Preferred method to pull trailer behind tractor?

[John_Mc]

Because of double shear versus single shear.

I do agree that if it were just a bar or receiver tube sitting on top of the drawbar, a pin would not be a good idea.

The picture I showed was double shear: a sleeve which slides over the drawbar and is pinned in place. The only thing different I would do is weld the receiver tube on top of that sleeve, rather than mounting the ball directly on the sleeve. (That would also get me almost nothing for a height increase anyway.)