right up next to the work area.


But what do I know. I live/work in NJ and hardly ever have to deal with steep hils. NJ is flat

 

[John Ellison]

I've always wanted steering axles on a chipper for those tight windy uphill backs. just fire up the chipper engine and use the hydraulics to steer it with a ram and lever. set a groundy on the chipper and go.
I just can't see how it would be hard to do, just needs done.
-Ralph

That is a neat idea. The Amish fabricators in Ohio and Penn. have been putting steering axles on draft horse forecarts for quite awhile now. Foot steering, but some of them work with hydraulics too.

 

[juststumps]

you could always carry a big floor jack, and push like hell,,, ( wont work to well in gravel or dirt ) be okay on black top or cement.....

on the down side,, i think there are some driveways,, you just cant get into,,,,gotta drag brush!!!!!

 

[unatool]

I had a local fab shop put a reciever on the front of my International 4700. I can slide the pintle hitch in and PUSH the chipper up/down curvy driveways. The last time I hooked up this way, I was on a tough hill with cliff on other side with two hair pins on a dead end street with neighbors waiting for me to get to the last driveway!
What I use more often is the hitch to pull with. My guys can see the tree and line much better when looking out the windshield. Also, we had a winch welded to another hitch (with handles) so we can bring the winch to jobs only when needed. I had a quick connect electrical plug ran to each bumper... I think the fab shop charged me $300 for all that set-up. Works good!

 

[DDM]

I have a Hitch on the front of my chip dump we use it occasionally.95% of the time we have a skid steer on the job which i made a hitch for yrs ago it works nicely to put a chipper about anywhere it will fit.It also comes in handy to move the equipment trailer boats ect.

 

[bendtrees]

Thanks a bunch fellas.

I called about getting it put on the other day. I'm gonna go ahead and try it out. It seems that this week I am looking at two jobs this week where it would be real handy. Both are too small to justify bringing a skidsteer.

We can't afford the skidsteer yet. Gotta buddy with a 753 that were going to try and push the chipper around with on bigger projects. I am unsure whether it will have the umph to push around off pavement.
Any comments on that are welcome. For instance, would the metal tracks give a 753 the traction to push a model 13 around in the dirt?

thanks again

 

[redprospector]

I don't know what a model 13 weighs, but I push a Vermeer 1250 around with a Bobcat 863. On fairly level ground it's no problem, on steeper ground it will give me some problems but will do the job. The tracks really make a lot of difference for traction. I've had my 863 for 5 years, and have had the tracks off on only 2 jobs in that time.

Andy

 

[Steve-Maine]

As I stated before I had a hitch on from of my 01 Ford F-350 4WD. I beleive it was Hidden Hitch brand around $120. You take bumper off and bolts behind bumper and put bumper on and can't tell it is there. The ionly thing you see is receiver even with grille where license plate holder goes. It sure was neat when grindinmg stumps. Stumper weight was #4800.

 

[DDM]

Works good to move a stumper as well.