I bought a sleeve hitch at lowes,it's for a garden tractor,it was originally $169.99---marked down to 90 then to 40,I bought it when it hit $20.00.I've got a disc cultivator I want to hook up to it,I know I will have to do some fabricating to fit it to a sportsman 500 efi,which is up in the woods now. anyone ever done anything like this?

 

why is ur quad up in the woods?

 

Ive been trying to figure out how to do just that myself, without alot of welding....let me know what you figure out

 

I have this settup on my 04 1/2 500 Sportsman.
Do a search on this forum, maybe by name if it lets you. Ive chimmed in alot and written about how i made it and what i use it for.
I have a rear blade that i extended to 60", I use it all year long, In the winter for snow and i just leveled 7 ton of crushed stone for a driveway in about an hour. didn't touch a rake.
I've put in about 2 acres of food plots that had never been plowed before.
I fabricated a 1/2" steel plate to mount the sleeve hitch and above that a 1500 lb imported winch, The plate is bolted to the frame and the lower A-arm bolts of the rear suspension. I drilled 2 1/4" holes in the frame. That was the only mod i had to make to the quad.
It works really well for all kinds of implements. I just baught a row cultivator for my pepper plants and potatoes that will have a sleeve hitch mount.
If you are going to be using it to lift or haul things i would suggest a rear suspension lock out. It's a steel bracket from Polaris that grabs the A- arms and keeps them from leting the suspension travel up and down.
I looked into making it but for the $100 from the dealer it wasn't worth trying to figure it out.
I havent got any pictures but i'll answer any thing you like.

 

Thanks for the replies deerkiller and firedog.I'me going up to the woods in two weeks to cut some trees for road access and a future feed plot.I leave it up there cause I have 30 acres and do'nt want to keep bringing it back and forth from home,it's a 5 hour drive.I will be bringing it home this time to mount the sleeve hitch.I want to make it a quick on-off setup if I can.I'me a knife maker and have well equipped shop,so I feel pretty good about this plan. when I finish I will try to post some pictures,if you can do that here,I'me new to this forum.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Very cool Bladegrinder, I've never spoken to a knife maker, i happen to be a knife user.
I'll get some pictures of my setup and post them.
I haven't broken anything on the hitch or the frame of my quad, but build it heavier then you think.
I wouldn't waste money using a 3000 lbe warn winch. I've found i 1500 lb imported unit holds up well and is compact enough to keep the spool nearly centered with the sleeve hitch.
For your heavier implements I've rigged up a pulley on the attachment then looped the cable back to the frame to form a simple block and tackle. It seems to lift easier. I think some people call that a ****** block. But I've never associated that with farm work so i call it a pulley.
I pull a 10" single bottom plow. It works the quad pretty well but i don't beleive it's beating on it. Let the fan run before shutting it down.
Oh, I mounted a remote switch to the left fender next to the seat and it seems to be comfortable to operate it while turning my head to watch behind.
The batteries on these quads are junk so when you replace it I'd get a good one with the highest amp you can afford. Mine needs replacing and it's not unusual to have to pull start it if I've been using the winches alot.

 

Deerkiller the one i got has the handle that comes around the fender for raising and lowering,I'll probably have to do something with it.Maybe off it and install a come-along or winch.

 

The first thing i did was cut that handle off near the pivot point. It has a cam on it so it stays raised in the up position until you trip the cam with the lever.
Every time you go to lower the hitch you have to climb off and trip it manually, Pain in the ****. I thought about using it to raise the hitch but after using it with the winch it's not worth the effort of making the handle usefull.
That lift handle assembly was in the way when i tried to hook a ball type hitch into the frame.
I kept it on there for about a year and finally cut the whole thing off. The center rod/bar that goes to the tool really does nothing as far as carrying load. It is all carried on the two pins at the pivot of the sleeve hitch. I haven't broken those pins but they are getting loose. Soon i'll bore them bigger.
Sleeve hitch implements are a dime a dozen and the ones with out are easily fabricated. i found a 4" square pc of steel tube with 1/2" walls. i cut that length wise to make a couple of hitches. It's heavier than it needs to be but it won't break.
I invested a ton of money into a plow for the front for snow,winch , plow , brackets, switches and a ton of time to maintain it. I used the rear plow for weight to off set the front plow and to tell the truth the rear plow is as usefull or more then the front for clearing tight places. If you had a small driveway you could get away with just the rear blade.
I'm trying to get my daughter to take some pictures for me but playing with farm implements and snow plows is way down on her list.
I'm still in the film age.
Deerkiller