  Barium (Ba) dwarfs and CH subgiants are the less-evolved analogues of Ba and
CH giants. They are F- to G-type main-sequence stars polluted with heavy
elements by a binary companion when the latter was on the Asymptotic Giant
Branch (AGB). This companion is now a white dwarf that in most cases cannot be
directly detected. We present a large systematic study of 60 objects classified
as Ba dwarfs or CH subgiants. Combining radial-velocity measurements from
HERMES and SALT high-resolution spectra with radial-velocity data from CORAVEL
and CORALIE, we determine the orbital parameters of 27 systems. We also derive
their masses by comparing their location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
with evolutionary models. We confirm that Ba dwarfs and CH subgiants are not at
different evolutionary stages and have similar metallicities, despite their
different names. Additionally, Ba giants appear significantly more massive than
their main-sequence analogues. This is likely due to observational biases
against the detection of hotter main-sequence post-mass-transfer objects.
Combining our spectroscopic orbits with the Hipparcos astrometric data, we
derive the orbital inclinations and the mass of the WD companion for four
systems. Since this cannot be done for all systems in our sample yet (but
should be with upcoming Gaia data releases), we also analyse the mass-function
distribution of our binaries. We can model this distribution with very narrow
mass distributions for the two components and random orbital orientation on the
sky. Finally, based on BINSTAR evolutionary models, we suggest that the orbital
evolution of low-mass Ba systems can be affected by a second phase of
interaction along the Red Giant Branch of the Ba star, impacting on the
eccentricities and periods of the giants.
