# My Completed Electric Hitch.....Photos



## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

It's all one unit. Just lift it and hang it on the 2 lateral pins, then install one lower 5/8" bolt(through the tow-hitch hole), connect the electrical cable, and it's ready for the implement.
I installed the switch in front and below the seat, and it turned out to be a good location for it. I made the bracket wide enough to accept the 2 switches for the Johnny Bucket Jr(just in case).
It has more than ample total vertical travel. The height -adjustment holes(used at full extension) makes it very handy for setting the depth of the implement.
The plow is set at 10", measured from the line of the floor of the trailor.
This actuator releases, and ratchets, at about 1,300 lbs of force. At full extension, and full retraction, it quickly releases and ratchets. You can hear it, which prompts you to get off the switch.
All of it works as good or better than anticipated.
The downforce capability is terrific. Don't leave home without it.

<img src=http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/WillieNunez/Electric_Actuator_Test_001.jpg>

<img src=http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/WillieNunez/Electric_Actuator_Test_003.jpg>

<img src=http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/WillieNunez/Electric_Actuator_Test_004.jpg>

<img src=http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/WillieNunez/Electric_Actuator_Test_005.jpg>

<img src=http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/WillieNunez/Electric_Actuator_Test_008.jpg>


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Nice Job Willie


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## REDGT (Mar 26, 2004)

Been watching this unfold...great job! Was thinking about doing the winch thing, in fact have already gotten a neat little winch, 1700# Warn from northern tool which I'll now use in another way. Maybe I'll build a little hoist set up to lift honey supers off of bee hives...my old back doesn't like to do much heavy lifting any more. Beside the point. This linear actuator: What is the part number, and how would I go about ordering it? I have the old style hitch, but believe I can make it work fairly easily. For that, do recall right off, the retracted and extended lengths?


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

SWEET!!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: 

Not knowing how they work, will it stop at any point in it's travel, or just full up, or down? I realy like the quick on, off, one bolt feacher.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

Good job Willie looks great :thumbsup: 
Jody


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## GT5000 (Feb 23, 2004)

Willie:

How much to build one for me?


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

> _Originally posted by GT5000 _
> *Willie:
> 
> How much to build one for me? *



Is this the same GT5000 who was misbehaving and asked to leave a few weeks back? Just wondering....why I ask? usually a "leopard doesn't change its spots"

Not trying to cause a flair up, but I wonder out loud just the same

Duc


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## GT5000 (Feb 23, 2004)

My basic question was directed towards Mr. Willie. It wasn't transcribed in order to garner an editorial from you. If you have a void to fill, why not check your tranny oil.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

willei Great job: does sears sell something like this or did you modify it to fill a void in their products? 

What part did you make and what parts were from sears? If sears does not make them, just how much do you think it cost you to rig it up? 


Could be a nice nitch product..


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

I just came on, I'll start in reverse order:

John,
Sears sells a manual hitch and then an electric lift kit for it. First of all, the manual hitch has some design deficiencies, and having to buy both, if all you want is electric, is a dumb way to go. Also, the price of the electric kit is too high(for me) and they torqed me off by never telling me exactly what came in the expensive electric kit.....no parts diagram or anything.
I modified my manual hitch by cutting 7/8" off the ears where the upper mounting stud slots are located, and by raising the hinge-pin holes fpr the drawbar, and by cutting the lower link tabs. Then, I fabricated the brackets which are shown in white. I did a lot of research to find the perfect actuator for this application. It turns out it's the same one that comes in the Sears kit. The cost of the actuator with the switch, direct from the manufacturer, is $190. The cost of the mod material is about $37. My labor..........priceless. 

GT5000, 
I don't plan to go into the business. The market is too small, which prevents mass production. I made 2 sets of brackets and spacers when I made mine. I'll sell those for $110 plus UPS Ground(freight). You would have to hacksaw and drill your manual hitch plate, then weld the u-shaped lower bracket to the drawbar. The brackets are not painted, and the 4 mounting holes are not drilled, just center-punched. First come-first served.

Paul,
Yes, it'll stop at any position and it will hold that position. This feature, plus the downforce, makes it ideal for blade or bucket work.

RedGT,
Check out www.bearlinear.com
Talk to Jarred ext 55# or Cris ext 33#
Just ask for an e-mail of the spec sheet for their K-2 actuators. You make your own part number depending on the features you want. This one is a 4" stroke, 1,200 lb force, ratchet clutch, standard orientation, 20:1 ratio, 6 second speed(full stroke). Or, just ask for the same one Willie Nunez ordered. The price is $180 plus $10 for the rocker switch.

Others,
Thanks for the compliments. All I know is how to do things "neat", having built several show-quality street rods and one airplane.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Looks cool to me! I would imagine you have a nice shop set-up as well. My problem is going from the idea phase to the make it happen phase!!! 

Good work, thanks for the pictures! Let know how it works after a little use!


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Nice work. :homereat:


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

> _Originally posted by GT5000 _
> *My basic question was directed towards Mr. Willie. It wasn't transcribed in order to garner an editorial from you. If you have a void to fill, why not check your tranny oil. *



Apparently you are still the same person. I thought it was a fair enough question to ask, maybe it wasn't. You have the right not to answer of course, or to comment as you see fit...

Again it wasn't meant for you to get riled up over..

Duc


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## GT5000 (Feb 23, 2004)

I am not riled up. You tried to rile me up (i.e. that leopard comment) but failed. If you really want to rile someone up why not park your tractor in your bedroom and when your wife gets home tell her you made room in the garage for her dust mops.


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## REDGT (Mar 26, 2004)

Bringing a man's wife into this ? What's up with that ?


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

not to be a sour sport here guys.. but what do you think, could we keep Willies thread civil? 

Its obvious from his photos and his setup that he put lots and lots of time & thought & effort into that setup of his..

its a shame to fill his thread with a posting arguments and baggering.. 


course you could always start a fresh thread for that..... 
:furious: 

just my 2 cents..


again willie.. looks slick let us know how it performs..


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

I agree completely. Show some class and respect for Willie and his efforts here. You know he doesn't -HAVE- to share his invention complete with taking the time and effort to share pictures and follow-up commentary including Q&A. Respect the fact that he has produced something truly great and leave the bickering at home or bring it to the OT board. Duc, if you have issue with GT5000, send him a PM. This is not going to turn into one of those also-ran boards where half of the threads get sabotaged and ambushed by immature interpersonal assaults.

Bring it to the OT and let Tuba sort it out. 
Andy


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I would like to further add that GT5000 has served out his time and I think we should ALL give him the benefit of the doubt and start with a CLEAN slate. As already stated, the off thread topic issues can be addressed with PM's.


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## GT5000 (Feb 23, 2004)

Here, here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Since I never had a direct problem with GT5000, its not a personal thing with me. It just struck me as ironic and somewhat hypocritical that the original reason for his departure was the abusive nature of his posts to Willie directly, to the mods, the site directly and the members. Again it wasn't toward me directly so
I don't care. If it involved me directly, God forgives, Duc does not...

PM's are not needed or any new threads need to be started...it ends here and now...

Duc


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

I was just reading your profile Willie and noticed you are a pilot. Who do you fly for? We have a couple of guys here that fly for Southwest. We also have two other guys that are furloughed one from American and one from Northwest. Ah the life of the pilot!

The reason for checking the profile was to see if you were a man of leisure or still with the nose to the grindstone. Either way it sounds like you are just plain pleased as punch to work with your hands and brain to try and make things better for you. I for one would like to say thank you for sharing your ideas and projects. You seem like an honest guy that would tell us how it works good or bad. I hope the actuator works out and gives you many years of trouble free sevice. The craftsmanship looks great.



:usaflag:


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

Stewart,
My specialty is flying international lifeguard missions in an ambulance-configured Lear 35A. I work for an out fit that's based in San Diego, but they have helicopters, Cessna 421 and Lears in Texas.
I don't work too often because I've cut down my schedule so that I can make progress with building our custom house in San Antonio. The shop I use is in El Paso, and I'm anxious to set up my shop in San Antonio. I've got several projects on the drawing board. I've always been a craftsman. I used to work as an engineer, and other business ventures, but flying pays me more per hour spent working. My job has always interfered with my hobbies, and I want to minimize that.
I can already tell you that the electric sleeve hitch works really well. I can't imagine anything better, not even a hydraulic hitch.
Also, my modification to the tranny fender lever works exactly as anticipated. It's day/night difference from the stock lever gate. It's a joy.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Building a custom house is a lot of work and headaches!!! As long as your income is bigger than what you spend that is the key! 

How much longer do you have on the house and are you doing much of the work yourself? A couple of the guys here at work jsut finished houses and did qoute a bit themselves. It was mainly finish work and landscaping, they have some horror stories! :cheers:


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## Rodster (Sep 26, 2003)

Nice clean job. Thanks for sharing your idea with us.
Rodster


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## tjw in kans (Oct 10, 2003)

great job willie, looks better than a store bought unit, i am sure you will accept apologizies from those that told you that you were wrong from the beginning. good luck with your new venture. you da man.


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## farmallmaniac (Feb 16, 2004)

Looks really good!
Ryan


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Willie,

This has been my first opportunity to look at your project. 

*NICE JOB!!!*

You know, I bet you qnd Chipmaker would have a wonderful time at my place for the summer. You live in Texas and he in Alabama, why you could just pick him up on the way here.:spinsmile


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Willie,
Very professional looking job there. I'm glad you shared it with us. I can see many different applications for that electric actuator. I never realized that they could be had with the 1200 pound force you listed. Actuators are not something we use much where I work. Do you have a feel as to how this will operate in the less than ideal environment of the back of a tractor? I would imagine they are sealed to a certain extent, but how about rain, cold, dirt, mud, exposure to fertilizer and lawn chemicals?


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

Argee,
We "fulltime" in our motorcoach, and we've done our share of meeting up with cyber friends....here and there. It's fun to put a face to a name. The trip that you're suggesting sounds like a lot of fun, but it'd be almost impossible to bring all my tractor stuff. Not only that, but right now I need to stay in high gear in order to have a house by Christmas. We decided to go back to living in a foundation house. There's too many things we miss about having a house, not the least is my home shop.
Thanks


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

bontai joe,
Actually, Bear Linear has the K-2x model which is even stronger than this one(2,000 lbs I think).
The one I have is designed to work outside, in the elements, and I have no reservations about using it in all tractor enviroments.
Yes, with the intro of this latest generation of dc actuators I expect to see more and more applications in small tractors. I know if I had my shop here in San Antonio, I'd be working on my motorgrader mid-blade project. It would have 2 vertical actuators to lower/raise/tilt the blade(and chain-drive circle).
Also, I'm excited about the adaptation of a vertical actuator to lift/lower the bucket on my J-B Jr. I'm still looking for the downforce feature.
One of the things to keep in mind is that on a hydro-trans tractor, the engine runs a high RPM all the time. With electric actuators, you put all the electrical current to good use(from generator output).


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Willie Nunez _
> *Argee,
> We "fulltime" in our motorcoach, and we've done our share of meeting up with cyber friends....here and there. It's fun to put a face to a name. The trip that you're suggesting sounds like a lot of fun, but it'd be almost impossible to bring all my tractor stuff. Not only that, but right now I need to stay in high gear in order to have a house by Christmas. We decided to go back to living in a foundation house. There's too many things we miss about having a house, not the least is my home shop.
> Thanks *



HaHaHa...just pulling your leg....who wouldn't want you and Chipmaker up for the summer. I'd have so many new toys in the fall:spinsmile


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## GT5000 (Feb 23, 2004)

Willie:

Sears all of a sudden has their electric lift on their website. I think they must have caught wind of your brillant device. Keep up the good work.


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

GT5000,
Actually, I got the idea from them. But, as you might recall, we couldn't get any information on it. I can see now that they don't have any vertical adjustment on theirs. And, since they had to make it to work with their existing manual drawbar, they had to offset it to the right. Notice that the lower pin is canti-levered(as opposed to double-shear). All I did was improved on their idea, or AGri-Fab's idea.
I still don't know why the Sears electric lift kit is so expensive.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Have you thought about applying for a patent on your design?


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## Willie Nunez (Feb 25, 2004)

Stewart,
I'm not interested in investing time and money on the patent search, nor the patent. I don't think it's patentable, and if it is, it's probably patented already. Besides, the market is too small to excite me.
Thanks


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

I wasn't sure if you would be interested in something like that, but know you put a lot of work and brain power into your project. It does seem to me that you just want to share a good idea with others.. Again thanks for sharing!:beer:


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## snowmower (May 19, 2004)

Man, that is fantastic.

Willie, I was comparing your work vs the craftsman offering and would prefer yours hands down.

A couple of questions hoping someone could answer. Willie, you suggested that your linear actuator is the same one (or very similar to the one) used by 'craftman' for their lift. Would this be an accurate statement? Did anyone ever find out what was included in the electric lift kit?

I was comparing the manual lift vs the electric, and it appears the only difference is to remove the manual portions and bolt the actuator up in its place. So, while I am in no position to build the fantastic brackets as Willie did, could I conceivably save myself a couple of hundred dollars and sleep fairly easily believing that this actuator would bolt up easy to the stock locations?

thanks
SnowMower


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