chain harrow question

[Oldstuff]

Got a new 6 ft wide by 5 ft long chain harrow and hooked up to the tractor to test. It was getting real dark so I had limited time and the farm is 150 miles away so I just had a few minutes to try it, I noticed that when I made a sort of tight turn but not extremely tight and the hooks that hold it to the pull bar that were on the inside of the turn came unhooked. This is a just a bar and harrow- not the type that mounts inside of a frame. Am I supposed the bend those hooks completely closed? also, my pull point from the tractor was with a chain around a trailer ball on the draw bar, so the chain slides some when making the turns, should I clamp that chains somehow to the hitch so it does not slide? Am seeking tips on this situation so I'll be better prepared when I go back this week.

Oldstuff

 

[MF283]

I pull one with my Gator, the hooks point up, haven't come loose that way.

 

[Wagtail]

Without a picture of your chain harrow I'll have to guess using my own as an example. (I'm charging up the battery on my camera & will take some photos later)

Seeing as it's the first time for you using it, I suspect that the chains haven't had time to straighten themselves out. There are twists that, even though they look straight to you, aren't. It's these twists that are forcing the leading hooks to pop out of the bar. It's an embuggerance but you'll have to drag it a while, stop & un-twist, and repeat until the entire length of each chain orients to being straight. My chain harrow has two 'hook on' sections so sometimes this takes a number of times to get it right. If you ever have to transport the chain harrow to another place (roll it up/dismantle the sections) you're going to have to go through the same process again... it's the nature of the beast.

My pull chains go to a rectangular steel plate and are shackled to the corners. The plate is then attached to my draw-bar via a secured drop pin. Having your chain loosely over or around a ball will mean that the whole rig will pop off or drag at weird angles.

I'd suggest removing the ball from the draw-bar and transferring it to the 3PH... there are many examples, here on TBN, of 3PH towing ball configurations.

 

[Wagtail]

Right, piccy time:

I also measured the plate = 5.5"x4"x0.5" , it's a fairly hefty piece of steel and will hurt if you don't keep your fingers out of the way! :laughing:

 

[gsganzer]

Oldstuff,
The pulling chains need to secure to a single fixed point, like wag tails setup.

Regarding the question of closing the hooks. Without a photo I'm guessing, but most of these chain harrows are designed to be pulled multiple ways depending on what you're trying to do. (tines up for smoothing, tines down/forward for dethatching, tines down/rearward for turd busting etc.). The hooks should not be closed, so you can change your pulling configuration as needed. I thing your issue was having the chain over a ball. Once you go to a fixed point your issue will go away.

 

[Oldoak]

Yep, I agree with the recommendations already given you. Secure your towing chains so that it doesn't slide along the hitch ball which will solve your other problem. Do not bend the hooks on the chain harrows closed.

The harrows chain harrows can be set in three positions. Pulling one direction will be more aggressive, pulling in the opposite direction will be less aggressive but still scratch up the soil. You will hare to hook the bare on the opposite end of the harrows to change the towing direction. And like gsganzer stated, flip them over with the tines in the air will smooth the soil surface. I use it like that to cover seed which I sow with a broadcast seeder.

If you want to leave your ball mounted to your hitch, attach the tow chains for the harrows to a ring large enough to fit over the ball. Such a ring can be found in most Ag. stores. That's the set up I use.

 

[sixdogs]

I have used these harrows lots of times and the hooks are left loose because you can use the harrow thre ways. Forward, backward, over. You would get different degrees of penetration. For a couple of years I avoided sharp turns and then one day I hammered them shut and wondered why I didn't do it sooner. They are poor quality steel and I broke one but made another. Heating and bending would have worked better.

For a plan B, I thought about bending the hooks but leaving a space for one of those chain links that you screw together or more likely a smaller clevis hook type thing (like Wagtail has on his chain) they sell in farm stores just in case I wanted to flip it over..

Those drag harrows are great if you are in plain dirt but get into grass and they plug up real easy and it's a pain picking it clean. I think if you pull it backwards, the tines are slanted differently and won't pick up the grassy trash. Mine was a wide one and it was too hard for me to transport it so I sold it. Another one is a possibility but I would find a used 3pt hitch model that I could just pick up to clear the grass.

piccy time. I like that.

 

[sixdogs]

Wagtail...Your harrow is made much better than models available here. The tabs welded to your pull bar are well designed and would solve some of the problems on things made here. Our models are flimsy in that area and when you turn even a little too sharp, slack develops and can pop the hook out. The drag weights you have would also help our models.

How do you deal with the bunched grass accumulated?

 

[oosik]

Well - happy days. I don't have one of those fancy chain harrows. I have a chunk of chain fencing. I ran a piece of rebar thru the top loops, hooked a heavy nylon rope to each side, made a bowline knot at the top middle of the rope - threw the bowline knot over the ball of the trailer hitch on the ATV and off I go.

Makes a lot of dust but it breaks up the clods and levels everything out very nicely.

 

[Oldstuff]

OK and thanks to all- first off here is a link to what I bought, I also bought an extra pull bar for the back end so I can reverse it easily. Chain Harrows For some reason I do not see the 6 ft wide by 5 ft long but mine is the exact one on the left side after you click on harrows. This thing is so heavily built I suspect heat would be required to bend the hooks, I plan to leave them as is and try the ring on the ball hitch and other suggestions like open side of hooks down. I will take a pic and post it but it may be as late as Friday before I get back. My previous drag was home crafted and was a heavy gauge of chain link fencing, it worked OK as a smoother but did not do much to bust up clods.

Oldstuff

 

[Oldoak]

Well - happy days. I don't have one of those fancy chain harrows. I have a chunk of chain fencing. I ran a piece of rebar thru the top loops, hooked a heavy nylon rope to each side, made a bowline knot at the top middle of the rope - threw the bowline knot over the ball of the trailer hitch on the ATV and off I go.

Makes a lot of dust but it breaks up the clods and levels everything out very nicely.

And before chain link fencing I used a set of old bedsprings for the same purpose. And threw some flat rocks on top if I needed a little extra weight on the springs.

Pulled with a Cub Cadet garden tractor manufactured with a cast steel gearbox and rear end, manual stick shift with an external dry clutch plate. A bullet proof GT to say the least. Even the mower deck was made of heavy iron, not stamped steel.

 

[Wagtail]

Wagtail...Your harrow is made much better than models available here. The tabs welded to your pull bar are well designed and would solve some of the problems on things made here. Our models are flimsy in that area and when you turn even a little too sharp, slack develops and can pop the hook out. The drag weights you have would also help our models.

How do you deal with the bunched grass accumulated?

The bunched grass is a result of dead summer grass that the horses didn't graze... seeing as I use the harrow to spread their droppings, the grass actually assists in the 'break-up'. I'm simply letting the accumulation work its way out on its own.

Sticks & such still entails manually picking it out. [Whilst, of course, singing inspirational hymns]

 

[sixdogs]

The bunched grass is a result of dead summer grass that the horses didn't graze... seeing as I use the harrow to spread their droppings, the grass actually assists in the 'break-up'. I'm simply letting the accumulation work its way out on its own.

Sticks & such still entails manually picking it out. [Whilst, of course, singing inspirational hymns]

In addition, your version has a much more rugged tine arrangement. Ours should look as nice. Are they very popular mostly for your use with horses and livestock or more widely used in other agriculture?

 

[WM75Guy]

You do not want the pull chains to slide around. I have a 4'X4' drag harrow from TSC. The two pull chains go to a ring that I tie to the hitch on the Mule with a clevis. I was making tight turns in the pasture today breaking up manure piles and nothing came loose.

 

[Wagtail]

In addition, your version has a much more rugged tine arrangement. Ours should look as nice. Are they very popular mostly for your use with horses and livestock or more widely used in other agriculture?

Truth be told, all I did was ring up my JD Salesman and asked him to include a drag harrow when he delivered the rest of my implements for the 4105. :laughing: (the tractor came with a regular bucket [to be replaced by a 4in1] and the slasher) This all happened four years ago.

Now, the Salesman (Jamie) is a farmer himself and seemed to know what he was on about... plus the dealership sold 'Fieldquip' and 'Silvan/Selecta' implements. So he called up 'Silvan' and ordered me this type... and I've not seen another like it since!

I even Googled the 'Silvan/Selecta' catalogue and they don't carry drag-harrows anymore. :confused3: I must be a very lucky boy.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Well - happy days. I don't have one of those fancy chain harrows. I have a chunk of chain fencing. I ran a piece of rebar thru the top loops, hooked a heavy nylon rope to each side, made a bowline knot at the top middle of the rope - threw the bowline knot over the ball of the trailer hitch on the ATV and off I go.

Makes a lot of dust but it breaks up the clods and levels everything out very nicely.

+1. I use a chain link fence gate, which is fully enclosed in the original frame. It is 6' wide by 8' long. I found 4 old junk tires and tied them onto it for weight. It works a treat for leveling the ground and busting up clods.

I've also found an additional benefit. I just plowed up part of the pasture with a chisel plow (2 passes), followed by a tandem disc (2 passes), and then followed by the drag (multiple passes). The drag picks up the various pieces of barbed wire, baling wire and baling twine that the previous owners left in the pasture. The pieces of wire and twine always seem to latch onto the chain link, and I can stop periodically and remove them and throw them away. (Side rant: Why do people buy a piece of land and then use it as a trash can?)

 

[robbyr]

Looked at the harrows at TSC but so far have resisted buying one. I've been using a twin size box spring. Had a couple old tires wired on it and a couple cement blocks. Do have a few stobs to hang on if not careful. Works pretty good for breaking up the cow patties but in pretty bad shape now. Pull it with four wheeler. Wish I had some kind of rake to pull with four wheeler to clean up round bale leftovers.

 

[SandburRanch]

also, my pull point from the tractor was with a chain around a trailer ball on the draw bar, so the chain slides some when making the turns, should I clamp that chains somehow to the hitch so it does not slide? Am seeking tips on this situation so I'll be better prepared when I go back this week.

Oldstuff

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By throwing 2 counter clockwise loops in the chain and putting loop A on top of loop B you have succeeded in forming a clove hitch knot. Drop these assembled loops over the ball hitch and there will be no slip. Depending on where this knot is located in the chain, the harrow angle can be adjusted from being pulled square to any angle on the bias desired.

When chain binding front or rear of a tractor for transport, this same knot works on front or rear for a no slip connection. Need to pull a piece of pipe or log and don't have a slip hook handy, use the clove hitch. Want it a little easier to un-tie on certain applications with only one section of the chain needed for pulling, the improved clove hitch un-ties like your boot lace.

 

[Oldstuff]

Original poster here, anchoring the pull chain so it was fixed and could not slide around the hitch ball solved the problem. The ground is too wet to till right now so I had some time for innovation, I have a boom pole that was not being used so I unhooked the chain harrow and hooked up the boom pole and added lift chains and reconnected the pull chain so I could lift for transport and when at end of a drag row. Adjusting the length of the front and rear lift chains is critical because the front must lift up first when lifting from the ground and the rear must go down before the rear when letting down- if not he harrow will try to fold up as opposed to going down flat.

 

[sixdogs]

One of my intermediate term tasks is to build a framework to hold an 8 ft x 8 ft harrow with 3 pt hitch. Maybe buy one at auction if it shows up. These are great harrows but for my use the grass just bunches up and creates problems.