WD45 drawbar tight or loose?
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22965
Printed Date: 18 Feb 2025 at 7:26pm
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Topic: WD45 drawbar tight or loose?
Posted By: AaronH
Subject: WD45 drawbar tight or loose?
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 9:16am
| Just got to wondering... is it supposed to be loose, slide easily front to back in the bail, or is it supposed to be tightened right down? Dad always left this one kinda loose, and when ya stepped on the drawbar to get on the tractor you could hear it clank in the snap coupler bell.How do you guys run yours? thanks. |
Replies:
Posted By: Ky.Allis
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 9:51am
| My dad always left it loose. I would tighten it up-He would loosen it. With it loose on the D-17,it would let our fold-up hay tedder flop back and forth when it was in transport because it was almost balanced on drawbar. Dad died 3 years ago and now it stays tightened up in a rigid position all the time. I think it works much better this way. |
Posted By: DLS
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 10:01am
| Should be left loose. If you tighten it down you are stressing the bail and the brackets on the bottom of the axle. Runnning with it tight is why you see so many bails that have been broke and welded. |
Posted By: JayIN
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 10:15am
|
Loose! That clanking noise is how I know Im on a 45! The sound is copyrighted too! ALLIS MUSIC !!!!!!!! ------------- sometimes I walk out to my shop and look around and think "Who's the idiot that owns this place?" |
Posted By: DSeries4
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 11:34am
|
I agree with loose. This way, the pull is coming from the snap coupler unit, and not the bail (when it gets tightened down). The bail was designed to hold up the drawbar - it is not a pulling point. ------------- '49 G, '54 WD45, '55 CA, '56 WD45D, '57 WD45, '58 D14, '59 D14, '60 D14, '61 D15D, '66 D15II, '66 D21II, '67 D17IV, '67 D17IVD, '67 190XTD, '73 620, '76 185, '77 175, '84 8030, '85 6080 |
Posted By: John (C-IL)
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 12:29pm
| I vote for loose also, it is much easier to install the drawbar if the drawbar is loose on the bail. It also makes it easier to adjust the drawbar height. |
Posted By: acwdwcman
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 12:57pm
|
loose is how we have ours ------------- wd with a freeman model 90 trip loader, wd45, 38 unstylled wc, b 10 garden tractor and 2-14 ac trip plow. grandpa has a 56 wd45. wd. allis chalmers snap coupler blade and 3 bottom snap coupler plow |
Posted By: Dale Hardtke
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 1:04pm
| If it is not loose on the bail the traction booster will not work properly. |
Posted By: Don Smith
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 2:06pm
| lOOSE |
Posted By: Steve M C/IL
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 2:38pm
| Some one find an old operators manual!Ours have been tight since ownership.Push bail fwd and pull bar back to get the play out and tighten up.The bail on dad's Wd(bought new in 49) was broke before the snap coulpler was installed around 70.My 56 WD45 has not been broken(bail) and I've had it since 80. Both are working tractors. |
Posted By: mlpankey
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 2:47pm
|
loose if pulling implements . If tractor pulling lock it down tight. ------------- people if they don't already know it you can't tell them. quote yogi berra |
Posted By: Eldon (WA)
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 2:49pm
|
We always had ours loose and used old bolts to keep it from swinging, but also let it swing when pulling a chisel often. I don't remember it ever being clamped down. Bails never broken, but they were diesels and I think a lot of broken bails were from the snap of the gas engine. ------------- ALLIS EXPRESS! This year: |
Posted By: JoeO(CMO)
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 2:50pm
|
I agree with Steve, we ran it pulled to the rear and biased down, then tightened. This makes for a quieter tractor, kept slapping of the gear shift lever to a minimum. The whole drawbar assembly lasts longer when the sloppiness is removed, this makes the next owner pleased by the manor in which you took care of it. How does one determine if something is going wrong when you hear the SC release lever slapping the gear shift lever when you should be looking further. ------------- |
Posted By: mlpankey
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 2:55pm
|
I dont have a wd45 operators manual. I do have one for a d14 . It has to do with the load but wants it to be able to slide side to side and be as low as possible with heavy loaded wagons or such. ------------- people if they don't already know it you can't tell them. quote yogi berra |
Posted By: RSponenberg
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 3:23pm
| They are all run loose around here!!!! There are alot of WD's,WD45's and D series around here in PA. |
Posted By: wd4ever
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 3:32pm
|
We always had them loose and mine is loose to this day. I have not seen any undue wear at all. When we bought the WD the AC dealer set it up loose and stated it should be that way. Lots of water over the dam since then and never broke anything.
I have all the manuals, operating, shop, maint and parts. Don't see anything in any about the subject discussed. Lots about setting up power lift, traction control etc. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: Ky.Allis
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 5:50pm
| I just don't agree with leaving it loose. all that flopping around means wear on attachment points. When you hook something to the hitch on your truck, you don't want the bumper or hitch flopping around do you? So there you go. Tighten it up and you will be fine. |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 6:14pm
|
Mine is snug cause I robbed the like new drawbar off my 51 WD. It is still loose enough to slid back under load and operate the TB. If I disc with a wheel disc I want the TB to work under load so I can snitch a little if I get in too deep or have trouble pulling up a sandy knob. If it was tight, the TB would not be able to operate.
------------- http://www.ae-ta.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.ae-ta.com Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF |
Posted By: Dans 7080
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 6:23pm
|
Dads has been loose for over 35 years. I always remember the "clank" of it everytime i get on it. My 45 is loose but I have the front end pulled up tight for drawbar height for tractor pulling only. If im using the tractor for any farm work it stays loose. I do not own a tractor with a drawbar that is tight, all of them have play in them. If you go to the dealer and look at a new tractor, I'll guarantee the drawbar will have play in it. It things cant flex or move a little bit they will break. |
Posted By: Matt (NEIA)
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 8:30pm
|
mine is loose ------------- 1955 WD-45 with factory PS |
Posted By: Steve M C/IL
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2010 at 11:39pm
| I ran mine loose when pulling a 4-14 drag plow with a hyd lift.Could get some TB lift cheat in tough spots |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2010 at 6:05am
|
Our WDs and D series have always been loose. As I have witnessed on my uncles tractor the bail breaks when a pin falls out and this is because he used a bent nail to hold it in instead of the correct hair pin. That said on the 190 I have tightened it as tight as I can get it or the chisel plow jumps from side to side when in hard ground but that still doesn't quite stop the jumping. That ground was hard this year and I suspect it will be next year too because too much snow doesn't let the ground go through any freeze/thaw cycles. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Gary in Texas
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2010 at 8:27am
|
Hope you can read this, but it looks like both answers are correct, per the operators instruction manual for the WD.
 |
Posted By: Steve M C/IL
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2010 at 8:45am
| "When drawbar control is not used keep drawbar clamps tightened to eliminate wear on drawbar and keep universal joints in alignment." I have been vindicated!! |
Posted By: Rfdeere
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2010 at 9:15am
|
That's a pin hitch, not Snap Coupler. ------------- Randy Freshour,Member Indiana AC Partners, http://www.rumelyallis.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rumelyallis.com |
Posted By: wd4ever
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2010 at 11:54am
|
We kept the pin hitch loose also on the early 1948 WD, before the snap coupler. I guess it is simply to each his own.Worked a dairy with 200 acres under till with a WD and a JD H model so the WD saw plenty of hours. Never found any extra wear from being loose front to back. Side to side we kept it centered with a couple of bolts through the holes but it was not tight. When you work with tilling equipment which is not mounted you need the draw bar to swing side to side to get decent sharp turns. In 1948 we still had a lot of converted horse drawn tilling equipment, not mounted. Remember the WD's never came with three points like we have today. Today I work the WD with snap coupler items. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: Don(MO)
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2010 at 7:01pm
Here you go. This is out of my WD45 book.
------------- 3 WD45's with power steering,G,D15 fork lift,D19, W-Speed Patrol, "A" Gleaner with a 330 corn head,"66" combine,roto-baler, and lots of Snap Coupler implements to make them work for their keep. |