Need a lift.

[Harold R]

I'm trying to hook up a Poplarville disc to my '74. It attaches well to the drawbar, but I'm having trouble lifting it with the touch control. The set-up in the photo has proved no good. Seems I'm losing leverage. I need a better way to lift this disc. I'm switching to the rockshaft with the single arm in the center, but not sure where to hook the chains to the disc for best leverage. My guess is that the disc weighs 350 to 400#...so I'm right at the max. Take a look at the pic......I'm open to suggestions and ideas.

[evielboweviel]

a fast hitch helper spring setup would make your troubles go away
Ron

[allenlook]

Is the drawbar set to swing in that configuration, or do the discs rotate around the drawbar somehow? I'm wondering how you could get better leverage but I can't tell what the pivot point is...

If you're at the hairy edge of the limit, it might prove impossible to lift once (or if) the discs get loaded up with dirt and mud. Not being able to get the discs out of the ground would suck

[allenlook]

Hmmmm, barring any way to increase lifting power (I see you don't even have your weights on the discs yet - is that what the weights in the background are for?) best I can say after some more noodling is that the further out your chains are, the better leverage you will have.

[Bigdog]

HR - It appears that the hitch on your disk has been modified somewhat. The original Poplarville hitch attached to a point ahead of the drawbar and the drawbar was un-pinned so it could pivot. This puts the fulcrum well ahead of where yours is and that will make a difference on how it lifts. I think I have pictures somewhere. I'll try to find them. One thing is that when properly attached, there is very little clearance between the front edge of the disk and the rear tires.

[Harold R]

I don't think it's going to need any weights. It is heavy, but it seems to be within range of the touch control. With the lever all the way forward, I can walk behind the tractor and with one hand, pick the implement up about 10" off the ground, and from that point, the TC system will hold it there. It seems with the set up in the picture, it pulls against the tractor as well as trying to lift it. I have a helper spring, not sure where it goes though.

[Harold R]

Allen, it has a u-shaped receiver that straddles the drawbar. But, that may not be the correct way to hook it up.

[Dan Robertson]

I am not familiar with the Poplarville disc, but I see three potential problems with your setup.
1. You still have a belly mower installed. Are you trying to lift it at the same time as the disc , or do you have it chained in the up position and off the hydraulics ?
2. The disc seems to be an excessive distance behind the rear tires. I recommend removing the belly mower, then keeping the rear drawbar in it's rear facing position, but moving it to the forward mounting holes in the final drive housings (the ones where the mower is now attached). This would move the disc closer to the rear tires, and allow you to shorten, or reposition the lift chains for optimum lift .
3. Moving the lift chains to the hole closer to the fulcrum of the lift arms will shorten the total lift height, but add a bunch to the lifting ability of the hydraulics.
Hope some, or all of these ideas might help.
I have a guaranteed solution to lift the disc, or the front of the tractor, but it is not cheap.

[Harold R]

Yeah, another hydraulic system would make this a non issue, but not in the cards for now. The mower is chained off the hydraulics, but like you said, may need to come off completely to move the drawbar up. I hadn't thought of that.

[Lurker Carl]

Hard to judge with your picture, but the pivot point for the disks looks to be too high. The angle of your lift chains and the pivot point are too close to being in the same plane. Instead of lifting, it's trying to pull the disks closer to the tractor.

[George Willer]

Harold,

I THINK this drawbar attachment was originally made specifically for the Poplarville disk. It moved the hitch point considerably forward. I found another way to use it.

[WKPoor]

I think I see the problem. I had the same issue with the worksaver 3pt. The crank need to be extended for additional leverage. I too added the fast hitch spring at first and it didn't help hardly at all. The best thing is to add another couple of inches to the crank so it has more leverage.

[George Willer]

I think I see the problem. I had the same issue with the worksaver 3pt. The crank need to be extended for additional leverage. I too added the fast hitch spring at first and it didn't help hardly at all. The best thing is to add another couple of inches to the crank so it has more leverage.

That's something to consider, Bill, but lengthening the crank would REDUCE the lifting power. That's just how it works. Lengthening would increase the load's advantage over the available power. Shortening COULD help, if it didn't worsen the angle of the chains. The answer is to move the load closer to the lifting point, which would lessen it.

[Rudi]

Harold, George and all:

I readily admit that I am still a neophyte at this stuff... but I do read, I do listen and I do look diligently at all kinds of phot's...

Yes the Poplarville disc is different, and I imagine that the drawbar setup that George has is probably the way to go..

BUT.. and guys, this is more of a question than a suggestion, as I am in the process (once the 2 - 3 inches of snow that fell this morning goes away ) of mounting an old modified Horse Drawn Disc Harrow to Ellie.

How about inverting the drawbar.. much the same way that we do when using the Cub-193 Moldboard Plow.

That would bring the hitch point forward, bring the discs closer to the back wheels, increase the likelyhood of the harrow lifting and the drawbar will piviot on the pins if not bolted into place.....

After much thought, I think that is how I am going to have to lift my harrow... and I am going to use the single point lift rod as Harold has indicated he may try next.....

Yust a thought....

[WKPoor]

George, I think we are not on the same page. lengthing the lever that the rod attaches to has to increase its ability to pull. Just like lengthing a wrench allows you to exert more torque. I did this on my Cub and dramatically helped. I guess we need a picture here.