Trailer hitch ball stem won't go into drawbar hole.

[pgmrdan]

On an L3902 shouldn't the large drawbar hole handle the threaded stem of the larger sized trailer hitch ball? I thought it should drop right in. This one is just a bit too tight. I even tried tapping the ball a bit with a hammer thinking built up paint was preventing it from going in. No luck.

I must be wrong.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I seem to remember the same thing.

It's been a while, but I think I had to " hog it out" to get a ball on.........

Then I put it away, and never used it again...hahahahah

 

[hodge]

Balls will come with different diameter shanks. Measure the hole and get the right size shank. Or, drill the hole out a little bigger.

 

[mikester]

On an L3902 shouldn't the large drawbar hole handle the threaded stem of the larger sized trailer hitch ball?

No. Your drawbar and trailer ball hitch are two different things with different designs.

 

[pgmrdan]

No. Your drawbar and trailer ball hitch are two different things with different designs.

So you're saying my Kubota tractor is intentionally designed to NOT pull a trailer loaded with hay out of the hay field?!?!?!

 

[BAP]

So you're saying my Kubota tractor is intentionally designed to NOT pull a trailer loaded with hay out of the hay field?!?!?!

Your Kubota is designed to pull a farm trailer loaded with hay, not an over the road trailer. Farm trailers use a draw bar pin, versus a ball that an over the road trailer has.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

3rd option.... mount a 2" receiver on the drawbar then you'll find out that there's at least THREE different hole sizes for the 'sleeves' to mount balls on !!!!
While were on topic ... 'WHY do they have 1 7/8" and 2" balls ?????? "

 

[NCL4701]

Drawbar for my L4701 is the same. It’s about half a millimeter too small for a U.S. standard ball shank. (I don’t recall if it was a close but not quite for 3/4” or 1”.) I know it’s a Japanese tractor that’s sold worldwide and the drawbar is most often used for clevis hitches, but still seems odd to sell a tractor in the U.S. with a metric hole in the drawbar rather than 3/4”, 7/8”, or some other pin size that’s readily available in the market where the tractor is being sold.

 

[mikester]

So you're saying my Kubota tractor is intentionally designed to NOT pull a trailer loaded with hay out of the hay field?!?!?!

No, I'm saying drawbars are meant for towing heavy farm equipment with pins, NOT for installing ball hitches. Drawbars will be a lot thicker than your run-of-the-mill ball hitch receiver.

I use my 3PH draw bar if I want to tow a trailer with a ball hitch. I use my draw bar for pulling my 6 ton running gear.

I think draw bars have been around longer than ball hitches. Ball hitches are made to their own standard just like 3PH are made...which is why 3PH QH doesn't work on all attachments.

 

[TheOldHokie]

On an L3902 shouldn't the large drawbar hole handle the threaded stem of the larger sized trailer hitch ball? I thought it should drop right in. This one is just a bit too tight. I even tried tapping the ball a bit with a hammer thinking built up paint was preventing it from going in. No luck.

I must be wrong.

Regardless of hole size, in my experience the under axle drawbar is too low for most ball hitch trailers. If you feel differently a drill bit is your friend.

Dan

 

[pgmrdan]

Thanks everyone!

I'll just move my cross drawbar with the 2" ball from the quick hitch on my BX to the quick hitch on my L3902.

 

[DustyRusty]

3rd option.... mount a 2" receiver on the drawbar then you'll find out that there's at least THREE different hole sizes for the 'sleeves' to mount balls on !!!!
While were on topic ... 'WHY do they have 1 7/8" and 2" balls ?????? "

1 7/8" balls are used on lightweight trailers up to approximately 3500#. The 2" ball goes up to the 7000# trailers, and next is the 2 5/16" accommodates the heavier trailers. The shank size is also important because the heavier trailers use a larger shank to accommodate the weight. Shank sizes range from 5/8 in, 3/4 in, 1 in, and 1-1/4 in. The larger the ball size, the larger the load, the larger the vehicle is to pull the trailer.

 

[meridien]

I drilled out the hole on my drawbar so I could use a 2" ball. It was close to the correct diameter so it just needed to be slightly larger. I've moved trailers that take a 2 5/16" ball with the 2" ball without a problem, I just take it easy and it's fine. You do need to make sure you have enough tongue weight to prevent problems.

EDIT: When I move trailers, it's on my property. Never on the road.

 

[Lil Foot]

Years ago I came across an accident in which a utility trailer had come unhooked from it's hitch, crossed the center lane, and hit a nice Lincoln head on.
No one hurt, thankfully.
Turns out the trailer had a 2" hitch, and the ball was 1 7/8".
I resolved then to convert everything I own to 2" to avoid a similar incident.
(dump trailer, utility trailer, small garden dump trailer, Rhino trailer, roller, log splitter, water tank sprayer trailer)

I keep a 2 5/16" & a 1 7/8" ball around somewhere, in case I have to tow someone else's stuff, but they stay well hidden.

Oh, and the guy who lost his trailer forgot to cross his chains.

 

[pgmrdan]

No, I'm saying drawbars are meant for towing heavy farm equipment with pins, NOT for installing ball hitches. Drawbars will be a lot thicker than your run-of-the-mill ball hitch receiver.

I use my 3PH draw bar if I want to tow a trailer with a ball hitch. I use my draw bar for pulling my 6 ton running gear.

I think draw bars have been around longer than ball hitches. Ball hitches are mode to their own standard just like 3PH are made...which is why 3PH QH doesn't work on all attachments.

Thank you for educating me about this! I had no idea.

 

[mcfarmall]

Another issue is tongue weight. The flat drawbar can take a tremendous amount of pulling force, but due to its structural shape, can't tolerate a high force in the vertical direction.

 

[Sidekick]

1 7/8" balls are used on lightweight trailers up to approximately 3500#. The 2" ball goes up to the 7000# trailers, and next is the 2 5/16" accommodates the heavier trailers. The shank size is also important because the heavier trailers use a larger shank to accommodate the weight. Shank sizes range from 5/8 in, 3/4 in, 1 in, and 1-1/4 in. The larger the ball size, the larger the load, the larger the vehicle is to pull the trailer.

2 inch balls are good up to 12,000 pounds with the 1 1/4 shank.

 

[mcmxi]

Another issue is tongue weight. The flat drawbar can take a tremendous amount of pulling force, but due to its structural shape, can't tolerate a high force in the vertical direction.

The drawbar on my MX is 2.25"(W) x 1.25"(H) and the drawbar on my M6060 is 2.5"(W) x 1.25"(H). Even if you use A36 mild steel with a dismal yield strength of 36,000 psi, the force that the drawbar can withstand in shear is HUGE! It's a simple calculation where the force = yield stress (lb/in^2) x cross sectional area (in^2)

The tongue weight from a trailer is never going to shear the drawbar so I see no problem pulling a trailer using a hitch ball. I have a spare drawbar for the M6060 to use with the Land Pride folding cutter, but I converted the original drawbars for the MX and M to be used with a lunette ring or any other trailer or implement interface. It's a simple case of bolting a plate to the plate on the drawbar with whatever is needed at the time. Obviously the drawbar can be flipped over to accommodate different coupler heights.

 

[NCL4701]

There’s a published drawbar tongue weight spec in the OM in the “Implement Limitations” section for my L. Suspect there is for other tractors as well. For the L4701 it’s 1430lb so it’s not an insignificant amount.

I bought an old equipment trailer in need of some TLC from my father several years back. It has a 10,000lb capacity hitch that mates to a 2” ball. I have no clue what he pulled it with but he didn’t have a 2” ball rated over 7500lb when I bought the trailer. Took me a bit of looking, but etrailer had a 12,000lb 2” ball.

Also have a 1956 single axle trailer with a 2-1/8” ball hitch. If I ever lose the 2-1/8” ball I guess I’ll have to cut the tongue off and weld a modern one on it.

Probably a good thing ball hitches have gotten a bit more standardized over yhe years.

 

[Sidekick]

My weight safe hitch uses a 12000 pound rated 2 inch ball and a clam shell cover that snaps on to make it 2 5/16