Hydraulic Drawbar Works Like A 3-pt Hitch

Hydraulic drawbar works like a 3-pt hitch HITCHES Hitches 15-6-9 When Stony Adkins, Chandlerville, Ill., traded fora new Deere 4-WD tractor with a conventional drawbar instead of a 3-pt. hitch, he had to solve the problem of folding his trailing Deere 7000 planter. The planter is designed so that the tongue must be lifted to do the folding. To solve the problem, Adkins called on local fabricator Bill Meteer, Athens, Ill., who's known for his skills as a problem solver. The solution they agreed to try was to modify the drawbar tongue by building a hydraulic lift into it. An important consideration in making the conversion was to maintain a horizontal connection for the hitch clevis portion throughout the upward lift movement of the modified drawbar. That is, the clevis had to be held level as the planter folds because it continues to pull. The men developed a cantilever-type action with a special-built crank and connecting link activated by a single hydraulic cylinder. Adkins says it does everything he'd hoped. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stony Adkins, Rt. 2, Box 19, Chandlerville, Ill. 62627 (ph 217 458-2587).

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