Strange coupling for B6000E pictures included

[Berniew]

Hi All, please can anyone tell me what this coupling is for, see attached photos. It was found at the back of the shed and I was told it was originally off the Kubota B6000E that I have just put back together. All I have managed to work out is that it connects to the three point linkage but what it is for I cannot assertain. Any help greatfully recieved. Thanks Bernie

 

[85Hokie]

I am curious if it was used with a rope or perhaps a chain to drag logs or small trees out with since there is no nice place to tie a rope or chain at the rear of the machine.

 

[Berniew]

It seems a bit excessive for that especially as there is a place to attach a rope or chain on my B6000, picture attached, it is just below the PTO reverser that I have just fitted. The bar at the top, what I assume is for the top hitch, has a swivel in it but with the top hitch wouldn't be able to move. Curious.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

It looks home grown to me.
Of all the OEM implements that I know the B6000 used, none took any part like it that I know of.

 

[Berniew]

Hi, I should say that this whole thing is very heavy, it is solid metal not hollow tube and has a look that it is not home built as the top section, that is the part with the U shaped coupling and short connector bar is painted grey. That top section seem to be designed to attach to something, with a three point linkage type fitting on either side of the short bar. Bernie

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Does the grey match the grey on the tractor?
Doesn't look like it to me.

And when I said home grown, it would have been better to say non Kubota OEM.
The pin on the end is rather unique, there might be some clue there.

 

[Berniew]

Hi Wolfman, thank you for your responce. I will have to check if the greys match, hadn't thought of that one. I will be over there again on Wednesday so will look and feed back, that said I haven't cleaned the coupling so difficult to tell from the pictures. What do you make of that top split coupling / bar at the top. Would it help if I was to take it out and send a photo. It has all got me stumped. Perhaps I will connect it to the Kubota and see if that gives any clues. Thanks Bernie

 

[ken erickson]

looking At the rear of your tractor what is the small pulley used for? could that be a possible hint to what the mystery piece’s use or purpose is?

 

[Berniew]

Great observation but sadly no, the pulley is for the lift chain for the Woods 304K belly mower to hold it up in the travel position, which I hadn't fitted when I took the photo of the pto reverser, as the attached photo shows. Thanks Bernie

 

[NCL4701]

My vote is a non-OEM drawbar. I’m aware there’s a true drawbar type connection point below the PTO but if you’re skidding logs (or skidding anything else) there are substantial advantages to using the 3 point to raise the front of the log/object off the ground; specifically: no sudden hard stop due to hitting a stump, large rock, large root or other relatively immovable object; less damage to trails; less dirt ground into log; less resistance so can pull larger items. Of course the downside is you can flip the tractor over backward pulling from too high a connection point and you’d need to be reasonably proficient at brake steering so I don’t know that any manufacturer would ever recommend doing that, but it’s pretty common.

The fact that it’s solid rather than hollow is consistent with that use. Being round all over is consistent with designed to use with ropes (pretty easy to cut even a stout rope with a dull but squareish piece of steel pulling with a tractor). If it looks like it has some chain scars on it, that would further suggest drawbar use. Photos look like there might be some chain scarring but hard to tell from just photos.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

One thing I note is because of the design, it wasn't used for anything PTO powered.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

My vote is a non-OEM drawbar. I’m aware there’s a true drawbar type connection point below the PTO but if you’re skidding logs (or skidding anything else) there are substantial advantages to using the 3 point to raise the front of the log/object off the ground; specifically: no sudden hard stop due to hitting a stump, large rock, large root or other relatively immovable object; less damage to trails; less dirt ground into log; less resistance so can pull larger items. Of course the downside is you can flip the tractor over backward pulling from too high a connection point and you’d need to be reasonably proficient at brake steering so I don’t know that any manufacturer would ever recommend doing that, but it’s pretty common.

The fact that it’s solid rather than hollow is consistent with that use. Being round all over is consistent with designed to use with ropes (pretty easy to cut even a stout rope with a dull but squareish piece of steel pulling with a tractor). If it looks like it has some chain scars on it, that would further suggest drawbar use. Photos look like there might be some chain scarring but hard to tell from just photos.

It wouldn't lift anything, the front would lift but the end would simply drag on the ground.
I was thinking possibly a trailer tongue, but it just doesn't articulate in the right manner for that to work.

 

[NCL4701]

It wouldn't lift anything, the front would lift but the end would simply drag on the ground.
I was thinking possibly a trailer tongue, but it just doesn't articulate in the right manner for that to work.

Hmmm…

I was looking at it as fitting on the 3 point as an upside down T with the yoke attaching to the toplink. At first I was also thinking of the yoke part trailing behind as some sort of trailer tongue sort of hitch but couldn’t envision the practicality of the geometry for it to be anything other than an upside down T on the 3 point.

 

[Russell King]

I think its to hold the lower three point lift arms together on the ends of the rod. Those appear to be implement pins. The forked end will fit on the top link attachment point on the rear of the tractor (where the front end of the top link attaches.

It is articulated in length so that the arms can move up and down but not side to side.

I assume the tractor has check chains and can’t limit the movement of the arms towards the tractor tires. I have that problem with my L185 and have seen the lower lift arm contact the rear tires and the get driven upwards and could damage the tractor lift system.

 

[NCL4701]

I think its to hold the lower three point lift arms together on the ends of the rod. Those appear to be implement pins. The forked end will fit on the top link attachment point on the rear of the tractor (where the front end of the top link attaches.

It is articulated in length so that the arms can move up and down but not side to side.

I assume the tractor has check chains and can’t limit the movement of the arms towards the tractor tires. I have that problem with my L185 and have seen the lower lift arm contact the rear tires and the get driven upwards and could damage the tractor lift system.

Interesting… Used to have an old Ford that had that problem. Solved it with a bungee cord between the balls on the end of the lift arms. Bonus was you could keep the bungee in the toolbox so it was always with the tractor.

 

[GrizBota]

I think @Russell King has got its installation figured out. It also has a carry position wherein a pin goes through the end of the solid rod when it’s it the fully compressed position within the hollow section. Indeed that would prevent the lower three point arms from moving (you wouldn’t want to try, I wouldn’t think). The usage?? Now that’s an interesting one.

My 8N has something like this. But it uses a normal draw bar and the length is fully fixed, no ability to move lower links when it’s installed. It was used to tow a trailer in that configuration. If I recall, there might be a lever that’s disengages the three point actuation. But it’s been a yard ornament for going on decades, so I may not recall correctly.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

No offence Russell, but If you installed it like about the only purpose would be to damage the three point.
There would be no gain in having the lift arms attached to the center mount.

 

[Berniew]

I will try lots of variations when I fit it to the Kubota tomorrow and send you all the photos. It looks like the inner tube may have been longer as it has sheared off where the second hole is, as can be seen in photos.

 

[Berniew]

When I look at it again maybe it hasn't sheared and that is the way it is designed.

 

[Grandad4]

You guys are dancing around pretty close to the correct explanation, I think. It's a drawbar for the lower 3 point arms, like the old Fords and Fergusons had, but with a riser for attaching the adjustable toplink. The toplink keeps the drawbar from rotating, so you can put a trailer ball on the drawbar and it will not want to flop back and forth.

I had something similar, except a receiver had been added and there was a hold-down chain securing it to the actual drawbar to limit how high the thing could lift since the 3 point has no downforce. Here is an old fuzzy picture of what I had (sorry, best I can do), where you can see the red drawbar, the limiter chain, and just make out the riser and toplink.

Berniew's looks like a homebrew version, has no trailer ball and no limiter chain. The riser for the toplink is way longer than mine was, don't know why it needs to be that long.