Rebuilt Wagon Hitch

Rebuilt Wagon Hitch HITCHES Hitches 20-6-30 Tim Beirnes, Cambridge, Ontario: "The wagon hitch on my Massey-Ferguson 124 baler was built too light and often broke. The hitch was made up of a 2-in. dia. steel pipe that slid inside a 2 1/4-in. (inside dia.) light wall sleeve and was pinned to it. I threw the sleeve away and replaced it with a cold-rolled 2 1/2-in. sq., 1/4-in. wall tube which solved the problem. I drilled a hole in the sq. tube to match. I made this conversion on three different Massey-Ferguson balers. "We broke a knuckle on the baler's pto shaft on a Saturday night. A new yoke would have cost about $100 and my dealer was closed for business on Sunday. I solved the problem by borrowing the pto shaft off an old manure spreader. I shortened the shaft to the right length. Then I cut off the machined part of the knuckle on the baler pto shaft and welded it to the heavier knuckle on the spreader shaft. Eight years and 30,000 bales a year later it still works beautifully." Bruce Gamble, La Feria, Texas: "I've found a relatively inexpensive way to re- pair worn knuckle joints on any Deere MFWD tractor. The problem is, the seals on the double U-joints that couple the two parts of the axle together cut grooves in the yokes as they wear. Replacing the yokes is neither an easy nor cheap chore. I take the knuckle joint and turn the yoke down in my lathe. I then install a stainless steel bushing I make out of pipe to bring the yoke back to correct size. This repair will work on any Deere tractor with MFWD. Cost is $150 per side, compared with anywhere from $300 to $1,200 per side to replace them depending on the model of tractor."

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