Pulling with the draw bar?

dos_perros · Nov 10, 2003

What is the best fastening system for pulling with the draw bar using chain or cable? Draw bar has 3/4 inch holes. Thanks.

art · Nov 10, 2003

They build a hook that has a drawbar hitch pin hole on the other end. Another alternative is a clevis with hitch pin to fasten. Those would be my favorites.

PineRidge · Nov 10, 2003

I agree with Art that is the way to go.

Just be careful when using any chain for pulling purposes. Years ago while in Hershey PA I saw an antique collector tow a very, very valuable antique Cadillac using a chain. in the process the chain came loose from the pulling vehicle and took out more than several hundred dollars woth of headlights and driving lights on the front of the old Cadillac.

It could just as easy hit you in the back while on a tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

RoyJackson · Nov 11, 2003

"It could just as easy hit you in the back while on a tractor"

Find something to sheath the chain in when you're using it. A section of worn out fire hose (shouldn't be too difficult to find, especially if you've a volunteer fire dept.) ought to do it.

PineRidge · Nov 11, 2003

<font color="blue"> Find something to sheath the chain in when you're using it. A section of worn out fire hose (shouldn't be too difficult to find, especially if you've a volunteer fire dept.) ought to do it. </font>

I would think that hose remedy would be a very good idea.

bigpete · Nov 11, 2003

Here's a good but brief page on safety:

Safe Use of Tow Ropes, Cables and Chains

The fire hose idea is excellent. I have seen farmers drape another length of loose chain back and forth across the pull chain when removing something like a stump or getting another machine un-stuck. I have also heard of laying heavy blankets across a chain for a removal. None of these suggestions would make sense for distance towing, however. The key in any of these methods is to divert the linear energy from an assembly broken under stress in a direction different than the original energy of the pull.

There are also hundreds of posts in the safety forum right here at TBN. I personally believe you cannot read enough about safety. That's just me, though.

dos_perros · Nov 11, 2003

bigpete. Excellent article! Still unclear on best fastener to attach chain, cable, etc. to drawbar. What is safest, most reliable, practical fastener? Any photos? Thanks.

MajMac392 · Nov 11, 2003

It's interesting that the drawbar is the preferred method of pulling. It makes sense because it is the low point but here is something that happened to me to make me think the drawbar wasn't as strong as I thought it was. Several times I have wrapped a piece of chain around the butt end of a felled tree and lifted the butt up, then dragged it to where it was more convenient to cut up. I was moving a maple tree that the top had come off in an ice storm, the butt end was somewhere around 16 – 18” and the tree was probably 30’ long. I lifted the butt up with the 3 Pt hitch no problem and dragged it for a ways. While I was dragging the tree, it was bobbing a little. When I got off the tractor to take the chain off the tree I found the drawbar had a big bend in, probably deflected 2-3 inches anyway. I think on one of its ‘bobs’, it dug into the ground a little and bent the drawbar. The drawbar is one of the standard looking ones I got from my dealer, about ¾ to 7/8” or so and probably 24” long. I had the drawbar straightened at a friends machine shop but I have been leery of ‘dragging’ to many trees since.

bigpete · Nov 11, 2003

Dos Perros, the drawbar hook is my preference. A clevis is my second choice. There's a thread half way down this Attachments board on that very topic.

Drawbar hook

Soundguy · Nov 11, 2003

One thing to keep in mind... if you are pulling from the 3pt drawbar.. use a drawbar stay to keep it down.. you never want to pull from a level above your axle...

Soundguy