Quick hitch for mini digger

[Flying Torquewrench]

I am looking to add a quick hitch to my JCB 8016. 90% of the time the digger is only used around the house and the other 10% is normally for friends & family.

As you all know there is a wide selection if quick hitches and I believe that for a 1.5 tonner the choice is between a “semi-QH” or a “springlock-QH”. For obvious reasons the Semi-QH is cheaper as there are no moving parts but it seems that the Springlock-QH is more popular.

What would you recommend and more importantly why?

 

[Smiffy]

Not the spring lock I'm sure they come with the wear already built in
They are no quicker to use than a semi quick hitch either as they have to have a safety pin fitted

 

[Hg2702]

Harford wedgelock Tightens up on slack and good people to deal with

 

[T whiting]

The biggest disadvantage if the semi hitches is that the buckets have to be spot on pin center to pin center even a couple of mm out and they won't go on. Spring lock hitches are a little more tolerant but a hydraulic hitch or a wedgelock will pick quite a veriety of centers and take all the slack out.

But TBH on a 1.5 I'd just keep a nice piece of bar with the machine and keep the pins well greased to help changing buckets

 

[V8Druid]

The biggest disadvantage if the semi hitches is that the buckets have to be spot on pin center to pin center even a couple of mm out and they won't go on. Spring lock hitches are a little more tolerant but a hydraulic hitch or a wedgelock will pick quite a veriety of centers and take all the slack out.

But TBH on a 1.5 I'd just keep a nice piece of bar with the machine and keep the pins well greased to help changing buckets

Think I'd agree, that with a 1.5 the hitch'd be as much faff, if not more than simply popping the pins for bucket changes ... don't exactly have to wrestle with the buckets

 

[JD450A]

Get good with the bar..... change a 1.5t bucket in under a minute if you get good

 

[doobin]

Sod that. Save time, save getting greasy fingers, save getting grit in the pins. Get a Harford Prolock wedge hitch and enjoy every bucket being tight with no play.

 

[V8Druid]

Sod that. Save time, save getting greasy fingers, save getting grit in the pins. Get a Harford Prolock wedge hitch and enjoy every bucket being tight with no play.

that's certainly a big plus for them for sure ..... what's the cost ?

 

[sjs5060]

Sod that. Save time, save getting greasy fingers, save getting grit in the pins. Get a Harford Prolock wedge hitch and enjoy every bucket being tight with no play.

I’m with doob on this one, you can f**k messin with greasy pin half a dozen times in the day, ive Had a hydraulic fitted to the 3 ton today, when the lad was leaving i said ‘yad best get me a price on one for the 1.5’
im a bit in the middle with manual hitches tbh, the springlocks do wear, but they’re easy to tighten with the welder, they’re the quickest, dead simple, a labourer can be handed a bar and can drop the bucket for you, also (the forum safety police will be on me for this) decent ones work perfectly without the saft pin

 

[V8Druid]

I’m with doob on this one, you can f**k messin with greasy pin half a dozen times in the day, ive Had a hydraulic fitted to the 3 ton today, when the lad was leaving i said ‘yad best get me a price on one for the 1.5’
im a bit in the middle with manual hitches tbh, the springlocks do wear, but they’re easy to tighten with the welder, they’re the quickest, dead simple, a labourer can be handed a bar and can drop the bucket for you, also (the forum safety police will be on me for this) decent ones work perfectly without the saft pin

I agree ... Jake only ever had his pin in if there was any one any where near me .. which wasn't often, or I had the forks on it ... you'd have to be trying bloody hard to get a bucket off

 

[Stubota86]

Recently bought this from Millings MIM Wear Parts, I only use the digger occasionally so decided on a cheaper option than some of the other manufacturers. Very pleased with it, just don’t drop the bucket on your foot when you use the hitch for the first time like I did

£280 plus VAT including 3 or 4 sets of pins

Seems well made and good guys to deal with

 

[V8Druid]

Recently bought this from Millings MIM Wear Parts, I only use the digger occasionally so decided on a cheaper option than some of the other manufacturers. Very pleased with it, just don’t drop the bucket on your foot when you use the hitch for the first time like I did

£280 plus VAT including 3 or 4 sets of pins

Seems well made and good guys to deal with

looks very tall Stu ??

 

[Nick...]

Wedge lock every time.spring hitches are crap and get very sloppy very quickly
Nick...

 

[Routy56]

I am looking to add a quick hitch to my JCB 8016. 90% of the time the digger is only used around the house and the other 10% is normally for friends & family.

As you all know there is a wide selection if quick hitches and I believe that for a 1.5 tonner the choice is between a “semi-QH” or a “springlock-QH”. For obvious reasons the Semi-QH is cheaper as there are no moving parts but it seems that the Springlock-QH is more popular.

What would you recommend and more importantly why?

Harford Pro-Look gets my vote.
After years of doing the greasy pins bucket change tango went over to the dark side last year.
Makes bucket changing an absolute doddle and the wedge design takes up any wear.
They even supply you with a 3/8" drive ratchet required to lock and unlock

 

[Stubota86]

looks very tall Stu ??

So far so good Druid, definitely gives extra reach! I think if I used it all day every day I would be able to give better feedback but for now I’m just happy to be able to change buckets without cursing! - I’m pretty sure my KX is an ex Clancy Docwra machine so probably spent a lot of time with a breaker on it digging out water bursts, since I rebushed it it has occasionally been a PITA to change the buckets out so I think the dipper end is prob worn?! When I first got it, there was so much play it was like having a frebbie tilt hitch with a mind of its own!!!!

 

[Gunners]

I bought a good genuine JCB 2nd hand unit for my 8015. The genuine ones are brilliant because you only have to get off once to unhitch the bucket. The new bucket can be flicked on once picked up. Time saved, no greasy hands and honestly, no noticeable loss of breakout force. Not all of us are working in quarries with our 1.5tonners.
Be careful of cheap ones on ebay. The metal isn't hard enough in the jaw and play develops very quickly. Helps to have new pins in the bucket too if yours are a little worn. The Harford ones get around the play by tightening up against the back pin which is a good system, but does take 2 times out of the seat and some ratcheting to change a bucket. Takes longer but drives better for it I guess.

 

[GazCro]

I bought a good genuine JCB 2nd hand unit for my 8015. The genuine ones are brilliant because you only have to get off once to unhitch the bucket. The new bucket can be flicked on once picked up. Time saved, no greasy hands and honestly, no noticeable loss of breakout force. Not all of us are working in quarries with our 1.5tonners.
Be careful of cheap ones on ebay. The metal isn't hard enough in the jaw and play develops very quickly. Helps to have new pins in the bucket too if yours are a little worn. The Harford ones get around the play by tightening up against the back pin which is a good system, but does take 2 times out of the seat and some ratcheting to change a bucket. Takes longer but drives better for it I guess.

Depends how many hours you're gonna be putting on the machine a year. If its used every day wedgelock be the one as it'll keep wear at bay. But if it's not that much use a decent quality spring hitch like jcbs own would be fine. As rory says on a 1.5 ton it doesn't take long to change buckets but even so you end up not changing because you can't be bothered with the grease and sh*te off the pins. Not of use to yourself but when i got new 1.5 ton i opted for harford unilock (hydraulic) because i decided using ratchet on prolock would take nearly as long as having no quick hitch.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Thank you everybody, certainly food for thought!

I have been changing buckets manually for the last 4 years and I have it down to a fine art. However I am all for making life easier and protect my back. Also as has been mentioned, the pins get dirty and grease ends up everywhere. Every time I change buckets I grease the bucket pins.

With more work coming up it is time to invest some money and have a quick hitch on the machine.

 

[T whiting]

Put the pins in the ears of one of your other buckets when you take them out it saves them getting dirty, a bit of wd40 on a rag to get rid of any excess grease makes it cleaner too. How are you changing buckets if it's hurting your back? I can do them and the biggest thing I pick up is a bit of 3/4 bar

 

[Nick...]

With a hydraulic hitch on a small machine, do the pipes regularly break due to all the tight radius bends they have to make.
Nick...