Hitch "Stiffens Up" IH Drawbar

Hitch "Stiffens Up" IH Drawbar HITCHES Hitches 25-6-27 Leonard Seltzer, Manhattan, Ill., wasn't happy with the drawbar on his International Hydro 84 tractor. The problem was that the drawbar often flopped around as he backed up, making it difficult to hitch up to his pto-powered feed wagon. He solved the problem by welding an open steel frame onto the drawbar. The top of the frame hooks to the 3-pt. top link, which makes the drawbar rigid. A pto shaft can run through the frame. He also welded a 4-in. long, 3/4-in. thick steel plate on back of the drawbar so he can make shorter turns. The plate has a 7/8-in. dia. opening in it for a drawbar pin. He can replace the pin with a 2-in. ball to move livestock trailers. "All the commercial 3-pt. hitches I've seen have a post in the center which prevents you from using a pto shaft," notes Seltzer. "Another advantage of using this hitch is that it can be lowered much closer to the ground. I plan to make a bracket that will support a gooseneck adapter hitch on the back side." Seltzer used 4-in. channel iron to make the frame, which measures 17 1/2 in. high and 10 1/2 in. wide, with a 7 1/2-in. wide opening. He used 3-in. channel iron to weld a pair of "ears" on top of the frame. "I have to turn a little wider than I prefer to keep the pto shaft from rubbing against the sides of the frame. If I could do it again I'd make the frame opening wider so I could turn shorter," notes Seltzer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Leonard Seltzer, 16040 W. Elmwood, Manhattan, Ill. 60442 (ph 815 478-3578).

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