I am amazed with regard to farm implement tow bars, hitch connections, pins, etc.
When towing with cars/trucks, there are are so many considerations and standards with regard to hitch types; receiver, ball and hitch sizes; load rating, breakaway system, stabilizers, safety chains, etc.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I just do not see similar standards with farm implements. Hitch pins are a good example. Do a search on them, and yes, you can find different lengths and diameters for sale, but sometimes they do not show steel grade, shear strength, or load ratings.
The OP's
quoted article had numerous photos showing hitches and pins with all sorts of bends, breaks, wear damage which all point to seriously mismatched components: draw bar, hitch, and pins. I suspect in many cases, the hitches and pins were way undersized for the actual application/load that was applied. And living in an agricultural area, I have seen numerous farm implements where the implement 'hitch' is severely worn/damaged, most probably from incorrect methods and pins. Often as not, I see 'hex bolts' used as replacement hitch pins. As the article authors point out, if you see a worn or damaged hitch pin, replace it with the correct next higher grade.
When following a towed load on the road, I stay as far back as I can, especially when the load is swaying side to side, normally indicating excessive speed.-
My little
B7300's draw bar is a 1.25" x 2" solid piece of steel with a 1" dia hitch pin hole, supposedly designed to haul a maximum 2200 lb trailer load. I hate to think my pucker factor if i tried to tow a load that heavy! Even more if my tractor could move such a load on any hill.
I use 1" dia hitch pins which fit well in the draw bar hole and have worked well for many years, and with no wear. When I tow a trailer with my tractor using a trailer ball, it too has a 1" shaft. I use this
"convert-a-ball" unit which is really handy. While I have 3PH unit,
which I could use to tow trailers, it is seldom used, and only used on my property to rearrange them.
