Hitch height help or hurt

I'm having trouble keeping my front end down on hard tracks and I'm maxed out on weight. Would it be worth it to lower my hitch a inch or two?

I assume first of all your hitch is as short as possible? Can you move any weight to the front or stretch your front bracket out to 11 feet? After this you can lower your hitch but try 1/2 inch at a time. It will be hard for you to beat someone with full height - they are lifting the pan more than you.

I agree with north puller in that you should not compromise hitch height by any means. With your hitch as short as the rules allow, you will need the least amount of weight to counter balance it. Your best bet will be to get some weight further forward. Lighter, simpler weight brackets maybe, set a little further forward off the nose? Otherwise, might be time to look for ways to save some weight - lighter battery, less fuel, less oil in transmission, pto removed, material cut out of wheels, etc.

Is this for your 101 at 3500lbs?

Zack

No matter what you read on this forum you never want to give up height or keeping the hitch at the minimum length allowed. One thing that the previous poster said that is not said much is that you are trying to carry the pan as long as possible, the longer the drawbar the less leverage you have on the pan and the easier the pan will overcome the front weight. I believe you will find out that the shorter drawbar will require close to the same amount of weight to balance the tractor because of the increase in draft on the rear of the tractor. I have heard the physics argument but never have had anyone extend it to the tractor carrying the sled relationship, thats a whole other dynamic, but let to each his own as you are pulling against them. mEl

No Matter what you read on this forum you never want to say never! I know guys who are on top of their game who have gone waaaaaaay beyond taking everything that is not needed off their tractors, and have balance problems in their lightest class. One guy is a little heavy on the front so he pulls his draw bar out in order to get more draft and thus more traction. Another guy is too light in the front so after he pulls his draw bar in to the shortest allowed he drops his hitch a little and gets a few more feet than with his front way in the air.

Zack

This is for the 4000lb class. I was thinking of lowering the hitch and if I achieve good balance and what I mean by that is the front end is bobing at the end of the end of the pull. So will the end result be the same if I keep the hitch at 20in and adding 300lb or moving the hitch to 18 with one weight?

You're hunch is correct. The end result will be the same whether you keep the hitch out at 20in and add 300lbs or move it in to 18in and add less weight up front. If the end condition is the same (front tires bobbing), the loading on the rear wheels is the same. It's simply a balancing act. The advantage of the shorter hitch length is that it doesn't take as much weight up front to counter balance. Since you're having trouble keeping the front end down, moving the hitch in 2" and keeping the 300lbs up front just may solve your problem. Shorter hitches tend to pop wheelies faster when they occur, and this is another reason why the length of hitch is restricted by rules. Some pulls in our area allow a 12" long hitch. It works well, but when your front end comes up, it comes up fast and you have to be on the controls quickly. Most places have moved to the 18" rule.

I have to agree with Showcrop also. If a tractor is front heavy in the lightest class it pulls in, the hitch could be moved out a little to get the proper balance. I had better luck with a bit longer hitch on my Allis CA, simply because it seemed a little nose heavy with its wide front end.

I've also heard of lowering the hitch a little to keep the front end down, but it's sort of a gamble that depends a lot on track conditions. Sometimes it only takes a few more inches to win though! I would think this technique would work better with a little bit faster ground speed on a hard track. If so, your 101 would be in good shape with its faster gearing.

I would try to get it done first by moving the hitch in to 18" and putting all weight up front. If that doesn't keep the front end down then play with the hitch height after that in small increments.

Zack

As previously stated. Keep the hitch at max legal height and find some way to shorten the drawbar.

I'm maxed out on each direction. 18in from the center of axel and 20in for height.

Tell us more about your tractor. 4000 lb class. Do you have any weight on tractor at all? If its not all at the front then get it there. How far forward is your front bracket? Maybe move it out farther forward. Can you strip any weight off (fenders etc) for extra front end weight? Dropping your hitch will stop the front end from coming up but this should be your last resort. It might help but it may also hurt. Guess you have to try to find out.

North

I have a 41 super 101. I have fenders, foot boards and PTO removed. My steel front weight bracket is at 11ft. I can add 120lbs to the front but is not enough. What I plan on doing is moving my battery to the front. Making aluminum brackets and radiator. Also I have access to a CNC to make light hubs.

Well untill you are able to get more weight up front, you can try a lower hitch. A half inch should make a noticeable difference. You will likely do better but the situation is not ideal. Good luck.

Are you running cast rear wheels? Is that why you mention making light hubs? I thought these tractors weighed around 3600lbs with cast centers.

Zack

The beauty of tractor pulling. Every track is different. I would leave the drawbar at 20 and maybe run a smaller tire if your at max weight already? Hope things get figured out. Good Luck