Proper way to connect chain

[Watercarving]

Am going to be a new tractor on Thursday. I've heard of using the drawbar and the bucket hooks with a chain. Is there a diagram or photo on how to do this correctly?

I'll have a Kubota B2920. What size chain would be appropriate without being overkill?

Thanks!

 

[k0ua]

Grade 70 5/16 chain is big enough for anything you would want to do with your tractor and have a good safety margin. Get a cleavis for your fixed drawbar and hook to that. I have a slip hook end on the chain with a spring loaded retainer so that I can easily snap onto the cleavis. the other end of the chain is a grab hook to easily grab another chains links. The hooks on the bucket are grab hooks welded on, and just drape chain links into them. a picture would be worth a thousand words, I know, but it is raining outside

James K0UA

 

[Short Game]

I like a big slide hook, centered on the top of the bucket, and grab hooks on the top corners. If you want to pull from the center, you can just flip the chain over the slide hook and drop it into one of the grab hooks. If the chain doesn't have enough slack to reach the grab hooks, then just hook back to the chain. I love this system.

This is a picture from when I was building my bucket forks. I used the same configuration as I have on my buckets.

These pics were to show my bucket receiver hitches, but they also show the slide hooks.

 

[Baby Grand]

A clevis with a grab link on your drawbar will allow you to grab just the right length of chain quickly and safely:

 

[Jerry/MT]

A clevis with a grab link on your drawbar will allow you to grab just the right length of chain quickly and safely:

View attachment 243361

I've never see one of those before. I'll have to get one! Thanks for posting the picture.

 

[Watercarving]

I'm not the handiest guy in the world. What's a grab link and how does it work?

 

[George2615]

I'm not the handiest guy in the world. What's a grab link and how does it work?

See babygrands pic. The chain goes through the large hole then slides down into the slotted area of the grab link grabbing the chain by a link of it.
Same would be true of a grab hook. the hook is built in a way that it grabs a link of the chain you put in it.
I've attached a pic of grab hooks I have mounted to the top of my fork frame.

 

[Watercarving]

Do I size it to my chain or is it one size fits all?

 

[George2615]

Do I size it to my chain or is it one size fits all?

Usually a grab hook or link will grab 5/16" or 3/8" chain. My grab hooks are listed as 3/8" but they hold 5/16" just as well.

 

[k0ua]

I know a 5/16 grab hook will work for 5/16 and 1/4, inch chain and I think 3/8 will fit in it as well, but not 100% sure.

James K0UA