Background of the ASAE Three-Point Hitch Standard

R. L. Erwin
MEMBER ASAE

HE ASAE Standard "Three-Point Free Link Attachment for Hitch ing Implements to Agricultural Wheel Tractors" was first published in the 1959 Agricultural Engineers Yearbook. The material for this standard was de veloped by a subcommittee of the Farm Equipment Institute Engineering Advisory Committee working with in dustry engineers, and was submitted to the ASAE Power and Machinery Tech nical Committee for approval as an ASAE standard. The purpose of this paper is to explain some of the reason ing behind certain aspects of the Stand ard. Some European countries, princi pally England, had adopted a standard for three-point hitches prior to the time the work was started in this coun try. The engineers on the three-point hitch committee felt that the British standard was not adequate in all re spects because it did not take into consideration all the functional char acteristics of the tractor and imple ment combination. Fig. 1 shows the British standard for category 1 hitches. Its primary purpose is to establish pin sizes and the triangular relationship be tween the upper and the two lower hitch points. Tractors and implements built to the British standard were physically inter changeable, but the combination was not necessarily functional. An impor tant characteristic of a free-link system, establishing the hitch point converg ence in both the vertical and horizon tal planes was more or less ignored in this standard, Other standards, such as the German, take care of this by es tablishing limits for the location of the hitch points on the tractor. The Amer ican engineers do not want to tie down the tractor hitch points in this man ner, because it limits the design free dom of the tractor engineer. The ASAE Standard solves the problem of es tablishing proper functional working re lationships without tying down the tractor hitch points. Most three-link hitch systems are free only during that interval of time when there is no hydraulic lifting force on the lower links. This is often only from the time the implement hits the ground until it has reached its workPaper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers at Columbus, Ohio, June 1960, on a program ar ranged by the Power and Machinery Division. The authorR. L. ERWINis manager, en gineering administration and services department, Tractor and Implement Division, Ford Motor Co., Birmingham, Mich.

DIMENSIONS OF HITCH POINTS-CATEGORY 1 175.0

DIMENSIONS OF HITCH POINTSCATEGORY 2f

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Recommended dimensions. It may be necessary to vary these dimensions ir or specialized implements. The sizes given for Category 2 are recommended sizes and are proposed as a for future designs. The dimension 26% Vie in. for Category 1 will rem alternative size to be used in narrow track designs. All dimensions in inches.

FIG. 1 British standard for three-point hitch dimensions (categories 1 and 2). ing depth and the hydraulic system starts to control it. However, this time is very important from a functional standpoint. The hitch characteristics during this part of the cycle determine, for instance, the penetrating charac teristics of a plow. If the instantaneous point is too high, the plow will not en ter the soil. Fig. 2 illustrates the path of the in stantaneous centers of convergence of a typical hitch as a plow enters the soil. This must stay within fairly nar row limits to avoid affecting the per formance of the implement. After the implement has reached its working depth, and the h y d r a u l i c system through the linkage is exerting an up ward force on the implement, the im plement in essence becomes a part of the tractor and is dependent on the various control forces acting through the hydraulic system to change the re lationship between the tractor and im plement. However, the convergence point is still important because the typi cal control system can lift the imple ment but not force it down. The pene tration of the implement is depended upon to increase depth, and again the convergence point is the controlling factor. Thus the vertical hitch point as es tablished by the geometry of the link age is important for the proper func tion of the tractor-implement combi nation. Its location has been established by much field experience with various types of linkage-mounted implements. However, as in most engineering prob lems its exact location is a compromise between many interrelated factors, and is selected so that it will be accep table in a variety of conditions. Fol lowing is an outline of conditions that must b e considered in establishing this virtual hitch point: Conditions that require relatively short convergence For entering ground quickly and good penetration: A short conver gence in the link tends to tip the implement "on its nose" at point of touching the ground, thus increasing its penetrating tendency at that point. For proper implement position or following over ground irregularities: A short convergence exerts a stronger guiding tendency on the implement in the vertical direction. For leveling off at a working depth: A short convergence means that the relative angular position of the implement to its working plane changes rapidly with changing depth, which means it can run fairly level at a working depth and still be "tipped" at the ground surface for penetra tion.

1961

TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE

FIG. 2 Location of virtual hitch point throughout the working range of a typical free link three-point hitch. For providing good transport clear ance: A short convergence, again due to the resultant rapid change in angular relationship of the imple ment to the ground, causes the rear of the implement to raise higher than the front and provides good trans port clearance. Conditions that require a relatively long convergence For holding proper working posi tion in a variety of depths without adjustment: A long convergence which means a relatively small change of angular pitch of the im plement makes it easier to hold the implement at a set working depth. For reducing the hydraulic lifting force necessary to lift the implement: The nearer the upper and lower links approach being parallel, the lower the lifting force required for a given load. Condition that requires a relatively low vertical hitch point To maintain penetration of the im plement: A low hitch point lowers the angle of the draft line of the im plement and increases its tendency to penetrate the soil. Conditions that require high vertical hitch point relatively

combination is stable, there is very little tendency to "bob" or "chat ter" in a vertical direction. To relieve working pressure in hy draulic system: If the line of re sistance of the implement passes through the virtual hitch point, no hydraulic force is required to hold the lower links up. If the line of re sistance tends to pass below the vir tual hitch point, the implement will rise until a point of equilibrium is reached and the line of resistance again passes through the virtual hitch point. If the line of resistance passes above the virtual hitch point either, the implement will drop until equi librium is reached or the hydraulic system must hold it up. The higher above the virtual hitch point the line of resistance passes, the more hydrau lic force is required to hold up the links; thus a high virtual hitch point tends to reduce hydraulic force re quired in working position. Since it was agreed that hitch geome try was important and that it should be left up to competitive endeavor to es tablish the best hitch geometry to meet the above conditions, it became neces sary to set up some design criteria which, if used properly for design of both tractors and implements, would p r o d u c e functionally interchangeable combinations as well as physically in terchangeable combinations. This was established as an 18-in. theoretic im plement mast height. All geometric re lationships for both tractor and imple ment can start from this one dimension. The essence of the Standard is in Note II as follows: "The mast height is not necessarily a mechanical dimension on the imple ment itself. It is a figure used in de sign, and if properly used for design of both implement and tractor, a wellperforming interchangeable implement and tractor c o m b i n a t i o n will be achieved. This Standard makes it pos sible to produce tractors and imple ments that will give good performance in any combination; therefore, consid eration to hitch geometry is essential. This makes it desirable to establish a standard mast height and a standard mast pitch adjustment within a work ing range, because these items influence the position of hitch points that are common to both the implement and the tractor. Mast height is one of the essential factors in establishing the vir tual hitch point of the free-link sys tem, draft signal for the draft-respon sive system, loads on the linkage and hitch points, changes in implement pitch corresponding to changes in working depth, implement pitch when the implement is in transport position, clearance of the implement with the tractor, especially in the transport po-

FIG. 4 Lower hitch-point tractor clear ance. sition, and clearance of the hitch links with the implement or with the trac tor, especially in the transport position. When an implement mast height is made different than standard to ac complish some specific performance fea ture, care should be exercised to insure that the desired performance is secured with tractors likely to operate the im plement." As noted, the 18 in. is a nominal di mension used to establish the "link points" on the tractor and the length of links to give the proper hitch geometry. A survey made during the development of this standard showed mast heights of draft-responsive implements varied from 12 to 25% in. to give desired field results. These implements should give satisfactory performance on any trac tor that has links and tractor-link points established for the 18-in. nominal mast height. The moldboard plow is the imple ment that probably establishes the basic design criteria and the actual mast height of three-point hitch plows cov ered in a survey varies from the 18-in. dimension by only 1% in. The mast heights of other draft responsive imple ments, such as the rear-mounted culti vator and middlebuster, are also very close to 18 in. On other implements the actual mast height varies for specific reasons. On subsoilers a relative long distance from the lower hitch point to the cen ter of draft requires a high mast height be used to reduce force on the top link. In many systems that use a spring in the top link to sense draft, this is necessary to prevent excessive spring compression. The mast height on sub(Continued on page 5)

To assist in weight transfer: A high vertical hitch point would increase the weight transferred to the tractor during those periods when the links are free and not supported by the hydraulic system. To prevent "bobbing" of plows: The closer the line of resistance of the implement comes to passing through the virtual hitch point the more stable the combination. If the

FIG. 3 Location of horizontal convergence point of typical free-link, three-point hitch.

2

FIG. 5 Master pitch adjustment for cate gory 1 hitch. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE 1961

a sample from a bin was 65 sec; the minimum was 20 sec. This compares with an average of 150 sec for the belt sampler and 360 sec for the use of hands and a ring. Comparisons were made of grades of 896 samples of fruit taken from bins with the mechanical sampler and 885 samples taken from lug boxes on pallets where picking conditions were similar. There was no significant difference be tween grades. The mechanical sampler grades averaged 2.56 lb off grade per 42 lb with a range from 0.5 to 7.00 lb. The box samples averaged 2.59 lb off

grade per 42 lb with a range from 0 to 10.25 lb. There were thirteen re jected loads because of excessive off grade in the boxes, compared to four in the bins. The most logical expla nation is that a bad box of fruit sam pled will cause a rejected load, whereas a box of bad fruit spread at one level in a bin contributes much less to the sample and grade. During the four weeks testing of the sampler in two commercial receiv ing stations during the 1959 season, both the growers and processors scruti nized the operation. There is general has considerable freedom in establish ing the link points on the tractor and the length of the links. However, he must locate these points and provide the proper length of links to satisfy the essential operational characteristics of implements, or, in other words, he must establish these relationships to provide good hitch geometry with an 18-in. theoretical implement mast height. There are other essential relation ships that must be satisfied and these are spelled out in the Standard itself. In considering lower link points and length of links, the "horizontal distance from end of power take-off shaft to lower hitch points with draft links hori zontal" is very important. This has been established at 18 to 21 in. in the Standard, but is being considered for revision at the present time. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for imple ment designers to provide complete interchangeability of link-mounted PTO implements with this large a range in dimensions considering that they also have a variation in PTO heights to ac commodate. For instance, a telescoping tumbling shaft made for a mower, to fit a tractor with a 21-in. dimension from end of PTO to lower hitch point and a high PTO shaft, would probably bottom if hooked to a tractor with an 18-in. dimension and a low PTO. One proposal is to make this dimension 19V2 in. 1 in. and this is now under study by the industry. It was necessary in developing the Standard to provide clearance between the lower links for implements like plows where part of the implement act-

approval for use of the machine in both the cling peach and pear indus tries. A patent application is pending and the University of California has granted a non-exclusive license to one manufacturer. References
1 Bartlett, Richard P. and Wegener, John B. Sampling plans developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture for inspection of processed fruits and vegetables. Food Technology, vol. 11, Oc tober 1957. 2 O'Brien, Michael. Mechanical sampler for almonds. California Agriculture, vol 12, no. 8, August 1958. 3 Rowe, Gordon A. Sample problems in grad ing cling peaches related to bulk handling. Ag ricultural extension service (marketing) Univer sity of California, 1958.

THREE-POINT HITCH STANDARD

(Continued from page 2) soilers runs up to 23 in. for category 1 tractors. For disk harrows the mast height is usually less than 18 in. to increase a relatively low draft signal, to reduce weight transfer from the implement for better penetration and keep the imple ment working at a constant depth front to rear, and to enable the hydraulic system to lift heavier implements with less hydraulic pressure. Shortening the mast height tends to ward a parallel linkage and reduces changes in implement pitch with changes in lift height. Implements such as rear scoops and rotary cutters also have reduced mast heights to maintain the blade level through a range of heights and to reduce pressure required to lift. A short mast height also tends to maintain a parallel relation between tractor and implement PTO shafts. There are other factors that the de^ signer must consider in establishing the tractor lower link points. The Standard establishes a "lower hitch point spread," or the distance between the hitch points on the implement. The location of the tractor link points establishes the link convergence in a horizontal plane (Fig. 3) which in turn establishes the steer ing characteristic of the linkage. Again the designer must compromise between a short convergence that might be best for plows and a long convergence that might be best for other implements such as cultivators. In actual practice the tractor designer

ually projects forward between the links. This was provided by defining a swept volume as follows and is shown in Fig. 4: "Lower Hitch Point Tractor Clearance: The horizontal dimension between the rearmost parts of the trac tor in the area between the two draft links and the horizontal line through the two lower hitch points throughout the range of vertical movement of the hitch points. The power take-off master shield may be removed, if necessary, to meet this dimension." The Standard states that this dimension should be 18 in. minimum for both category 1 and 2 linkages. The mast pitch adjustment controls the attitude of the implement in rela tion to a horizontal plane or the line of travel and is described as the range of vertical distances of the lower hitch points above the ground through which the mast pitch can be adjusted to verti cal. This is shown in Fig. 5 and is pro vided by adjustment in the top link. The remainder of the Standard should require very little explanation. Many of the dimensions were established not only to accommodate what equip ment was on the market at the time the Standard was developed, but to pro vide a guide to future design, without excessively limiting freedom of those designs. For instance, clearance is pro vided around hitch points for quick couplers and provision is made for a 22-in. mast height in category 2 hitches if desired. Presently the FEI Commit tee on Three-Point Hitches is consider ing hitch standards for larger and more powerful tractors.

1961

TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASAE