4710 - Drawbar Question

[timb]

Looking over the details of my new 4710 something caught my eye. Apparently somewhere along the way (serial number 270xxx and higher hydros, 275xxx and higher gear) Deere replaced the drawbar carrier arrangment. The carrier used to be a fabricated affair made from heavy plate - provide two working and one storage 'extension' positions - and (by removing pins) fixed or swinging style.

The new style carrier is a fairly massive casting combined with a pair of vertical plates, has the same drawbar extension positions (but different part # for the drawbar itself) - but is no longer a true 'swinging' style but rather looks to be 'positionable'. You can withdraw the drawbar and re-insert it into the casting with about a 30 degree set angle to the left or right.

Anyone have any idea why Deere did this? Having never had the luxury of anything but a simple drawbar on old tractors I'm familiar with - I'm a bit confused. I thought a swinging drawbar was to allow easier turning with certain drawn implements. How/when do you use a 'positionable' drawbar? (If that what the new design is.)

Attachment is the new design.

 

[timb]

Here's the 'old' style.

 

[KubotaBling]

that don't make alot of sense. My guess is maybe had problems breaking the casting on old one or something. The engineers sometimes have some crazy ideas that are impractical so could be a flook..

 

[beenthere]

Hardly any use for a swinging drawbar anymore, IMO.
However, the new design looks like it might have something to do with the addition of a backhoe, but I do not know that for sure. Not as easy to switch positions, but looks a lot stronger than the 'swinging' style.

 

[timb]

The good news is it appears that the old design and the new design may be bolt-up interchangeable. I think if I wanted to bother to order the parts I could have both 'just in case'.

The bad news is the old welded plate version of the carrier is over $200! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif (The new casting is cheaper for some reason).

The casting is fairly impressive looking - just while I can understand a swinging drawbar I couldn't for the life of me think of when you would want to fix-position the drawbar with the offset. Certainly isn't going to line anything up with the PTO shaft hinge points. Dunno.

 

[MJB]

Back in the day, we used to pin the drawbar all the way over to the left when towing a bailer so that the machine would not stick out so far to the right when going down the road. We would move the drawbar back to center when we got to the field to start bailing.

 

[timb]

Now that makes sense - transport mode on a baler or moco. But that was never used in operational mode right? I was wondering what becomes of the PTO shaft if you tried that!

 

[jackd]

At times, my post hole digger hits the drawbar, so I leave it out of the casting unless I need it -- I didn't think to move it... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

JackD

 

[chevy]

The new style drawbar was one of the first things I noticed on a 4520 I look at today. It does look like an improvement over the old one.

Chris

 

[Green4310TLB]

On larger tractors, you swing the draw bar to one side to center or offset your equipment when transporting as mentioned or to adjust the spacing relationship between the tractor and equipment. I used a Moline 670 for mowing hay and would adjust the drawbar one or two positions to the left to fine adjust the spacing. Drove over less of the freshly mowed hay that way. I would assume the same theory applies to the smaller compacts as well. You just don't want to have the PTO shaft at too steep of an angle.