I have a rear 3 point carry all which I made from a pre made frame I bought at the Farm Store. Without a doubt, the 3ph carry all is an extremely valuable tool for making your tractor as useful and handy in various projects. I have learned a lot using my carry all and I realize I made some mistakes building it. I would like this thread to share details of what others are using for their rear carry all and to discuss what works, what doesn't and the best way to make these as handy as possible.
If you are using a "Pre-Built Frame", keep this in mind....
Key starting point, If anyone is thinking of doing the same and building a 3ph carry all from a pre built frame, make sure to get the carry all frame which is going to work with I match and also that permits the I match top hook to pick up the frame easily and cleanly, without any problems.
Here is the frame style I used and it works very well.
Start off with how you put the Carry all on and take it off the tractor
This is an easy way to start with a foundation which fits the tractor. Note the location of the center lift point on the carry all frame and how the Top Hook "grabs it". I wouldn't want the type which have the top mount UNDER the top cross piece as its not as easy to lift with the I Match and how you build it out can be a bit more challenging.
Here is a style which the top hook lift point is not quite as easy to grab because of its location. The carry all is something I have on the tractor all of the time so you want it to be easy to put on and off the tractor, preferably not even getting off the seat of the tractor.
With the top hook lifting point under the frame rail, it also is back further, which means the I Match hook might make contact with the decking material you put on the frame. Plus, depending on how its built, you might make the clearances tight to get the hook on the frame. Its also handy to be able to easily see the attachment points looking down from the roof of the tractor with the rear video camera. If the center mount is under the frame, its out of sight in the camera. So keep small details like this in mind when building your carry all because you want it to be as easy to use and friendly to frequent use.
Important Design Consideration, Get the most out of the entire Unit
Another suggestion is to design your carry all to make the most of ALL of the frame. I ended up mounting my tool box and some other items on the FRONT wall of the carry all, which end up being behind the tractor and under the I Match hitch. There is a lot of room on the front of the front wall of the carry all and it can be accessed quite easily. Just make sure the items don't get in the way with hooking and unhooking the carry all and that you can reach them easily by leaning in between the tractor and carry all.
This is for items you will want with you, but not always accessing. I mounted the tool box there and also have planned to mount a winch and winch battery box on the front side of the carry all. I haven't yet mounted the winch and likely now won't that I am changing the carry all again, but its a good example of having the winch to be helpful but not using precious space on the "back" of the carry all. This is also a good place to mount chain that you carry but don't use often.
When you are planning your carry all, think about the items you want to have available should you need them and then the items which you will be using often. This list changes with the project, but there are some items which are nice to have with you that you don't need to be using space on the main portion of the carry all.
The more I have used a Carry All, the More Appreciation and Admiration I have for the Big Tool Rack Ultimate
I am getting ready to make some changes to my carry all and its going to be modified for a spring pavement maintenance project. As a result, I am either going to build ANOTHER 3 PH Carry all, or I might just bite the bullet and order the Big Tool Rack Ultimate.
There is no doubt, after having used a rear carry all extensively for 2 years, that the Big Tool Rack Carry All Ultimate Unit is very well thought out and engineered and from what I can see, the construction of the unit is also top notch. The ability to do multiple things simultaneously is the KEY to a successful rear carry all and the Big Tool Rack Ultimate has the design and capability to carry items safely and handle multiple tasks, simultaneously. Frankly, they really seem to have nailed it with their product.
Yes, its expensive, but a good carry all is likely to be the most common used implement on your machine. For me, It's just a matter of the price which has been the mental hurdle for me. At first, I thought they were simply over priced, but the more I have used my carry all, the more I appreciate the design, quality and thought which went into the Big Tool Rack Ultimate. Also, if I am willing to spend as much for my Core Aerator as the Big Tool Rack Ultimate costs, being hung up on the price is pretty illogical. After all, the Big Tool Rack Ultimate will do dozens and dozens of tasks where as the Core Aerator just cores........:dunno:The core aerator is used about 6 to 8 hours in total each year. The rear carry all is on the tractor 95% of the time I am using it.
Please Show us that you are using and also tell us good and bad
So, what are you using for a rear carry all? Show us and tell us likes and dislikes and any changes you would make. I will take some more photos of my carry all later today and post them. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from its use during a recent project. ......
The photos show it with a few items on it and the one with the boxes stacked on it, it has 360 pounds of road crack filling and sealing material plus another 120 pounds of crushed quartzite in the buckets. I will post some more pictures highlighting the things I would do differently when building another, based upon extensive use of this carry all. The first is I installed too many of the rubber mounts to secure tools and I didn't install them in the most efficient manner.
Primarily, I assumed the tools would need to be secured in two places on their handle or shaft and that is not only incorrect, it ended up making the carry all more challenging to use because of mounting my tool securing rubber mounts in vertical alignment.
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