WD45 drawbar tight or loose?

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. 

Loose! That clanking noise is how I know Im on a 45! The sound is copyrighted too! ALLIS MUSIC !!!!!!!!

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.

If it is not loose on the bail the traction booster will not work properly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

mine is loose

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.

"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!!

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.