ball and spoon coupling system

[masseyman]

http://www.dromone.ie/ball_agri_products.html has any one used this type of P.U.H yet and if so whats your opinion on them, personally i think it looks daft, however it may preform well

[Deere-est]

I have used a fixed one, the ball on a fixed plate. It was on a Fastrac and I was towing a 30+ tonne hookloader. Not the kind of trailer to trust a PUH with! They should become the standard here for anything 40kph or faster with a gross wieght of 20t or more in my opinion. If that makes it hard work for the industry having two towing means then the measly PUH should be gone altogether in favour of these. Everything Dromone have listed as a benefit is true, not just market dribble or sales orientated. I think Flash600 also has experience of them.

[Lord Ferguson]

Interesting that they lift the trailer with the hitch extended... that must put a lot of strain on the system I reckon... I've got a dromone extender just like that one and I always slip the hook in the eye and retract the hook before I lift up.. especially when picking up a loaded trailer

[Tellarian]

The pick up hitch was fine for a 3T weeks trailer; the number of accidents that have occoured through worn hooks and rings are legion, and as Tris says the system is unsafe with modern loads and trailers.

The Dromone is jus a variant of the original Scharmuller K80 ball hitch which is becoming the standards across Europe.

A few contractors are funning big bale outfits with ball jitches - smoother less wear and tear,  It is the way forward.

http://www.scharmueller.at/index.php?id=26

[Deere-est]

Interesting that they lift the trailer with the hitch extended... that must put a lot of strain on the system I reckon... I've got a dromone extender just like that one and I always slip the hook in the eye and retract the hook before I lift up.. especially when picking up a loaded trailer

I've a feeling it is meant to be raised first to guarantee a proper lock, Mark. I think retracting first puts a strain on the hitch as it is raising as it retracts  \

Found a pic I took of the back of the Fastrac with the hookloader attached. Also one of the high tip trailer, with a hydraulic jack stand.

[archbarch]

i havent used one but know of someone who has a ball hitch, they work very well.

I would partly agree with Tris, they should be a legal requirement for any tractor towing a trailer over 3 ton on public roads.

[MODELFARMER]

Surey the newest type pickup cannot be thought of as inadequate, Considerind no matter the implement being towed no more than 3/3.5tonne downward force is permissable on the hitch.

[archbarch]

its not the weight when lifting that you need to think about. The ball hitch allows for a smoother ride, the coupled trailer or implement is held more firmly and there is less wear.

it annoys me that farming in the UK has let itself become obbssesed with sprayer and spraying safety  but when it comes to trailers it dont matter. In Germany all trailed implements over a certain weight are fitted with brakes but removed for the UK market.

[masseyjack590]

that doesn't make much sense surely a big accident could occur on the road with a fastrac doing 65k with 20 tons behind, you would certainly know about it if you got hit by that or the trailer 

[Lord Ferguson]

Surey the newest type pickup cannot be thought of as inadequate, Considerind no matter the implement being towed no more than 3/3.5tonne downward force is permissable on the hitch.

that's very true Rickay... and a well maintained hitch ring and keep would be just as safe. I have to say I'm not sold on the idea personally.  I've done about 1,000 hours towing my trailers around in the last two years of so.. both of my machines had the same dromone extender hitch and all have been pretty much hassle free.  I think the 'problem' occurs when equipment is neglected or mistreated and that's the same for any item of farm machinery I believe  \

[Deere-est]

The key word is permissible...

A 14t trailer with it's axles set back as far as most are probably exceeding this by a fair few tonne  (For example)

The PUH has too many moving parts, moving parts equals wear, equals slop, equals accident.

It is certainly true of any machine that if isn't looked after but take a contractor who may do 2000hrs every year towing.... hitches don't last forever. Ball and spoon do last longer, much longer. Regardless of how new something is or how well it is looked after, how much work is done and so on; if there is a safer option for what is now a fast moving industry in cost and engineering then it should be implemented. There arn't many industries where such valuable and large machines are at the disposal of absolutely anyone, trained or not, old or young.... The safety standards and conditions are appalling in my own view.

[Lord Ferguson]

I'm pretty sure that Dromone hitches are engineered not to lift much more than the permissible Trissy.  That's certainly the case on my two I've had.  When I've overloaed my Bailey with topsoil it simply won't lock up.. resulting in a bucket or two being taken from the front before it would left me.

As for wear... My rings on my trailers fit the pulling part of my hook snugly... I can see grease being an advantage to a certain degree on these balls.  To tell the truth I see these balls as and engineering solution to a problem that's not really there  \

I suspect these devices will go down in the annals of UK farming history much like the PAVT wheel or the Mult-Pull hitch

[Kiwi6920]

Im very proud to say we dont have this problem over here, when you say pick up hitch people look at you and say ohh you mean quick hitch on the 3ptl, we still use the yank way, double clevis fixed drawbar and a big old trys drawbar pin, means we have to get out and check its hooked up properly coz we have to wind the stand up

in my eyes you can beat a drawbar for saftey, if you towing alot of rad work here you genraly have a truck type trailer so you use a ring feeder, only about 500kg down force can be on a ring feeder so not many people use them, the most commen is a Pintle hitch, that can take about 6 ton on a tractor  mate uses it for his tanker and spreader, recons it plulls alot better than a drawbar

Why is a PUH such a thing that you folks cant live with out them? you still have to get out to plug in the hydro lines and lights and the pto shaft if there is one?

please do enlighten me in this dark part of the world i call home

[grim]

having used a puh`s in the uk for a lot of haulage with tractors and using the drawbar and pin for balers in nz,also used the ball and spoon on balers in europe,i would have the ball and spoon over the other systems hope to get it on the baler in nz next.

[schw84]

Whats the vision of the ball like from the cab compared to a hook. From personal experience I like the way they now utilise the spool so when you drop the hitch it can be extended so you dont strain your neck out the back window trying to see the hook, but that cap on the ball looks as though it would further impeed vision?

It certainly wouldn't work too well on a teleporter as at present you can only see the top of the hook in the mirror and that cover looks like it would make life hard.