What do you use a drawbar for...

manganos · Nov 2, 2002

I have on for my BX22. I planned on putting a ball on it so I could pull my 6'x10' utility trailer but the drawbar turns when I try to pull a load. What else can I use it for

Chuck52 · Nov 2, 2002

Well, Chris, I bet you're gonna get instructions for locking mechanisms which prevent the drawbar from rotating. The only use I've put mine to so far was for pulling ancient t-posts. I used a short piece of chain with a slip hook to wrap around the posts and the drawbar. Worked slick for pulling those posts with the 3ph.

Chuck

jack9166 · Nov 2, 2002

I use a ball on my three point hitch draw bar all the time without a problem. Once the trailer hitch is connected the drawbar can only rotate very little.

DocHeb · Nov 2, 2002

You need to get yourself a pair of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.speeco.com/asp/display.asp?view=top&category=Drawbar+Lock>Drawbar Locks</A> to prevent your drawbar's pins from rotating in the arms.

manganos · Nov 2, 2002

Ahhh those must be what I'm missing. Thanks!

msocko3 · Nov 2, 2002

You could do what I did to mine, took a few minutes of time and a little bit of steel. I've attached a picture.

Darren · Nov 2, 2002

As a safe practice, it's not advisable to use a drawbar to pull anything. As long as the drawbar is kept below the axle center line, the acting forces work to keep the front of the tractor down. Above that point there's a possibility (if the towed load is heavy enough or stuck) of the tractor rotating in place around the rear axle and flipping backwards.

The drawbars mounted below the axle are designed to prevent that.

Thomas · Nov 2, 2002

You could also pull what they call a boat..example..old car hood,flat piece of steel rounded on the edges..to pick up rocks,old wood most anything and drag the items away,also removing harvest wildlife.

justractors · Nov 2, 2002

Most larger tractors have a "real" drawbar which is in an fixed position below the rear axle and can be safely used to hook up to anything you can get a chain around (the tractor may not pull everything you hook a chain to but at least the tractor won't come back over on you).
The type of drawbar you seem to be talking about can cause the tractor to flip over backwards if you attempt to pull too much weight with the three point raised too far or if the tongue weight is too great.
We have a Kubota 4310 with a device similar to the item in the photo attached above that has a tow pintle that is used to tow a large chipper (among other things) and if one of the children on the course try to pick the front of the chipper too high and take off too suddenly the front wheels will come up quite a ways even with the front weights on the tractor.
Take care and be safe cause no matter who you are someone would miss you in the morning.

Bill

HayDR · Nov 2, 2002

LOL... I can see that your guys have never used a NH 256 rake in a hay field. When you get to the end of the field and want to turn around without messing up your windrows of hay a cross drawbar is real nice to lift the tines high enough so it will not touch the windrows.

Darren · Nov 3, 2002

I do the same thing with my 256. There's not that much weight involved with one of those. Using the lift arms and cross drawbar to get it up over the windrow beats stopping, getting off and cranking the rake up and then reversing the process on the other side. It would be a real PITA otherwise.

The baler though doesn't get hooked to the cross drawbar.

jinman · Nov 3, 2002

I think the drawbar was first created before they had come up with hitch balls. I can remember when trailers had a split tongue that went over-under a hitch and you dropped in a pin to attach them. This type of hitch works very well with a drawbar, because if you want to lift the tongue, the drawbar can rotate and not spread the split hitch. I think the drawbar lock and various other "gadgets" were introduced after the superiority of the hitch ball made it universal. ...this info isn't worth much, but it is free./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Egon · Nov 3, 2002

More free drawbar information:

Most of the old tractors had a swinging drawbar with pin locks so implements could be properly placed to follow the previous furrow or windrow. Many of the impliments had a release hook which attached to the drawbar and would release if an object such as a rock was struck. Almost none of the larger tractors and most of the small ones did not have a three point hitch.

Egon

FamilyFarm · Nov 3, 2002

Does anyone know of a place to order a drawbar lock that will fit the BX22?
I ordered one from Union Farm Equipment - it was a nice piece of steel, well built, but would not fit the BX.
I may just go with the braces to the top link as described and pictured here on this thread, but am still interested in the lock.

Thanks,
Terry

kodiac · Nov 4, 2002

A draw bar was my first implement!
Was moving my two trailers 6x10 (2" ball) 8.5x20 (2 5/16 ball) and had a 2" ball on the bar. The 6x10 moved fine seemed once the hitch was locked on the ball it stayed, I wouldn't haul a load that way though. Locked the 8.5x 20 on the 2" ball and it seemed ok, started up a hill and the bar rotated, trailler came off and rolled down a hill into a tree.

HayDR · Nov 4, 2002

kodiac,
I'm glade you were not hurt. We tell all our customers to NEVER use a cross drawbar on a ball style hitch and even to go so far as to limit loads of Cat 1 crossbars to 1,000 lbs. Many customers also use a bale spear with a ball on the top to move fifth-wheel trailers around and these setups are not safe NEVER use this even if your bale spear has a ball hitch.

Anonymous Poster · Nov 4, 2002

We have a couple of different trailers around the house and I was to lazy to change the trailer hitches on the trailers so I made the hitch and added the pintal so it fits everything and use the reciever for one of those trailer hitch platforms. I had it posted in the build it yourself section under "hitch stuff". Its just one of many solutions, I just happened to have the square tube, grinder,welder and a TSC up the street.

Soundguy · Nov 4, 2002

New holland also makes a drawbar lock that goes from the end of the toplink to the drawbar.. prevents the drawbar from spinning, etc.

I use mine to pull my pasture drag.. depending on what tractor I'm using.. ( i prefer my swinging drawbar for safety.. but sometimes it isn't available or in the right position for what i need.

Soundguy