The OEM hitch on the Challenger 75 slid on metal to metal when the drawbar was allowed to swing. The original Challengers needed the swinging drawbar to turn under load. I fabricated rollers for the drawbar. I used piston wrist pins from a JD 830 diesel tractor for the rollers.
The rollers allowed the drawbar to swing more freely so I fabricated rubber bumpers to cushion the blow of the drawbar as it reached the limits of it's swing. The rubber was cut from the center rib of an old 11.00 X 20 tri-rib front tractor tire. The tire started life on my Allis D-21.
A rear view of the hitch and bumpers.
A close-up of the completed hitch.
Angle view of the hitch and bumper
When I decided to begin using the Challenger to pull a grain trailer, I realized that I would need a pintle hitch for the drawbar on the tractor. This is the bracket I made to bolt to the drawbar. It is held on the tractor with two 1.5" grade-8 bolts. The pintle is bolted to the bracket with four .75" grade-8 bolts. The picture shows the tools used to make the holes. The hole-saw is a cheap one I picked up at the local hardware store. I used my slow speed drill press and the cooling gun to drill the holes in the bracket. No oil was used and the cutting tools were cool to the touch after the holes were drilled.
The pintle hitch attached to the drawbar.
Another view of the pintle hitch on the Challenger 75.
