How To Build You Own DIY Tractor Implements

Tired of your tractor implements breaking and not being able to do the job properly?

Creating your own DIY tractor implements is probably perfect for you. This article teaches you how to create a versatile range of implements so you will be able to do any job with your tractor.

Saving money buying new implements and easily fitting current implements on and off.

So why wait? Read on and start building your perfect set of DIY tractor implements!

What Will Need To Make A Three Point Hitch For Your Garden Tractor?

Depending on what the three point hitch of your garden tractor already has on it. You will need more or less scrap metal.

This tutorial assumes your tractor comes with nothing attached to your three point hitch.

You may alternatively need to remove parts of your three point hitch to start with the same setup as step one of the guide.

In summary, here is a rough idea of what you’ll need. It is more than likely you will go back and forth to the hardware store and change things as you need it.

After all, this is a DIY project and you’ll need to buy things specific to you and what suits the setup of your tractor

• Scrap metal (for three point hitch)
• Draw bar
• Welding machine
• Pin with keyring
• Scrap metal (for implements)

How To Build You Own DIY Tractor Implements – Step By Step

When creating your own DIY tractor implements, the first step is to modify the three point hitch of your tractor so the new implements you make can all be easily attached to the hitch.

The biggest problem with creating your own implements is sometimes they may not fit or work correctly if you tried to attach them to a regular three point hitch from a standard tractor.

The following steps ensure you are able to have implements that easily pin on and off of your tractor even if some of the implements you have aren’t built yourself.

Just slight modifications to the implements you already have and you’ll be good to go!

First of all, you want to take a look at your three point hitch. If you don’t have one on your tractor then refer to articles on how to set one up yourself.

Make sure your hitch looks a bit like this with three points attached to it. This forms the foundation to creating any tractor implement you want.

Step 1: Add A Draw Bar To Your Three Point Hitch

Without welding, find a draw bar of a suitable length for your tractor and attach is through the holes of the lower levers.

This will ensure the bar can rotate which is essential for the functionality of the hitch and the implements you will attach to it.

You can add nuts on to the ends of the draw bar to cap the bar and make sure it doesn’t fall off.

Just be sure to buy nuts that cap the end of the bar rather than screw in to the bar and squeeze the lower levers in to the bar, not allowing the bar to freely rotate.

Step 2: Measure The Distance Between Draw Bar And Top Hitch

Simply measure the distance between the lower levers of your three point hitch and the centre hitch.

This measurement you will use to construct the rest of your square frame

Measure the highest point, this will be from the end of the centre link (where there is a hole on the end) to the draw bar you just added.

Make a note as this length will set up the rest of the build quite simply

Step 3: Create Two Frames for The End Of The Draw Bar

Next, to add to the draw bar, you need to create two pieces of metal on either side of the draw bar that are the same length as the measurement you have measured in the previous step.

When deciding on a piece of metal for this part of the build, consider using a strong metal that is hollow to increase strength and at least half an inch thick.

You can weld these two pieces of metal on to the draw bar like in the example or you can screw them on.

Whatever you choose, it is important they are both the same length and they are well secured – these pieces to do not need to rotate.

Step 4: Create A Top Bar For The Top Of The Two Frames

Next, weld or create a limb that will complete the frame by standing on top of the two arms attached to the draw bar.

Make sure it is the same length as the draw bar so it fits nicely on top.

In the middle of this bar, you will also need to weld a strong attachment that a pin can be threaded through horizontally.

You may wish to add in a couple of pieces to create this attachment to increase the strength or even one thicker one.

Step 5: Modify Your Tractor Attachments As Necessary

Now you have added this build to your tractor’s three point hitch, it should be easy to modify your implements to attach it to the back of your tractor.

You will just need to drill a hole in to your implement that fits the hole of the frame you made in the previous step.

Alternatively, you could drill the hole in to a piece of metal and weld this bit of metal on to the implement

Sometimes, you can just drill a few holes into a store bought tractor implement or even go about making a new implement from scratch entirely.

This ensures you can create any type of tractor implement and complete any job you put your tractor to by simply pinning it on and off of your hitch!

Tips On Making Your Own Tractor Implements

Creating a three point hitch addition can be a hard task so here are some cool tips to make your project more exciting and cost effective with some common mistakes you could make too.

Sometimes It Is Best To Keep Things Simple

Making your attachment to your three point hitch doesn’t have to be just like the above tutorial. However, overcomplicating it further could result in some of the implements you choose to make for your tractor to be non-functional.

Despite the simplicity of the tutorial, adding in unnecessary attachment points can just make the implements hard to detach with more to go wrong.

Change The Frame Design

In this tutorial I show you how to create a three point hitch frame that is square. If you are feeling creative and want the aesthetics of your tractor to look good you can change this.

Ideas could be to use different colours of metal or paint the metal when you are done.

You could also create flat corners of your frame to add in some more angles. You can plan out this shape like so.

This helps you to add in a custom look to the design while keeping things simple and still allowing the implements to easily pin on and off

Borrow As Much As You Can

Whenever you borrow anything, it can be a great way to save money.

Simply asking a friend who you also know has a tractor or even contacting some local farms or industrial sites you know of to hire their equipment can help you get the right tools for the job.

This will save you going through this tutorial and doing a fairly large DIY project.

However, if you are certain you will use your tractor often, then go ahead, this tutorial is likely the right fit for you.

Utilise Scrap Metal

Fortunately, aside from rust, there isn’t much that can cause the structural breakdown of metal. And if you have the machinery available to weld and melt your metal in to whatever you want, it can be extremely convenient to use scrap metal to create your implements.

Some places to start looking for scrap metal could be scrapyards, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or even taking metal from other parts of machinery you aren’t using.

This can mean the cost of your build could be extremely cheap if not free if you’re willing to get creative enough with where you find your material.

Use Bricks or Cinderblocks To Add Weight

Sometimes, you can create the right implement but you don’t have the necessary weight behind it so it can properly dig in to the ground or carry out the required process.

Adding in some cinderblocks or bricks to the top of your implements can be a great way to cheaply increase the weight and effectiveness of your implements.

Especially in implements used to dig up dirt and loosen up ground

Weld Effectively

Before you just go ahead with welding or even if you have been welding for years, it is easy to make mistakes and create a join that is quite weak.

Go over basic mistakes like cleaning the metal, optimising your welding settings, and using the right MIG with right length.

Creating a poor join can be an easy way to cause fault in your machinery and lead your tractor hitch and its implements to break overtime.

Drill In To Metal Slowly

Whenever drilling metal, the faster you got the more likely it is you will damage the metal by adding in cracks and bends.

Especially on tougher and thicker pieces of metal, take your time. This can be the difference between having to buy new material again so could cost you time and money.