Bent drawbar

[Lanse]

One of our sheep decided to eat the leaves off a tree near our fence, and climed up on the fence and screwed up the wire so removing that tree jumped up on my list of chores today.

ANYWAY.... I got a chain and the tractor and wrapped it around pretty good and gunned it. After a few yanks, my TSC 3pt drawbar bent pretty well, and I tried driving over it a few times but it diddnt do any good. Well, here I am one busted drawbar later. I would think there would be some internal cracks or something so its stump pulling days are over, but it could still do things like pull the little 4' drag do I wouild like to keep it. Any ideas??

 

[Mathias NY]

I don't think those 3pt drawbars are really meant for yanking on things. 3pt hitches are poor choices because you can end up pulling from a point above the rear axle (I think there is a recent posting of an 8n driver who flipped one that way). If the tractor doesn't have a fixed drawbar, you probably want to invest in one.

If you had access to a torch or a forge you could probably heat the drawbar to flatten in. I don't think they are cast, so you shouldn't have to worry about cracks.

 

[old]

You should never gun it and or yank on them in any way shape or form. Chains have been known to brake and then take the head off of the person on the tractor. You tighten up the chain and then ease out on the clutch and do a nice steady pull. Now to maybe make it stright again just flip it over and use it to pull again
Hobby farm

 

[fixerupper]

If a small tractor bent it, it shouldn't be too hard to straighten in a press. Do you know of anyone with a press that you could talk sweet to? Then there's the idea of putting it on blocks under something heavy and jacking down on it --- no, that's too dangerous---well, maybe if you wrap a chain around the jack so it can't fly. It can't be as dangerous as standing under a loader bucket.Jim

 

[Anonymous-0]

not to be a smart as- Lance BUT have you ever owned a tractor before???? at the rate your going you will not live to see the new year first you stand under the loader and now you pull a tree with the three point draw bar DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH??????you should take a tractor safety course. do you play with empty guns also??? use your head man!!!

 

[Tradititonal Farmer]

You're lucky you didn't pull a chunk out fo your tractor and even more lucky you didn't butcher yourself up.Kid a tractor ain't a play toy and if you treat it like one you will pay the price.

 

[Anonymous-0]

dumb A*^
I suggest you set up prepaid funeral arrangements

 

[tractormiallis]

Lanse, how large a tree were you pulling, and with what size tractor?? Seriously, if the tree is too big, you need to do some digging on the rootball - with your loader, before SLOWLY pulling on it- preferably from the drawbar so not to damage the 3 point. 3 point hitch is not meant to pull on fixed objects like a tree. Keep pulling like that from 3 point and jerking it and youre liable to wreck the tractor and flip it right on backwards killing you.

 

[Earl Ohl]

I don't post very often Lanse, but when I read some of the stuff you do it makes me concerned. I've been a volunteer EMT for almost 14 years and have seen people do all sort of dumb things and then the paramedics & EMT's have to perform miracles to save their lives. You're lucky the drawbar was the only casualty. The other guys that post here aren't talking down to you, they don't want to see you get hurt. Please listen to them. Also if you were using that B3030 that's way too small of a tractor to pull trees, even if you pull from the stationary drawbar. You'll tear that tractor in half if you're not careful. I have a B3030 & just turned 86 hours on it today, so I have a pretty good idea what it can safely do. I also was a school bus mechanic/driver for 26 1/2 years working for a school district. During that time I also was the guy who repaired the district's grounds equipment. I've seen the end result of some terribly abused equipment in that time. That abuse can get REAL EXPENSIVE REAL FAST!

 

[Thack]

Lanse,

Old gave some good advise that I will try and add a little to.

#1. When pulling on a stump or ? use as short a lenth of chain as you can, that way if and when it breaks there will be less of a steel "whip" flying thru the air. The closer your are the less chance the chain or a broken clevis can rise up and get you.

#2. By jerking hard enough to bend the draw bar I am going to say that you have caused damage to your tractor. But I can"t say when it will show or how big the bill will be....but one day!

#3. The two ends of the chain and what is at each end want to become level with each other. As an example and NEVER, EVER DO THIS; You hitch one end of the chain to the top link and the other to the stump/tree just above the ground, one of three things may happen,
a. The stump comes up and out...not freakin likely!
b. The tractor/chain/stump level out...you flip backwards.
c. The chain/clevis break and snap back at the stump or snap up into your back.

Guys, I know he scares us all a little but we need to give him pointers not both barrels.

Lanse,

You need to do your part and look some of this stuff up on the internet, look up tractor accidents and such.

Here is a dirty joke that is very true of life.

A young and Old bull were on a hill looking down at a bunch of cows, the younger looks to the older and says let"s run down there and screw a cow! Naw, says the older, let walk down and screw "em all.

 

[Thack]

Good post Earl.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hey buddy, you need to slow down a bit. I have read your past post and I remember you telling us you were a young fellow. Your tractor may be small, but you can still get hurt or worse very quick. It is a TOOL not a TOY, it must be respected. By the way, were your parents around when you were doing your jerking and yanking? They need to give you some advice while you are learning to operate your new tractor. I'm not trying to be critical, we just don't want to see someone like you get hurt. We don't want to read about any slow riding and sad singing! BE CAREFUL!!!

 

[Sid]

"Now to maybe make it stright again just flip it over and use it to pull again" Are you the real Old? If so I am surprised that you would make a suggestion like this.

 

[Pete in MD]

Lanse,
How about telling these guys if you listened to them and learned something today. You gotta slow down son or your momma's gonna be posting your obit here.
Pete

 

[Anonymous-0]

Those 3pt drawbars are handy, but they can't be jerked like that. When I was in high school, I took a forestry program, and one of the kids who didn't know any better was using the schools John Deere 5300 to pull full length firewood logs out across a meadow to the roadside landing. This John Deere was a 55hp 4wd with a loader on it. Anyways, the kid revved it up full throttle, and dumped the clutch, with a 3pt hich drawbar hooked to 3 of those full length logs. Now, that tractor had been pulling that many logs, the same size time and again with no problems, the problem was he yanked it hard without taking up the slack in those chains or anything, and that 3pt hitch bar and those 3 chains went flying, it broke that 3pt drawbar into 3 pieces instantly, so it about shattered it. Shock loading destroys stuff Lanse, and even that tractor took a good beating. For straightening out your drawbar, about the only thing you could do is put it down on a hard flat surface and beat on it with a sledge hammer, but you may find it has been severly weakened, and don't use heat!, yes it would straighten out a lot easier with a torch, but it will also weaken the steel much further. Better yet, since we don't want to hear of you getting a concrete chip in your eye or smash your toe with the sledge, take it to someone who has a press, most garages have them.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Use the right tool for the job, pal. Like a chain saw, for example. And toss that drawbar. When you are paying for the new one, just write it off as an educational expense.

I'm glad you didn't get killed. We all unwittingly do/did dumb things when young, try to think things through a little more and, really, listen to the grey beards. They're here to help you. You'll be fine.

 

[old]

What flip the draw bar over yes I have done so befoe if its not a 3 point draw bar that is. I bent on one my ford 841 and I flipped it over and made ti stright again but then I did also beef it up. Ya if its a 3 point type that will not work
Hobby farm

 

[paul]

That is not the way to treat a new tractor. Or old. Or anywhere in between.

There are so many things wrong with what you did, I suspect you are just joshing with us to stir the waters. That's fine.

If you really did jerk with the tractor like that - well, don't think anything we have to say will really help at this point. You will have to like life thae hard way & learn on your own. If you live long enough.

You'd not work on my farm.

--->Paul

 

[Anonymous-0]

Lanse, some of these guys are being pretty hard on you. Don't take it personally. It's from experience and quite possibly their own. We've all done some things with out thinking them through. That's all you did wrong. To make you feel better, I had a guy (30's) offer to pull me out of the ditch about 1/2 a mile away from land where I have a Cat with a loader and hoe. Anyway, he said he could pull me out. I have a 3/4 ton extended cab 4x4 and he had the same but only a 1/2 ton. He had a big nylon strap which was a good thing. It was icy on the road so he took off like an idiot with about 3 feet of slack in the strap. I had my truck in reverse. After about 4 pulls he moved me back about 15 feet. At the same time we were unhooking the strap a county grader came by and offered to pull me out. Thank god! The other guy looped the strap over my pintle hitch adaptor plate which was fine and wrapped it around his hitch. He used a heavy chain around his hitch to hook to the strap but when he tried to take the chain off it was jammed and he couldn't get it out. It served him right. I was going to walk down and get my Cat which I would have done if the grader hadn't come. The guy that tried to pull me out had the same problem as you. You both didn't have the right machine or equipment for the job. Just use a little common sense and think things through before you proceed and you'll be fine. I'd be pretty excited to get my first tractor too. Actually I was. I was about 15 when I came home and the new to us 8N was there. Luckily my dad has run lots of tractors and golf course equipment and done a lot of demo's so he taught me the proper way to run it. Dave

 

[RobMD]

Where's your Mom and Dad in all of this?

You're allowed to bang and beat the crap out of a new tractor like that?

Seriously, kid, get some friends and go to the park and play in sandboxeds!

 

[Anonymous-0]

My thoughts exactly Kent. I just took out some trees today(with a chain saw) and my ford 9n effortlessly dragged them back to the corner of the woods where I cut them up. No bent drawbar, no drama. I wonder where this kids dad is while he beats the sh@t out of a $25,000 dollar utility tractor.

 

[Doug N]

You tell the kid that shock loading destroys stuff, but then you turn around and tell him to beat on it with a sledge hammer. That's about the most shock loading you can get.

 

[RossIL]

Ever hear of a chainsaw? Works great for removing trees.

 

[Old Mac]

This kid"s stuck on stupid. I don"t think arming him with a chainsaw is a good idea.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Using a sledge hammer to straighten it isn't going to apply nowhere near the destructive forces that jerking the tractor on it does, so hopefully after 10-15 whacks or so, it will be pretty well straightened out so he can use it again. My advice is good and if you think thats going to break it, it won't.

 

[Dan-IA]

Lanse, you can pull up little saplings with a 2 or 3pt. Just back up until the drawbar is almost on top of them, drop it as low as it"ll go, wrap the chain twice and tie it short as possible. Then get on the tractor and raise straight up, it"ll pull little trees. Don"t be driving to pull trees, that"s asking for trouble. Slow and steady is key, log chains won"t take jerkiness. I know you"re a hyper young fella, but take it easy. Tractors aren"t meant for cuttin" up with.