How to tell if your D21 runs good
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
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=121687
Printed Date: 25 Aug 2025 at 2:38pm
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Topic: How to tell if your D21 runs good
Posted By: CALEBnOK
Subject: How to tell if your D21 runs good
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 2:59pm
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Second time to break this drawbar. And it's not the original. It broke in a different spot as the first time we weld rod across the break. I've stated before the ground is so hard here 5-16 semimount is all she'll handle. My dad was pulling the Miller offset disc when this happened.   
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Replies:
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 3:07pm
| Hey! That's the one you let me drive! Sorry that your drawbars keep breaking, but that's a real show of power!! |
Posted By: LeonR2013
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 5:59pm
| Tell me, which rod are you using, and are you preheating the draw bar before you weld? There's no doubt she's a horse, but there has to be a way to make it hold together. A bar that big is awfully easy to crystallize even partially and you know how that creates a problem. So my suggestion is this: If you have access to a forge or if you don't, use charcoal, and heat that bar all the way thru. until a good cherry red, pull it out and let it cool. Don't lay it on something that will draw the heat out too fast, that's for later. While still hot enough to where you can just barely work around it, weld it up. Of course you've already prepared the bar ahead of time to weld. After welding(boy does it weld good) let cool. When cool, warm is good enough, get your fire going again and heat until a good straw color, don't get anxious now. Test with a magnet and when it won't stick it's ready to quench. Have a trough or something ready.Half a hot water tank will work. In your trough have it filled with peanut oil so that it covers the draw bar real good. Remember you've got a lot of heat to move out of that bar. This ain't going to take just a little bit $$ and will get in your pocket some.If your heater tank is cleaned and washed, which it should be ahead of time, you can save the oil and rejug it and use it later to fry fish in. All germs are dead! You might want to strain it however. Yum. Leave the bar in the oil for say 20 seconds. Remember this a big bar so it takes longer to quench than say a custom knife. With regular quenching oil like Parks it takes about 8 t0 10 seconds to quench a knife. If you were to use Parks it would prolly take a thousand dollars worth. Peanut oil ain't bad to quench in. I've made some good knives using it. OK now the next step. Oh, I just thought, the oil may want to light up so be careful. Try not to slop the oil around as much as possible. You might have a old worn out blanket handy soaked in water to throw over the flames if you'd like. Just a little precaution. Not trying to scare you. Make sure someone is there who doesn't get all excited, to watch your timer. OK, let's try to finish this thing. After taking the bar out of quench, just let it cool until you can handle it easily. Make SURE wife is gone for the day. Check your oven to see if the bar will fit inside someway. Brace the inside if you have to. Remember leave no evidence. Preheat your oven to 425-450 degrees. Put the bar in and leave for I'd say 3hrs. Take it out and let'er cool out. After a little while it's safe to finish cooling with a water hose. Now if this bar was fileable with a new file it's going to be harder, but it's also going to be tougher. If you have any questions you can contact me here and I'll get back to you. P.S. After you get the draw bar out of the oven, whip up a double batch of brownies and have'em ready when the good wife gets home. She'll be surprised and they mask any lingering smell. If you have a daughter that you trust to keep mum (hard to find) have her fix the brownies so wife won't wonder what you've been up to. LOL |
Posted By: LeonR2013
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 6:19pm
| I forgot to tell you to contact a welding rod company if you haven't already and tell them what you have and what you're doing and have them suggest a rod to use. It would be best to call the manufacturer so you won't be talking to some counter jockey. Not their fault, just takes time to learn some of these things. If you've already bought another bar don't throw the old one away. Use it to practice on and have it on hand if the new one breaks. Leon R Cmo. Sorry, forgot to put my posting name on the other post. In fact if anyone has any questions feel free to contact me. I have a ulterior motive for this. Somebody might leave me their D21 in their will. LOL |
Posted By: CALEBnOK
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 7:24pm
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Our welding wasn't the issue, it broke in a new section. What I meant by rod is 1/2" rods were layer down the sides of the drawbar where it originally broke across a hole. This time it broke up at the first bend about 10" ahead of old break. It was welded the first time probably 10 years ago. I've used the ways you described before. We've got stick, tig, mig, torches, plasma cuttern a coal forge, and a propane forge, stacks of fire brick. We do a lot of cast iron welding and that can get tricky. Welding some things takes hours of bringing heat down slow and finally burying it in kitty litter to drawn it down cool over night. Ohh and he's running right now on the original draw bar that broke probably 15 years ago! We have more than 1 D21 in the family. 6 if you count a couple carcasses. 
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Posted By: LeonR2013
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 7:47pm
| I was just thinking, why don't you build your own? Sounds like a way to stop any breaking in the future. I know for a fact that there are steels out there that you couldn't break with two D21's. I got the impression that you had a ongoing problem with them, but apparently not. Funny how the fatigue traveled that far from the weld. Oh well, save the gear. LOL Leon R Cmo |
Posted By: JPG AUSTRALIA
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 7:48pm
| guess you know this but it looks like it was already cracked for some time before it broke,looking at the rust mark on the new break, |
Posted By: Acdiesel
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 7:54pm
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yes, it looks like it was only alittle over half way held together. seeing the fresh break from the rusted area.
------------- D19 Diesel,D17 Diesel SER.3 2-D14, 2-D15 SER.II WF/NF D15 SER.2 DIESEL D12 SER.I, D10 Ser.II 2-720'S D21 Ser. II Gmc,caterpillar I'm a pharmacist (farm assist) with a PHD (post hole digger) |
Posted By: CALEBnOK
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 8:37pm
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It wasn't rusty but oily from the hydraulic couplers leaking on to it. It has been starting to break for some time. My dad said he turning around with the offset out of the ground and when he set it back in the ground the draw swung to the side after it started pulling and the tractor took off. Several tractors in the area have broken drawbar before. Neighbors 9170 CIH 4x4 has broken 2 of them. |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 10:52pm
| I got a greene one out of the "yard" (5020?) and it is clamped on top of the bail then dips down a little.Drilled new pull hole up front.On a 220. Ya'll like them swinging drawbars? Sill have the roller but.... |
Posted By: SHAMELESS
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2016 at 11:06pm
| I saw a drawbar ona 7060 bent upwards about 5 inches once, I asked the dude how he bent it like that and he didn't know, but he hooked onto the pulling sled with it like that and it didn't bend it back down! whew! and them is thicker than yers! |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2016 at 7:17am
| 7010's and bigger were a big thick drawbar, but weren't all that hard. Many have been bent upwards by using a big round bale mover and not sliding the drawbar in out of the way. Lift the bale up and the mover catches the drawbar and bends it up. If it was really hard, it wouldn't have allowed you to straighten it. Seen this happen dozens of times. |
Posted By: CALEBnOK
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2016 at 1:10pm
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I pretty sure what caused the break was the fact that you run the offset with the drawbar free swinging. Every once in awhile you'll here it bang against the drawbar supports. We tried running with it fixed but it just causes the tractor run sideways. The first time the draw bar broke across the hole about the middle of the straight part. This is where the original drawbar out of this tractor broke also. We think both were caused by the Krause chisel not having the hitch adjusted properly. We never could make it pull properly and realized the tongue had been broken and fixed crooked (bent upward). You couldn't get the hitch adjusted to pull in a straight level plane with the tractor. |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2016 at 5:12pm
| Sounds like it is time to find a new used one and put it behind that big old horse. |