Drawbar play?

[Connecticut Calvin]

Nice and quick: is the drawbar supposed to have a little bit of up and down play? I'd also like to know what the capabilities of the drawbar are when you consider pulling (i.e. yanking stumps etc.) and the maximum tongue weight. I read about guys pulling all sorts of trailers and things that are very heavy and it seems to be they're pushing the tractor's limits. The manual I read doesn't seem to clarify this either (but I may have overlooked this I suppose) I'd just like to know what not to do to damage little Betty.

[Eugene]

Only a slight up and down movement of draw bar when fastened solid to finals and the bolts installed in draw bar pivot points.

Max draw bar weight. Guessing 300 - 400 lbs loaded directly on the draw bar without the front end coming off the ground or being difficult to steer.

There is a big difference between draw bar weigh and weight being towed. Other safety factors need to be taken into consideration.

[Boss Hog]

To add to what Eugene said, if you start yanki9ng stumps you will break something on your cub
Boss

[Connecticut Calvin]

Ok so drawbar up and down movement is normal. I'm glad to hear that!

Clarification on the stump-pulling: those in the northeast can easy recall the Halloween Snowstorm of 2011. The memory makes most of us shake out heads a bit! My back yard was full of juvenile pines (less than 6" diameter) that literally fell over from the weight of the wet snow. While the trees are now gone, I have about a dozen stumps sticking half out of the ground. I pride myself on practicality and am comfortable with the limit to the stump-pulling...so no 24" diameter oaks! But these little guys would probably tear out of the ground with no more stress than dragging a plow through a field. I'm just trying to get an idea of the strength of the drawbar and the final drives it's attached to. Besides, shouldn't I break something good so we have something to tinker with at Cecil's?!

[RaymondDurban]

I have to disagree with the slight up a down down movement being normal. If you have movement, find out why and correct it. It shouldn't move. Allowing it to move will only compound the problem in the long run.

[Connecticut Calvin]

Ah, ok so let me elaborate: I see the drawbar is held on with two "fasteners" on each side. The front fasteners are fixed plugs with a hole in them and are held in place with pins. There is no play here. The rear fasteners are bolts with nuts. It seems as though it's here that I have movement. It's like the drawbar can swivel on the front fasteners. I made the bolts tight, but the bolts seem to slide a bit in a track. It's not like it's a .5" bolt in a .5" hole. Forgive my use of lame men's terms...

Is my drawbar not fastened correctly?!

[Bob McCarty]

Check to make sure those bolts have a tapered shoulder that seats into the bevel of the drawbar plate. If they are regular square shoulder bolts, you should replace them with the correct bolt.

Bob

[Eugene]

On pulling the pine stumps. Spray any sprouts with herbicide to kill down to roots. Wait an year or two and you can probably push the stumps out of the ground with little effort.

Any way, that's how I am clearing eastern red cedar and other hard woods. Killing down to roots, wait until roots rot off.

[Connecticut Calvin]

They're not tapered! GREAT catch!!!!

I'll pick up the correct bolts from one of the forum's recommended distributors!

[Connecticut Calvin]

On pulling the pine stumps. Spray any sprouts with herbicide to kill down to roots. Wait an year or two and you can probably push the stumps out of the ground with little effort.

Any way, that's how I am clearing eastern red cedar and other hard woods. Killing down to roots, wait until roots rot off.

Thanks Eugene! I like that idea!

[Eugene]

I drop the tree, leaving about 3 to 4 feet of trunk above ground. Herbicide, wait. Couple years and I can use the trunk for leverage and push out of the ground. Roots on eastern red cedar easily rot, usually a year or two and the stump is free. Other trees take longer for the rots to rot.

Something else I'm doing is installing a salt and a mineral box on top of some stumps. Cattle keep the ground around the stumps eaten or trampled down.

To cheap to hire a dozer. Cleared about 1 to 1/2 acres by hand in the above method this year. Side benefit, besides the exercise, is the fire wood. Will wait another year then hit each stump with sledge hammer. Most stumps will just fall over. Those that don't I'll hit with the skit steer to remove them.

[Barnyard]

They're not tapered! GREAT catch!!!!

I'll pick up the correct bolts from one of the forum's recommended distributors!

Here is what they look like. TM has them when they reopen in about a week.


Image from TM Tractor Parts

[tmays]

Steiner has them also.

[Connecticut Calvin]

Geez...you guys are all right! Thank you!

[Boss Hog]

I think he is talking about the bolts that hold the draw bar to the draw bar brackets, not the ones that hold the brackets to the finals
Boss