Badger's Workshop

[honey_badger]

View attachment 14354
It looks to be worn to me, the distance where the pin would sit looks more than the opening at the front of the hitch.

That looks like a knackered 3cx pickup (45mm pin) hitch to me is it a spring lock hitch?

Thats exactly what i was going to say too

it had crossed my mind too

Guess what! You're all right Did some ringing around today, rang digbits (who I think the QH came from) and had a lengthy conversation with a friendly chap, understandably he was fairly interested in selling me new things too.
He said from the pin centers and the machine that it would likely be a 3cx hitch that's worn right down, hence why 50mm fitted in the back and not the front. Makes sense to me. Apparently 10y is a good life for a QH (Only a farm digger, hardly a frontline machine!)

He told me about the 3cx pins which are 44.45mm pins with split bushings in the bosses to fit the pins in. Which our machine has. I thought they were a bodge. Hence why I wanted to take the buckets up to 50mm pins becuase thats what the bosses measure out as.

Afformentioned split bushes.

 

[GazCro]

Guess what! You're all right Did some ringing around today, rang digbits (who I think the QH came from) and had a lengthy conversation with a friendly chap, understandably he was fairly interested in selling me new things too.
He said from the pin centers and the machine that it would likely be a 3cx hitch that's worn right down, hence why 50mm fitted in the back and not the front. Makes sense to me. Apparently 10y is a good life for a QH (Only a farm digger, hardly a frontline machine!)

He told me about the 3cx pins which are 44.45mm pins with split bushings in the bosses to fit the pins in. Which our machine has. I thought they were a bodge. Hence why I wanted to take the buckets up to 50mm pins becuase thats what the bosses measure out as.

Afformentioned split bushes.
View attachment 14382

Would have got it right away if you'd shown us the bushes. I take it it's not a hydraulic hitch then (a good hydraulic hitch would still be ok after 10 year)

 

[honey_badger]

However. Buying a new QH would need to be a custom one anyway, becuase the digger has 50mm pins in the dipper and link, along with not quite the centers he was expecting. So having to have a custom QH anyway, I might as well go to 50mm bucket pins too (3m of 50mm en19t!)
In which case, how wrong am I just modifying the current front 'jaw' on the quickhitch to accept 50mm. Can either bore out, grind it out, or get a peice of mild steel bored out to 50mm ID by my machinist mate, then cut out whats in there and weld that in. Reinforce it a bit maybe too to increase its life against age related stresses.

 

[honey_badger]

Would have got it right away if you'd shown us the bushes. I take it it's not a hydraulic hitch then (a good hydraulic hitch would still be ok after 10 year)

No. Spring one. Should've shown the bushes. Oops.

 

[V8Druid]

However. Buying a new QH would need to be a custom one anyway, becuase the digger has 50mm pins in the dipper and link, along with not quite the centers he was expecting. So having to have a custom QH anyway, I might as well go to 50mm bucket pins too (3m of 50mm en19t!)
In which case, how wrong am I just modifying the current front 'jaw' on the quickhitch to accept 50mm. Can either bore out, grind it out, or get a peice of mild steel bored out to 50mm ID by my machinist mate, then cut out whats in there and weld that in. Reinforce it a bit maybe too to increase its life against age related stresses.

just open it up to 50mm ... t'aint far off already

 

[Shovelhands]

I think I’d favour trying to obtain a 3cx hydraulic hitch and make the lugs fit your machine, will be mix n match, but 3cx buckets and attachments are plentiful, 50mm for that JZ70....not so much. I think any time and money invested in that old hitch would be better spent on a new hydraulic hitch.
If the hole centres are near enough then it might just be a bore out job to get it to fit? Not sure if the dipper width is anywhere near 3cx?

 

[V8Druid]

I think I’d favour trying to obtain a 3cx hydraulic hitch and make the lugs fit your machine, will be mix n match, but 3cx buckets and attachments are plentiful, 50mm for that JZ70....not so much. I think any time and money invested in that old hitch would be better spent on a new hydraulic hitch.
If the hole centres are near enough then it might just be a bore out job to get it to fit? Not sure if the dipper width is anywhere near 3cx?

the dipper and the link probably originally had the same split spring bushes in as the 3cx has in its dipper and and tip link so would have been on std 45 pins as would the hitch have been with its top hat split bushes in place too

Pardon our interruption...

same bush in the tip link too IIRC

 

[GazCro]

Lot of hitches out there for 3cx buckets with 50mm pins on top. Most 8ton 360 will be 50mm pins. Most hire companies ran them as they already had loads of buckets

 

[Shovelhands]

the dipper and the link probably originally had the same split spring bushes in as the 3cx has in its dipper and and tip link so would have been on std 45 pins as would the hitch have been with its top hat split bushes in place too

JZ70 was 50mm pins originally, bucked the trend for JCB. Current machines up to 10t are on 3cx pattern, but the JZ70 was unique on 50mm

 

[honey_badger]

I think I’d favour trying to obtain a 3cx hydraulic hitch and make the lugs fit your machine, will be mix n match, but 3cx buckets and attachments are plentiful, 50mm for that JZ70....not so much. I think any time and money invested in that old hitch would be better spent on a new hydraulic hitch.
If the hole centres are near enough then it might just be a bore out job to get it to fit? Not sure if the dipper width is anywhere near 3cx?

No 3rd service on this machine unfortunately... Was thinking of adding one for a thumb at some point though. (presuming you need one for hydro QH)
Or Aux (whatever its called on diggers! )

 

[GazCro]

the dipper and the link probably originally had the same split spring bushes in as the 3cx has in its dipper and and tip link so would have been on std 45 pins as would the hitch have been with its top hat split bushes in place too

Dipper and link wouldn't have split bushes in be bucket only for them

 

[honey_badger]

I think I’d favour trying to obtain a 3cx hydraulic hitch and make the lugs fit your machine, will be mix n match, but 3cx buckets and attachments are plentiful, 50mm for that JZ70....not so much. I think any time and money invested in that old hitch would be better spent on a new hydraulic hitch.
If the hole centres are near enough then it might just be a bore out job to get it to fit? Not sure if the dipper width is anywhere near 3cx?

Well. 3cx buckets and attachments. if they're on split bushes, I just take out the split bushes and 45mm pins and whack in some 50mm's, jobs goodun.?

 

[GazCro]

JZ70 was 50mm pins originally, bucked the trend for JCB. Current machines up to 10t are on 3cx pattern, but the JZ70 was unique on 50mm

Sumitomo aren't they?

 

[Shovelhands]

No 3rd service on this machine unfortunately... Was thinking of adding one for a thumb at some point though. (presuming you need one for hydro QH)
Or Aux (whatever its called on diggers! )

No, you need a quick hitch valve and associated pipe work, not a particularly big deal if you wanted to do it.

 

[honey_badger]

Plus we are finding that 3cx buckets are a bit small for some of our uses, we're looking at a bigger grader at the mo and going to cut the old ears off and weld on some maching ones for our machine. Got to get this sorted first though.

 

[Shovelhands]

Well. 3cx buckets and attachments. if they're on split bushes, I just take out the split bushes and 45mm pins and whack in some 50mm's, jobs goodun.?

OE Jcb stuff will be on split bushes, many aftermarket buckets and attachments won’t have the split bushes.

 

[honey_badger]

just open it up to 50mm ... t'aint far off already

You think QH might suddenly give up if i didn't add a bit of reinforcement?

 

[Shovelhands]

Sumitomo aren't they?

Yes they were born from that era when Jcb had the tie up with Sunitomo

 

[honey_badger]

OE Jcb stuff will be on split bushes, many aftermarket buckets and attachments won’t have the split bushes.

Okay, however digbits chap seemed to imply that their attachments were on split bushes.

 

[Shovelhands]

Okay, however digbits chap seemed to imply that their attachments were on split bushes.

Not say they are not, there’s no right or wrong way, but I’ve got a lot of 3cx pattern buckets, none on split bushes.
And if you are buying new, like the digbits man wanted you to, then you’d have it made with whatever you wanted, so it’s kinda irrelevant if buying new?