Pulling with the Drawbar

[newbury]

Found a pic:

View attachment 397037

Looking good. Cut one of the larger diameter logs so it just fits in your bucket and carry it at the same time so you keep your front end on the ground.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I agree with Arrow, if it will lift it, then you're good to go. Just balance the load properly.

 

[mccash40]

Found a pic:

View attachment 397037

Just what I needed to know. Thanks a bunch. Now if the snow will hold off for a couple of weeks....

 

[Coyote machine]

As some have stated the lower the load and the closer the load is to the tractor's center of gravity the better. Kioti, for instance, states that any towing should be done from the drawbar. This makes sense since it is at the lowest and closest to COG as possible, and is designed by the manufacturer to handle loads up to max towing capacity. Having a load in the bucket to balance the overall weight can't hurt the outcome either, as stated.

 

[boggen]

grade school levers and fulcrums or rather a kids playground tetter totter.

hook low up low, and in center, below the axle. "swinging draw bar" some manufactures / dealers may skimp out on the actual swinging draw bar. the bar itself, and/or possible frame work that is needed to attach the swinging draw bar.

a 3pt hitch is good at pulling / dragging stuff. BUT, it is only good at pulling straight (driving forward), go into a turn, and you can easily twist the 3pt hitch linkages up (bend them and like). granted a 3pt hitch is rather rugged, and can take some abuse. other words if you have anything ground engaging (tiller, box blade, rear blade, disc, etc..., etc...) you generally want to raise the stuff up and out of the ground before taking a turn. more so a sharper turn.

another thing about 3pt hitch, is they are kinda in "auto float all the time" meaning if you started going up a hill, or rear tires go down into a hole or like. the 3pt hitch will raise up on you. this shifting the weight / load and were the pulling point is. causing a higher risk of flipping the tractor back onto itself.

i have seen it many times, and have come close myself, of flipping tractor back onto itself. it doesn't take much. one good sudden bite of traction and BAM! this is with either weights on front and/or having FEL (front loader) on. the tractor still has enough power to do a wheelie and keep on going backwards.

================
one thing i like about the old allis chalmers CA tractor (1954) i have, with snap coupler vs 3pt hitch system. there is a spot underneath in front of the rear tires. were i can hook stuff up to. this location causes the front end to want to come down into the ground for kinda of a traction control vs the front end wanting to do a wheelie like on 3pt hitch tractors.

and in above, a swinging draw bar for a 3pt hitch tractor. hooks up in near location like the old allis chalmers i have. it is underneath the axle, and also more in front of the axle "hopefully" so as you are driving along. the weight of what ever you are pulling can be some what placed on the front tires. (though most tractors i have seen that is an extreme stretch of wording)

 

[Loadstar]

Use a tractor not a riding movwer

You will spin out before you do damage pulling logs. (usually)

 

[s219]

To alleviate any concern about wheelies, I used to run a short (less than 2') section of chain from my choker to the drawbar. So the 3-pt was doing the lifting but the pulling load was mainly taken up by the drawbar. Somewhere along the line I stopped using the extra chain. But it's certainly an easy and practical way to increase safety.

 

[MHarryE]

To get your answer answered look down the threads to "Lebanon Oregon Woman..." which links to 2 rollover backward deaths from pulling high instead of from the drawbar. There is a warning that 3 point implements are designed to prevent rear rollovers but even that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. In our area we have had multiple fatalities from rear flip-overs pulling from Aberdeen the lift arms instead of the drawbar.

 

[arrow]

To get your answer answered look down the threads to "Lebanon Oregon Woman..." which links to 2 rollover backward deaths from pulling high instead of from the drawbar. There is a warning that 3 point implements are designed to prevent rear rollovers but even that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. In our area we have had multiple fatalities from rear flip-overs pulling from Aberdeen the lift arms instead of the drawbar.

Much has to do with the size of the tractor and the leverage fulcrum larger tires create. What I do with my mid size cut I wouldn't dream of doing on my bil's 5000 series Deere when we're logging at his place.

 

[pat32rf]

And the ability to lift your toe off the HST pedal and thus stop all motion will do more for you safetywise than trying to find a clutch in a hurry while your front wheels start to climb ...

 

[RoyJackson]

And the ability to lift your toe off the HST pedal and thus stop all motion will do more for you safety-wise than trying to find a clutch in a hurry while your front wheels start to climb ...

If you think hitting the clutch in a hurry is difficult...probably best you don't have a manual transmission...
From personal experience, it takes a fraction of a second to depress that clutch...not longer then it takes to lift your foot off the HST pedal. Plus, in a panic situation, it's just as probable that you'd depress the HST pedal rather then lift off.

However, as others wrote...the most important thing isn't the type of transmission, it's knowing how to rig a tow safely...and to go slow!

 

[gladehound]

A tractor can't flip over backwards quickly if you are going SLOW! I've had my front end off the ground more times than I can count and it has never been an exciting or scary event. The front comes up very slowly and I can take my time and decide when and how quickly or slowly to bring it back down. If you're going to push the limits, go slow.

 

[Walkin Horse]

If you use a cross draw bar, and say your skidding a big log. Can you run the chain over the cross drawbar and then hook to the pulling drawbar. Then raise the hitch enough for the log butt to clear the ground. Is this effective or a waste of time.

 

[s219]

If you use a cross draw bar, and say your skidding a big log. Can you run the chain over the cross drawbar and then hook to the pulling drawbar. Then raise the hitch enough for the log butt to clear the ground. Is this effective or a waste of time.

For large logs, I use one chain to my skid plate (on 3-pt hitch) to lift the log. Then use another short chain to the drawbar for pulling.

For small logs, I only use the one chain with the skid plate.

 

[Xfaxman]

 

[RoyJackson]

Nice pictures...seen them before, but a reminder is always a good idea.

Now, a ROPS can prevent a full back roll over...but it you're not belted in, the odds are you'll be thrown off the tractor and, very likely, into the danger zone behind the tractor.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I'm with Roy on this one. If you think a hst is faster, stay off the manual transmission. The larger farm tractors don't have hst and pull much larger loads. If you aren't sure how something is going to pull, START SLOW. I have ran thousand's of hours and have never flipped a tractor over backwards. Several times I recall the front end coming up but I was generally expecting it to because I was expecting a hard pull.

 

[Mace Canute]

I'm with Roy on this one. If you think a hst is faster, stay off the manual transmission. The larger farm tractors don't have hst and pull much larger loads. If you aren't sure how something is going to pull, START SLOW. I have ran thousand's of hours and have never flipped a tractor over backwards. Several times I recall the front end coming up but I was generally expecting it to because I was expecting a hard pull.

I think you have hit on a significant cause of many rear rollover...people are expecting the load to come with them instead of remaining stationary therefore they are taken by surprise when the rollover starts and precious reaction time is eaten up. Unless you know for a fact that the tractor will spin out or the load will come with you, expect it to roll over backwards.

 

[CobyRupert]

If the pull point on the tractor is below the tractor's rear axle, the tractor cannot flip over backwards. (Unless maybe, the cable snaps right when the front end has reached its peak height).

The danger is if the pull point on the tractor is above the rear axle. Then it is possible for tractor to flip over backwards. Determining this height gets a little more complicated with a 3pth hitch implement, then it's a matter of the pulling point in relation to the link arm height and whether the load is causes pull on the top link (bad) or puts it into compression (good).

 

[xtn]

If the pull point on the tractor is below the tractor's rear axle, the tractor cannot flip over backwards. (Unless maybe, the cable snaps right when the front end has reached its peak height).

The danger is if the pull point on the tractor is above the rear axle. Then it is possible for tractor to flip over backwards. Determining this height gets a little more complicated with a 3pth hitch implement, then it's a matter of the pulling point in relation to the link arm height and whether the load is causes pull on the top link (bad) or puts it into compression (good).

If you're suggesting that the geometry of having the draw bar connection below the rear axle - all by itself - precludes a rear rollover, you are wrong. There are other geometric possibilities that come into play, but what you state isn't automatically true.

xtn