656 fast hitch or 3 pt.?

I added a '69 model IH 656 Hydro Utility (diesel) about 2 yrs. ago to my tree farm for use as mowing tractor. It does a great job.

This is my first IH tractor & I wasn't familiar with what I believe is their "fast hitch". It has the top link & two lift arms that cannot be spread apart other than a little movement in the tongs so it made hitching up my 7' Howse brush cutter difficult. I'm a little reluctant to take the mower off to use it with other implements.

Anyone have suggestions on converting this thing to a traditional 3pt? Or is there a trick to using this type of hitch? I'm including a photo. Any help is appreciated.

Gary

I"m in a similar boat with a 300 utility. The arms are 28 inches wide, which makes them 2 inches too wide for 26 inch cat 1 and too narrow for 32 inch cat 2. My arms however look like pinchers. Long story short, we"re making spacers out of iron that bolt onto the ends to make them adjustable. Seems like every implement I get is too wide or too narrow, except for a back blade which is perfect... They also sell 32 inch conversion and 26 inch conversion kits or a three point conversion that"s adjustable. But the three point. conversion is almost a grand...

There should be a latch to lift to remove the prongs for the 2-point. Your prongs are conversions for 2-point to Cat-1. There are other prongs that adapt for 2-point to Cat-2 which you would need with some implements. You are not even coming close to loading that 656 with that little mower. You should have about 65 horses running there and you only need about 30 to pull that mower. Others might recognize the hitch but I would look for latches to allow the prongs to pull out. To get them back in you would need to line them up and back into them which is much easier than hooking up a 3-point.

Thanks Lmack,

I probably didn't explain well enough before but I can get the tongs out of the lift arms. The problem I have is that the lifting frame on my mower is about 1 to 1 1/2" wider than the distance between the tongs when spread apart. The tongs went in pretty tight when we backed the tractor up to the mower.

Is what I have called a "2 pt. hitch"? Also, what can be done to spread the lift arms apart a little?

Further, when did IH start making tractors with a standard 3pt. hitch?

Thanks,

Gary

You need the tongs that open and release the ball just about like Oliver 3pt arms. I have modified a category I 3pt quick hitch and that hooks to most standard category I implements. I also have an IH fasthitch to 3 pt adapter that is adjustable to the width of the implement pins. I can hook up to 3pt implements as well as fasthitch implements.

My tractor came from the factory without any power hitch; just the old swingin' drawbar.

I went to the salvage yard and pulled a hitch off another tractor and bolted it on.

Allan

Pilot199,

Your tractor has a Fast Hitch, sometimes called a "2pt" but officially called Fast Hitch.

IH officially started making 3pt hitch an option in 1963 with the 06 series, but many tractors were sold with Fast Hitch because many farmers had Fast Hitch implements from their older tractors that they still wanted to use.

Fast Hitch was an option up through the 66 series well into the 1970's.

There's no way to "spread" the arms without destroying something. If you look under the tractor you will see that the Fast Hitch "bail" is a solid U-shaped piece of very heavy steel. You aren't spreading that without some serious force.

Best bet is to modify the adapter prongs, but even then you will need some serious heat and force to bend them.

There are adapter prongs that have an offset built into them so they will work on 32" Cat II, and 26" Cat I implements. They're out there but you have to find them.

BTW, to hitch up, you remove the prongs from the tractor and install them on the implement, then prop them up so you can back into them with the tractor.

So, looking back at his first post question, What would be involved to convert a 2 point tractor to a factory type 3 point. Do you just remove the 2 point "wishbone" and replace with 3 point lower assembly from a salvage tractor?

I have been looking for a tractor and most of what I find has the 2 point but I want a factory 3 point type hitch. If interchangeable, it would simplify my search.

Thanks for confirming exactly what I have here.
Looks like the easiest answer is to get the offset
prongs you speak of to fit Cat. II

I appreciate the info.

Gary

Pilot199! I don't see to good of an answer here, so see if this helps. First the fast hitch distance between the points is fixed, but they could be sprung from bad use. I don't know the measurement. You could find that out and maybe get it back to size would not be easy. Replacing with 3pt not bad job, if you can find every thing.
The picture will help. The fast hitch will have to come off including the sway stop that goes under the PTO, this will include the long link going up to the rockshaft arm. In front of the sway blocks on the tractor now is the torsion bar, the is where the 3pt rams go on. You will have to retime the rockshaft arms from fast hitch to 3pt. The third link above the PTO does not look just right so check that out to make sure. You do not have to do anything to the hyd. hitch levers it will just work the same. The rocker shaft and arms should be marked 3pt 2pt. You can't just go to a junk yard and buy a hitch and put it on a tractor with a hitch, because there is way more the just the hitch, would not have hyds would not have torsion bar below for draft. But you have that now. If you need more just ask!! good luck

Thanks to all for the help & suggestions. Where's
the best place to find the offset prongs for Cat. II?

Gary

You have a set of adapters like I have. They are IMHO to be put on the implement 1st and then propped up so that you can back up & hitch up (as Mkirsh also suggests).

IH also made a different style of adapter. My dad had one years ago. It's design attached to all 3 points on the implement.

Edward
3 point adapter

Since you already know what you have...

I have 2 fast hitch tractors. A Farmall 450 and A Farmall 806. I also have 2 sets of fast hitch to 3 pt. adapters. Both sets have the offset in them for Cat. 2 equipment, one set has an upward offset in them also, I have found them handy on my 450, the upward offset helps it lift a posthole digger, etc. higher. Both of the styles of prongs I have can be purchased on E-bay. The set I own with the upward bend was purchased on ebay. The other set was purchased from Anderson Tractor parts in Bluffton, Oh, but I think any A+I tractor parts dealer can get them.

As far as hitching goes, I back up close to the implement, in such a position that I can set just the tip of the prong in the socket on the tractor side, and put the ball side on the implement. Then I back up to latch the prongs in place. Very similar to using the telescoping feature if your tractor had come with a factory 3-pt. Here's a couple of links to what I have. The straight set have pulled a 4 bottom over many acres, so I'd say they are pretty well made. -Andy

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IH-Farmall-...Heavy_Equipment_Parts&hash=item19dd9748f4

http://www.ebay.com/itm/IH-Farmall-...Heavy_Equipment_Parts&hash=item19e7920047

'06 Series were the first Internationals to offer 3 pt. from the factory in 1963 in North America. I guess 504 and 404 also, from same time period. 3 pt. and Fast Hitch were optional at the same time through the early 70's. -Andy

Put the tongs on the mower first and prop the points up on blocks, then back the tractor and snap the tongs in place.

(quoted from post at 11:39:08 01/21/14) Thanks to all for the help & suggestions. Where's
the best place to find the offset prongs for Cat. II?

Click to expand...

Worksaver did, or does, make an adapter kit. Wengers lists a set for a 300, which should work for your 656, but they're out of stock and $345!!!!!

Update:

Thanks boys for all the good info. & education
on this. Yesterday after searching these parts I
found a man in Missouri who manufactures
straight & offset prongs to fit IH fast hitch.
They're apparently big into hay spear
manufacturing also.

His Cat. II offset prongs go for $210.00 a pair.
The real surprise here is that their USA
manufactured. They're sold by the Washburn
Co. & you can go to their site at
"hayspear.com".

Thanks again,

Gary