I have an old yard cart(25 years?) that I use exclusively to haul firewood around from my wood pile to my firepit. Because I over engineer stuff, I put a bucket mount on it to hold fire starter stuff and fishing rod holders to hold my fire poker and log tongs. I'm planning on giving it a paint job this summer. I upgraded the tires to Tweels because Northern Tool has them on clearance and my previous flat free tires developed flat spots. But now I also want to convert the pull handle to a ball hitch, as well as all my mower tow behinds, because I overdo stuff... But the old handle on my yard cart is only like 3/4 square tubing. So how does one attach a ball hitch made for 2 inch square tubing to lightweight 3/4 tubing? Or do they make ball hitches for smaller tubing? I can't find any online. Do I just need to weld a 2 inch tube on the end? Because I **** at welding.
Ball Hitch for yard cart
- Thread starter Skooterj
- Start date
whateg01
Well-known member
Yes either weld a piece of tubing to the handle for the COUPLER to attach to our just weld the coupler to the handle. No, trailer couplers are not made to fit 3/4" tubing. Smh
finn
Well-known member
Class 1, (I think) receivers use a smaller square tube, maybe 1 1/2 inch. (Edit 1.25”) They used to be pretty common on minivans. My old Aerostar had one. Towed my I/o 17.5 foot boat all over.
The smaller drawbar might be easier to adapt.
Sounds like a good time to buy one of those sub $100 inverter welders guys have been snatching up.
You could also go with a simple C shaped drawbar the pins on to the back of a lawn tractor.
I think Harbor Freight or TSC has this type of stuff. I’m surprised Northern doesn’t.
The smaller drawbar might be easier to adapt.
Sounds like a good time to buy one of those sub $100 inverter welders guys have been snatching up.
You could also go with a simple C shaped drawbar the pins on to the back of a lawn tractor.
I think Harbor Freight or TSC has this type of stuff. I’m surprised Northern doesn’t.
Last edited:
whateg01
Well-known member
1.25", but I don't think op is talking about the drawbar. I think he wants to put a coupler on the wagon. There's no way to make that not look like a kluged together me. A pin is really the best, most practical way to pull the wagon with a mower.
finn
Well-known member
Probably best to make a new drawbar,
. The stuff a wagon is made with is pretty thin, and not friendly to someone who has never welded before.
In the end, it’s probably to just buy a pin-on 2 wheel composite cart like the Rubbermaid, or is it Craftsman I have sitting behind the garage, waiting for new tires.
whateg01
Well-known member
You mean the handle, which becomes the tongue?
quite a simple task in my opinion. bolt thru the top of 3/4 square tube , thru the coupler with a couple of 5/16 bolts and call it done.
for added strength , not that you'll need it, shim the sides of the tube & coupler to take up the extra space
for added strength , not that you'll need it, shim the sides of the tube & coupler to take up the extra space
finn
Well-known member
Yup.
What don't you like about the ball hitch?
So I went out and double checked last night. The current pull bar of the wagon is actually 1 inch square tubing, but is amazingly thin, and for 25 years old, a bit rusty. And bent... It used to have one of those reversible handles, but that broke years ago. I found a replacement, convertible handle online, but they want over $40 with shipping.
So I think I'll replace it since I'm overdoing this thing anyway. I think I'll just get a new 1 inch square tube a little longer than the current handle and weld a couple pieces of flat stock to the top and bottom with slots for a hitch pin. I need to practice welding on something, so I guess a 25 year old garden cart is a good place to start.
niget2002
Well-known member
Motorcycle people just use a regular ball hitch. Nothing fancy.
whateg01
Well-known member
That sounds very reasonable. Also a good project to practice welding on.
rsanter
Well-known member
Go with a pintle design
whateg01
Well-known member
Had to go look to make sure that wasn't a thing. I can see op doing wheelies with a pintle hitch on his mower!
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
No need to overcomplicate things. For the amount of load you'll be able to fit in that wagon, you can just cut some wood shims to fit between the hitch and the handle and bolt it all together. It'll be plenty strong enough.
It's a hassle having to thread a nut on a ball and tighten it. Maybe if it was 2 5/16 like everything else I wouldn't mind as much. It's easier to just drop a pin through a hole and be done.
yatg
Well-known member
huh? the ball is always mounted to the tractor or whatever you're pulling the cart with. the coupler is always mounted to cart tongue. drop the coupler over the ball and flip the lever.
i find that much easier than dealing with those pin hitches. was always on my knees trying to get the holes to line up so the pin would drop.
i've converted everything to ball and coupler. also added a receiver to my pressure washer and shredder so i can connect a removable tongue with a coupler.
Not my experience at all. The ball has to come out for wagons and hay racks, or to use a clevis . I don't think I have ever gotten on my knees to put a pin in, that makes no sense. A ball is more difficult to line up since there isn't as much slop.
WisJim
Well-known member
I had both a 2" ball and a hole for a pin hitch on my garden tractor. It didn't matter that the pin hitch hole wasn't exactly on center because the garden cart trailer that used the pin hitch never had more than 400 or 500 pounds in it, but I used the ball hitch to pull a big trailer around the yard, move a boat and trailer, etc., so the ball was mounted in the center and the pin hitch hole was a couple inches to one side.
Umm, pretty sure overcomplicating this thing is my whole point.
My zero turn will pop a wheelie if I slam it from reverse to forward, but that's not my intention.
yatg
Well-known member
OP and most of us are talking about small wagons/carts hitched to riding mowers/garden tractors where the hitch point is a foot or less off the ground.
Yes. In this case, a little red garden wagon exclusively for firewood. But I also have a nice 2 wheel dump cart, a broadcast spreader, a lawn roller, a dethatcher, a plug aerator, a 4 wheel dumping garden cart, a lawn sprayer and a lawn sweep. So put one ball on my zero turn, on ball on my old John Deere and hitch couplers on all the implements (9?) and everything is universal and symmetrical. Some things already have 2 inch tubing, but most have smaller 1 inch tubing. Some have built in hitch pins, others don't. So I take out my nice hitch pin and use the attached spring pins on my spreader or sweep and I almost always misplace the pin. I thought moving everything to a 1 7/8 ball would just let me pull up and go. I don't thing anything is even heavy enough to worry about putting a pin through the latch on the coupler. My tractor already has a ball on it for parking my 5x8 trailer. Adding one to my zero turn would be easy, just drill out the pin hitch and screw in a ball.
racecougar
Well-known member
I'm in the "pin for yard carts and ball for trailers" camp.
reader2580
Well-known member
The tube that guy attached his coupler to looks a lot more substantial than what a garden cart typically has.
Last edited:
scooperman
Member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2025
- Messages
- 19
modified a yard cart. Dropped the center section, use it to haul the fuel jugs, or haul the start battery to pit lane.
Just turned the hook handle 90 deg. Maybe got lucky with the handle shape, but it never pops out even with the mini bike bopping over rough ground.
Can take close up pics tomorrow if further interested.
Just turned the hook handle 90 deg. Maybe got lucky with the handle shape, but it never pops out even with the mini bike bopping over rough ground.
Can take close up pics tomorrow if further interested.
rancherbill
Well-known member
Buy / make a ring like a Pintle Ring and just put it over the ball. You can find lots of rings for example cut them off a pipe for an ingenious overengineering type like yourself..
For illustration only
https://www.hitchweb.com/lw10/pintl...vaqhhToiz_DG06B8uNHg_W1F67e1SIyQaAi0dEALw_wcB
For illustration only
https://www.hitchweb.com/lw10/pintl...vaqhhToiz_DG06B8uNHg_W1F67e1SIyQaAi0dEALw_wcB
Mike65
Well-known member
I got a piece of square tube with holes in it & attached one end to the hitch plate on the back of our ZTR mower & removed the handle from garden cat & attached the square tube in place of the handle. Using a hitch pin & clip it is an easy hook up when needed & easy removal when finished. If you look at the pic the garden cart is standing on the rear & you can see the square bar I use to hook it to the ZTR mower.
