Preferred method to pull trailer behind tractor?

[John_Mc]

That's pretty much what in mind and described earlier. But I probably wouldn't trust a pin to hold the receiver in place.

Why not? The pin to hold the assembly to the drawbar is far bigger than the pin to hold an insert into a receiver.

 

[Bavarian]

I have a 5x8 trailer and this got me thinking, I'll probably just get this & put a ball on it.View attachment 5709791

It won't work. It will spin.

I had the same idea with chain hooks. Had to form a three point. Now it works great.

 

[John_Mc]

It won't work. It will spin.

I had the same idea with chain hooks. Had to form a three point. Now it works great.View attachment 5715241

The gizmo pictured in reply #50 of this thread is an inexpensive addition the keep the 3PH drawbar from spinning.

I have one, it was OK, but I ended up not using it. I bought what is basically a triangular version of what you pictured. It just seems more stable.

Also, since I have a hydraulic toplink, it allows me to easily adjust the forward/backward tilt of the ball. (A welcome addition when operating rough terrain which flexes the hitch more than the ball is designed to accommodate - such as when driving through waterbars or ditches.)

 

[careyo63]

Old parts I use to pull small Trailers,Wagons etc. 3 clips to attach it. Cert. Ghetto rig 20 yrs. ago. Hey it works!

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[ConawayFarms]

If you want the best control and visibility, a 3pt receiver hitch is the way to go. It makes hitching up way easier since you can just back up and use the hydraulics to lift the tongue—no cranking the jack every time.

I’d go with a heavy-duty drawbar with a 2" receiver. It lets you swap out balls easily and keeps the trailer level. Just a heads-up: be careful when pulling from the 3pt. If the load is heavy and catches on something, the tractor can pivot on the rear axle and flip before you have time to react. If you're hauling a massive load of wood on a hill, sticking to the fixed drawbar on the frame is safer, even if it's more of a pain to hook up.

 

[dodge man]

I have one of those A framed shaped setups for the three point. I think the important thing is what are you pulling. If your pulling something really heavy I can see that being hard on the three point. If you’re pulling empty trailers, a yard cart, a log splitter etc. I don’t think it matters. I know the draw bar on my JD 2025r is really low and it’d take a lot of rise to get hooked up to my car trailer.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

If your pulling something really heavy I can see that being hard on the three point.

I dunno, they seem to be plenty stout, and they are meant for pulling with after all.

Got a bit greedy once with the 8' box blade, all the rippers fully extended, and on very hard packed dirt. The M6040 was likely in 2nd Low, possibly 1st, and it stalled. Didn't hurt the 3-point, didn't spin the tires...it just stopped.

 

[WinterDeere]

I know the draw bar on my JD 2025r is really low and it’d take a lot of rise to get hooked up to my car trailer.

You don’t see them as much anymore, likely due to liability, but a lot of older drawbars used to have a drop/rise, depending on which direction you’d flip them when installing.

 

[John_Mc]

You don’t see them as much anymore, likely due to liability, but a lot of older drawbars used to have a drop/rise, depending on which direction you’d flip them when installing.

Tractor Supply had one of those, but it won't fit my tractor.

 

[Hay Dude]

I'm well aware of the risks of pulling from above the centerline of the axle. The top of my drawbar is at 11.5" above the ground. The middle of my rear axle is 20" above the ground.

The tongue jack on some of my trailers will not retract enough to safely pull the trailer. On others with a swinging jack, I cannot swing the jack up and down once the hitch is on the ball (if the jack even lowers enough to get the ball seated all the way onto the hitch). I can address this by driving the rear wheels of the tractor up on some boards, but doing that every time I want to hitch or unhitch is a pain in the butt.

An adapter that raised the ball another 2" or 2.5" above the drawbar height would eliminate a lot of hassle for me. Something like this picture I found, but instead of welding the ball on top of the sleeve, I'd have a 2" receiver tube on top of the sleeve.
View attachment 5714730

I found a 2&5/16” hardened forged ball on e-trailer that has a 1” riser and a longer shank to get all the way through my thicker drawbar. 24K rating.
Works well.

 

[LouNY]

they can be hard to find.

 

[WinterDeere]

I found a 2&5/16” hardened forged ball on e-trailer that has a 1” riser and a longer shank to get all the way through my thicker drawbar. 24K rating.
Works well.

View attachment 5715297

Same configuration I bought for my 3033r, which is small compared to your tractors. Works well, although with the receiver on the back of my ballast box, it's been a few years since I've used it.

I can't remember where I bought mine, I believe it was TSC. Mine has less of a rise, but same stem length and diameter.

 

[Hunter8282]

This works and is simple. Measure the hole and thickness of your drawbar and select the appropriate stem. Most new balls have flats to make it simple to tighten.

@shirleyujest

This is what I am finding out... the 2" ball I have on hand, the shank is not long enough for the thickness of the drawbar and the hole in the drawbar is so big the shank and nut of the ball can slide all the way through it.

 

[John_Mc]

@shirleyujest

This is what I am finding out... the 2" ball I have on hand, the shank is not long enough for the thickness of the drawbar and the hole in the drawbar is so big the shank and nut of the ball can slide all the way through it.

I believe the drawbar on my tractor can be flipped end for end, and the other end has a different sized hole. It's been a long time since I've had it out and looked at it, however - so maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

 

[Hunter8282]

@John_Mc Thanks! I'll have to check that. Still learning this machine every single day!

 

[Highlandr]

You don’t see them as much anymore, likely due to liability, but a lot of older drawbars used to have a drop/rise, depending on which direction you’d flip them when installing.

The Solis came with that... sorta.

The only thing that will ever get pulled with that ball is the 5x8 utility trailer. Shackle with a 1" pin is on the way for the bottom.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Why not? The pin to hold the assembly to the drawbar is far bigger than the pin to hold an insert into a receiver.

Because of double shear versus single shear.

 

[CalG]

I tow my dump trailer behind my tractor, but it's a full 4-wheel wagon, so no issues with lifting the hitch.

View attachment 5712365

A four wheel wagon tongue can lift if the wagon over-runs the tractor. Such as when going down hill.

The situation can get messy, with the wagon tongue wagging at your back side.

Throw a chain on it to prevent the possibility.

 

[WinterDeere]

A four wheel wagon tongue can lift if the wagon over-runs the tractor. Such as when going down hill.

The situation can get messy, with the wagon tongue wagging at your back side.

Throw a chain on it to prevent the possibility.

Note the 800 lb. ballast box shown in that photo. That little 2-ton wagon will never develop the lifting force on that drawbar required to lift that ballast box, given the angles and weights involved.

A trailer with a rigid drawbar is a different story, as any weight placed aft of the rear axles can add to this lifting force. But in this case of a drawbar hinged at both ends, the only lifting force would be the forward force of the wagon (max 2 tons times sine of downhill inclination angle) times the sine of the drawbar angle between wagon and trailer. That's going to be a very, very small fraction of the ballast box weight, so never able to lift.

But even without the ballast box involved, it'd take someone lifting their 3-point pretty high on a downhill stop, to provide enough angle to develop sufficient force to lift the 50+ lb. weight of the 3-piont + drawbar with a wagon that small. Not recommended, obviously, but probably still not a likely scenario.

 

[CalG]

Note the 800 lb. ballast box shown in that photo. That little 2-ton wagon will never develop the lifting force on that drawbar required to lift that ballast box, given the angles and weights involved.

A trailer with a rigid drawbar is a different story, as any weight placed aft of the rear axles can add to this lifting force. But in this case of a drawbar hinged at both ends, the only lifting force would be the forward force of the wagon (max 2 tons times sine of downhill inclination angle) times the sine of the drawbar angle between wagon and trailer. That's going to be a very, very small fraction of the ballast box weight, so never able to lift.

But even without the ballast box involved, it'd take someone lifting their 3-point pretty high on a downhill stop, to provide enough angle to develop sufficient force to lift the 50+ lb. weight of the 3-piont + drawbar with a wagon that small. Not recommended, obviously, but probably still not a likely scenario.

Justification of dynamics with statics is a fools mission.

Be well my friend.