traverse drawbar

ChrisHoward said:

I bought a traverse drawbar for my L5240 and put 2 ball hitches on it so I could hook up to either my utility trailer or log splitter to move them, and I didn't have to keep putting ball hitches on my long drawbar. I used it the first time last night and might have a problem. The trailer stayed hitched but the bar did not stay level. When nothing is hooked, the balls hang upside down.

I bought the drawbar from a farm store. It's cat I and I use adapters because the tractor has cat II on the arms. Is it normal for these drawbars to rotate freely?

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Yes, they make a steel plate thingy to tie it to the lift arm so it doesn't rotate though. Found a picture.

As Jim mentioned, you need a bracket at the end of your drawbar that goes over and under your 3pt arm to keep it from turning.

Here you go, at Tractor supply. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-drawbar-lock-cat-1?cm_vc=-10005

I have one like the tsc copy pictured above.
used it for years with my ford 2n tractor.
had to do a little mod work to fit it to the shorter b2301 lift arms but it still works.

I don't have pics, but I just bolted a bar (1/2" x 1 1/2"?) from drawbar to the trailer hitch on the pumpkin. Took a very slight "S" bend, but pretty easy. I would go the Tractor Supply route, but they refuse to put a store less than 100 miles from me.

I believe the original intended use for the flat-style drawbar on the Ford 2N, 8N, 9N tractors was that there was no drawbar on the tractor to begin with. If you wanted to pull a hay wagon, pull type disk harrow, drag, etc. there was nothing to hook it to.

Most farm trailers in that era didn't have ball hitches but simple clevis type hitches.

Enter the flat drawbar full of holes. They work great for hay wagons, and most any pull-type implement. You could also put a clevis on there and use a chain to pull a log or whatever.

In later years as the Ford tractor became less of a farm tractor and more of a homeowners garden tractor, people started using their small utility trailers (designed for road use) with the little fords to move stuff around their property. The holes in the drawbar will accommodate a 1-7/8"or 2" ball so it was a natural fit. Unfortunately at least 2 problems arose with this arrangement. The center of pull was moved up from the centerline of the drawbar causing a torque moment on the drawbar resulting in the "twisting" situation. Also, if the weight wasn't properly positioned in the trailer it could cause the tongue and 3PH to rise up and create a dangerous situation. There would also be swaying side to side within the limits of the check chains.

The solution was the torque arm to prevent twisting and a pair of flat stock links that tied the draft arms to the top link point creating a triangle which would prevent the arms from raising and moving side to side.

I regularly use a traverse drawbar on the L210 and the Bx. I use it mostly to pull a 5x10 utility trailer with sides on it, which I sometimes gross out to 3000 lb.

The tendency of the drawbar to sway or rotate is really no big deal since I'm never in higher than 4th gear on the L210 or out of low range in the BX. I don't tow stuff on public roads with the tractor, and I really am never going faster than about 5 mph with the trailer.

I'd say if you intend to tow loads heavier than 3000 lb on public roads, in road gear, you definitely need to stabilize it. Otherwise, I don't think it's necessary.

I can add that having the free rotating bar in the hitch actually makes it easier to couple/de-couple the trailer to the tractor. After backing up to the trailer, I just rotate the ball upward, lift up on the hitch and pop it into the socket and then lock it in place. It takes only seconds to couple the ball and snap on the safety chains.

ChrisHoward said:

...Is it normal for these drawbars to rotate freely?

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Like a dear friend use to say it's normal, but not natural. LOL

Check this, probably one of the simplest but most useful implementation of the modest drawbar:
https: // youtu.be/0h1gSR1HUi4

Since I'm new member can't post links, so please remove spaces from link.

Cheers all