drawbar 101

MikeD74T · Jul 13, 2007

Dougster said:
I will boldly go one step farther than the others with my 2 cents and recommend that you forget entirely about the old-fashioned style straight drawbar (i.e., 3-point hitch drawbar) and stick with the swinging drawbar assuming you have one. If you do wish or need to move trailers with the 3-point hitch, I would recommend you do so with a purpose-built 3-point implement. They are not expensive. Dougster

Dougster, Please go one step further and provide an example of the purpose built implement & explain why it's better. dghecas is thirsting for knowledge and understanding as well as opinion. MikeD74T

jbrumberg · Jul 13, 2007

I think Dougster is talking about a lower link crossbar. They are cheap, commonly available, and come in various lengths. They have predrilled holes that are compatible with your common garden cart hitch. They also have stabilizer bars available, but they are a PITA to deal with. Jay

gemini5362 · Jul 13, 2007

There are some very good explanations here. I have always heard what every one is calling a swinging drawbar as a belly bar. Not to confuse the issue but the swinging drawbar is a specialty item because you can remove a pin and swing the drawbar to one side. Not all drawbars have this capability.

The problem with using the swinging drawbar with implements is usually when you use it with something that works off of the PTO as you raise or lower the PTO the shaft can hit the drawbar or if you have a trailer ball on it then you can hit that ball.

To maybe add a bit to the explanation. If you think of your 3 point hitch as a lever and your wheels/axle/differential as the fulcrum. You do not have to put a weight equal to the front weight of the tractor on the end of the lifting arms (lever) to be able to lift the front of the tractor off of the ground. The higher you have the 3 point hitch off of the ground the more room you have to lift the other end of the tractor. The wheels make a really nice pivot point to do the lifting with. If you were to get the front end up high enough for it to continue rotating on its own ( flip over backwards) The lifting arms do not have anything stopping them from rotating up and saving you from the tractor flipping over backwards. The swinging drawbar mounts underneath the axle but more importantly it mounts in front of the axle. You could still put enough weight on that bar to flip the tractor over but since you do not have the leverl fulcrum situation it would require a lot more weight. Before you can generate enough force to do that with the tires they probably will lose traction and stop the process. Anyone that has put something on the 3 point lift drawbar and gotten it stuck or tried to pull something too heavy etc will attest to how fast and how easy it is to get that front end to come off of the ground.

The bottom line is that the advice given in this thread is very very good. Use the swinging drawbar for hooking up items to pull. If you do want to use the 3ph with a drawbar then only use it for light items that are lightly loaded and pull easily.

Dougster · Jul 13, 2007

MikeD74T said:
Dougster, Please go one step further and provide an example of the purpose built implement & explain why it's better. dghecas is thirsting for knowledge and understanding as well as opinion. MikeD74T

There are dozens of them out there to choose from similar to this:

Flexpoint Adapter Turns Your 3-Point Hitch into Versatile 2in. Receiver, Model# FPHS-1 | 3-Point Hitch Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment

I simply believe they are stronger, safer, easier to adjust and control... and far better suited for use with a relatively heavy dump or equipment trailer. That being said, I still prefer to use the swinging drawbar (or whatever others choose to call it) for moving large, heavy trailers.

Dougster

jbrumberg · Jul 13, 2007

Dougster:

Thanks for the picture

. I had a different "visual". Jay

OhioGuy · Jul 13, 2007

Egon said:
I made a slightly different three point drawbar for my little B7100. Picture attached.

Wow, now that's a drawbar, nice!
Curt

LarryD · Jul 14, 2007

Is this more what you pictured Jay?

I bought a receiver from Grizzly and added the sabilizer like this. Works well but I just use it to jockey various trailers around when they're in my way.