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3pt hitch drawbar stabilizer

2K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  steddy 
#1 ·
A friend of mine gave me a piece of receiver tubing today. That was the final component I needed to make this happy little guy. It's so much more convenient than using my back blade with a ball mounted on it, since this is easier to put on and the lift range is so much greater. It goes both higher and lower than my backblade did by far, and that's with the top link screwed all the way out.

I was concerned I would have anhard time getting the geometry right, as I wanted the ball to go almost to the ground with a slight downward tilt, and go high enough to grab my 16' landscape trailer with the jack fully extended, with enough clearance between the ground and jack to not catch the ground. This would require a slight uphill tilt when at full height. Nailed it first try!

The uprights and horizontal piece bolted to the drawbar started life as the frame of a Wheelhorse snowblower destined for the scrapyard. Just cut it apart and ground the paint off the weld areas and where it would be hard to grind off after assembly. I didn't want to just simply weld the receiver tube to the drawbar, because I wanted it removable. The welds aren't real pretty (one in particular), but they'll hold just fine. Good penetration all the way round.

Lowered all the way down in this picture.
 

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#2 ·
Raised all the way up here. Jack is near full extension, and jack foot is a good 4" off the ground. Strangely satisfying. Just needs a little paint, a better pin for the top link, larger 5/8" drilled holes in the mounting plate (didn't have a good enouh drill bit), and 5/8" bolts for the mounting.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
And a slightly better closeup of the fab work. The red pieces already had holes drilled in them, the perfect size for a cat 1 limited top link pin! Note the bends in the steel: they were bent that way from wheelhorse. I'm not sure if they're responsible for the perfect geometry, but I think it works out nicely. They're a good 3/8" thick.
 

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#5 ·
Since I built this thing, I haven't taken it off. Problem is, I need the loader from time to time, so I'd need to switch back to the back blade for counterweight. I guess the next logical step was to modify it to add brackets for suitcase weights. My first thought was to use the angle iron leftover from my trailer rehab. Not strong enough, dismissed the thought. So I decided to have a 3/8" plate sheared up over at the fab shop. When I got there, I spotted a 5' chunk of steel channel, maybe leftover from an industrial fork pocket or something, about 12" wide. Perfect! I had two 6" lengths cut. I like that they don't let the weights slip off the sides, as plate would have (obviously I would have needed a tab on the ends to keep them from sliding off, but now I don't). Brought them home, welded them on, good to go! $15 into this whole project, hanging 310 lbs of suitcase weights off the back.

I ran out of wire before adding a tab to join the two vertical pieces together, so that I'll finish later I guess. It definitely does the job; plenty sturdy for 300+ lbs bouncing all over. The picture is crappy, showing it leaning to the right because it's not bolted to the drawbar all the way. I might see if I can bend the vertical pieces to the right a fuzz, as they were welded on a little off kilter but still parallel. Just aesthetics. Paint it Massey red, and we'll be good to go. The Deere weights can stay green for all I care. They seem to work just as well as the red ones :)
 

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