Eapele Trailer Hitch for Lawn Mower, Garden Tractor Trailer Hitch, Solid Iron Construction, Compatible with John Deere Ariens Cub Cadet Poulan Pro Husky Husqvarna Craftsman Riding Mower

Pros:- Very Sturdy once mounted- Places ball at perfect height for larger log splitter (CountyLine 40 ton)- Ball and hole placement further back enhances backup maneuverability (improves ‘jackknife’ performance)Cons:- Makes tractor slightly longer (like 9″ longer) so storing tractor may be more difficultReview:After looking at several options to add a trailer mounting ‘structure’ to my John Deere X590 tractor, I settled on this unit. I liked the way this mount retained (but relocated) the lower hole and provided a higher mounting location to move a 2″ ball. Before getting this unit I was switching back and forth between installing a 2″ ball to move my log splitter (CountyLine 40 Ton) and removing it to use my John Deere 17P trailer. It was a bit of a pain to keep swapping between the ball mount and the hole for the trailer-but the real problem for me was the fact that the log splitter’s tongue sat down really low, making the splitter angle up pretty steeply, and made it difficult to clamp down the mount on the splitter. Additionally, I would have to support the weight of the log splitter with one leg, and use the other foot to push down the ‘stand’ on the log splitter while holding it with one leg (not easy, nor safe given the log splitter weight a total of approx 700 lb, so I was supporting at least 150 lb awkwardly).When reading the reviews I was a bit concerned about installation as I read several people saying they needed to heat up and bend the brackets because the angles weren’t correct. I didn’t want to have to do that, but decided to buy the unit anyway.Installation:I largely disregarded the instructions when installing the unit-not because they weren’t helpful, but because it was pretty obvious how to put the unit together. I started off by installing the main bolt through the bottom to hold the main post (roughly) in position. I tightened up the bolt until it was snug, but I could still rotate the unit. This helped me decide which support brackets would be the correct length to use for mounting (I chose the shorter brackets). As I mocked those up, I did see the angles didn’t match perfectly, but decided to mount the brackets to the tractor frame first. After that, I mounted the long center bolt through the two support arms and main beam, threaded on the nut and washer. I then tightened up the frame bolts, through bolt, and then tightened up the large. bottom bolt. When I tightened up the cross bolt, it did ‘bend’ and ‘flatten down’ the two cross pieces to mount almost perfectly flat to the main bar, to no custom ‘vice’ or ‘torch’ work was needed. In the end, it was a pretty easy install that took about 10 minutes to complete with hand tools and a Milwaukee 18V driver.Use:Note: I added a Magnetic hitch pin (also bought on Amazon) and Curt 40003 chrome 2″ ball to complete the install.I first started by installing my 17P trailer and taking it for a short spin using the magnetic hitch pin. No drama or surprises-worked great. Surprise bonus: with the mounting hole now positioned about 6″ further back, I was pleased to see that the maneuverability of the trailer (both going forward and backing up) was notably improved.I then took the trailer off and took the tractor over by my log splitter. I had read that the ball was a bit ‘too high’, requiring lifting the log splitter ‘up’ to mount to the higher ball location (measured 22.5″ to the top of my 2″ ball after install). I backed up the tractor to see how it lined up, and sure enough, the ball is indeed higher than the mount (see pictures). HOWEVER, the benefit of this: it actually allowed me to kick the ‘stand’ on the log splitter back under the log splitter with the unit mounted to the ball. This is a HUGE benefit in my opinion as you can actuate the stand when the log splitter is securely mounted to the ball-a very big improvement! This goes for kicking the stand up, or setting it down.While driving the log splitter around I noticed a couple more improvements: 1) the log splitter was now almost perfectly level when mounted to the ball, 2) Moving the mount backwards by about 9″ resulted in MUCH improved maneuvering of the log splitter-especially when backing up (much more ‘jack knife’ tolerant and allows more extreme articulation for backing the log splitter into parking positions). This was not expected and a VERY welcome improvement!Again: loading the heavy log splitter on and off the ball was a greatly improved experience due to being able move the splitter’s stand into the needed position.Lastly, when I went to put the tractor back away in the garage (we don’t have a large garage) I realized potentially the only ‘downside’ to the new mount: it did make the tractor about 6-9″ longer. When I backed it into its (tight) parking space behind my car, it didn’t end up really mattering, but I thought I’d note it since others may not realize the implication.Anyway, I’m really pleased overall with the purchase-especially since it really wasn’t too expensive. Hopefully these ‘user’ notes from first hand use will help others with making the decision if they’re on the fence.Overall: Very pleased and definitely would recommend for a JD X500 series tractor.