Bronze'd Draw bar

[iointerrupt]

Finished product first:



I recently finished building a 2-ton dump trailer for my tractor, and I needed a slightly longer drawbar for it. I had also noticed that the trailer was smearing the steel of the drawbar I was using, after just a few outings.

Looking to kill two birds with one stone, I figured I'd try making a silicon bronze'd drawbar. The bronze will wear faster than steel, but I prefer wear out a drawbar than a trailer tongue.

I had a piece of scrap 1" thick, 2" wide steel to base the new drawbar off of. Here it is after TIG brazing the first layer of silicon bronze:



After the first pass, I ran it through the mill to knock off the high spots, then did a 2nd build up pass. After the second pass, total build up was about 0.220" thick. From there is was milled down till it cleaned up, leaving about 0.150".

Here it is after final milling and a pass through the belt grinder to make it look pretty:



Rest of the work was just finishing up adapting it to the 2" receiver size that I use on my equipment. A 2" square tube had a .25" end plate welded to it. Then a 1" slot was milled through all that to insert the 1" drawbar bit. Finally a couple of TIG welding passes around the outside, and some stick welding passes around the inside (cause who doesn't like using all the welders on a single project):



For an evenings effort, I'm pretty happy with it. I'll admit I haven't tried it out yet, but for now it sure looks pretty sitting on the work bench.

 

[npalen]

Nice work!

 

[Fallon]

The bronze will wear faster than steel, but I prefer wear out a drawbar than a trailer tongue.

To bad you dont have the welding skill to resurface it & re-machine it when that happens.

 

[Dadnatron]

Finished product first:

I had also noticed that the trailer was smearing the steel of the drawbar I was using, after just a few outings.

I don't understand what you mean here? "smearing the steel". My obviously uneducated visualization, certainly doesn't match what you are trying to impart.

Given that bronze is quite a bit softer, as I understand it, and as you say, it will wear faster, why won't it 'smear'?

I looked it up, and an still not sure I understand it. Is it 'surface damage' similar to a skin 'stretch mark'?

Material Smear

Regardless, that work is impressive. I didn't even know it was 'possible'. Thanks for sharing

 

[shaeff]

I don't understand what you mean here? "smearing the steel". My obviously uneducated visualization, certainly doesn't match what you are trying to impart.

Given that bronze is quite a bit softer, as I understand it, and as you say, it will wear faster, why won't it 'smear'?

I looked it up, and an still not sure I understand it. Is it 'surface damage' similar to a skin 'stretch mark'?

Material Smear

Regardless, that work is impressive. I didn't even know it was 'possible'. Thanks for sharing

I'm just going to guess, but I believe that bronze is "self lubricating", and as such, won't smear like the steel will? (Think bronze bushings)

That's my guess, anyway.

 

[Shaneard]

Nice hitch! 2 tons is only 4,000 lbs. Sounds like you may have a little to much tongue weight if it's wearing after a few outings. If it continues to wear, put a 2 5/16" ball coupler on the trailer and lube it with grease.

 

[CCWKen]

If the steel was "smearing" what will keep the bronze, which is softer, from smearing? I don't get it. Bronze is not self lubricating. I've seen plenty of bushings galled by lack of lubrication. Perhaps there's too much stress on the linkage.

 

[ovrszd]

I took the "smearing" as wearing away of the drawbar surface around the pin area?

This might be caused by the dump trailer only having one axle? So the weight is balanced on the tongue/drawbar?

If my assumptions are correct, this wearing will continue. I've saw this type of stress on tractor drawbars pulling large ground engagement tools causing severe wear and subsequent replacement of the drawbar.

 

[muddstopper]

I think his point is to wear out the drawbar without putting any wear on the tongue. I suspect the drawbar wont last long, but it should be a quick fix, just add more bronze.

 

[bigdeano]

Keeping it well greased should minimize wear.

 

[Gordon Gould]

That is nice work. Sorry I don't know what you mean by smear but it makes me wonder if maybe you need one of these.



gg

 

[ovrszd]

Possibly.

 

[iointerrupt]

Here's a blurry picture of my smeared drawbar:



The term I want to use is 'galled', but that's not technically right either. It's just 'normal' wear, but the circular motion of it is tearing out little arc-shaped splinters that I didn't like at all.

And indeed its a single axle trailer, with a short tongue. So maybe it will be a tongue weight issue. I'll see how the greased bronze drawbar wears. Worst case I redo the entire trailer tongue. The extra work I did to make it bolt on will pay off in that case.

Gordon - Never seen that 'sideways' hitch design before, rather neat.

 

[Shaneard]

Here's a blurry picture of my smeared drawbar:

View attachment 498441

The term I want to use is 'galled', but that's not technically right either. It's just 'normal' wear, but the circular motion of it is tearing out little arc-shaped splinters that I didn't like at all.

And indeed its a single axle trailer, with a short tongue. So maybe it will be a tongue weight issue. I'll see how the greased bronze drawbar wears. Worst case I redo the entire trailer tongue. The extra work I did to make it bolt on will pay off in that case.

Gordon - Never seen that 'sideways' hitch design before, rather neat.

Did you make that one out of cold rolled steel?

 

[joefromga]

How about using a taller ball or a spacer nut so the collar of the trailer won't rub the drawbar?

 

[kthompson]

On my pull disk had some same issue and simple issue was to drop large washer between the top of the draw bar and the bottom of the top of the disk tongue. Which does not looks as nice bronzed look. A big advantage your's has over my washer is ease of hook up. I have to get the washer in place with the draw bar and disk tongue with the pin.

I am thinking I recently saw a washer that was made to be used to prevent that wear somewhere either here or in catalog on line.