How do I evaluate a used plow?

[berrymtn]

I'm brand new to all this. I finally saved enough money to buy an old 8n tractor and (hopefully) a plow & disk for it. I've gotten a ford 8n, it's not perfect, but it runs OK and passed all the tests I criteria I could find reading on the net and in a restoring ford's book I have. I'm hoping to break 1-3 acres this year for garden, corn, animal feed and maybe a little for a deer plot.

Ideally I'd like to get a plow in the ground soon (if I get get a dry enough spell) so that I can take advantage of the freezes here in January/Feb. I think I want a 1 bottom plow or one that I can convert to 1 bottom as it's all pasture at the moment. I also think I want a trip plow if I can afford it as the soil is.. well I live next to a mountain .

Problem is, I don't really have much of a clue as to how to evaluate a plow's value. I know that getting wear parts for some of them is MUCH easier than others and to avoid obvious metal problems I can't fix. However, I don't know how to tell which ones have those easier parts and/or what else I should be looking for.

Here are a couple links to plows I might go look at soon for input or reference:
Fast Hitch 3 bottom plow and 2 pan breaking plow

Having failed at using google to find much information, I'm hoping someone here can point me to a good guide or provide some help in how I could go about figuring out a basic evaluation plan. Input on that or anything else I might want to know (like I'm completely wrong) is greatly appreciated.

-Greg

 

[ctlguy]

I may be wrong here but isn't a fast hitch the older 2 point hitch set up and doesn't the ford n series have an actual 3 point? On the older plow parts side it seems that Case ih, and John Deere imo have the better parts availability as opposed to some of the older makes, white, oliver, david brown, mf, etc. Good luck

 

[leonz]

I'm brand new to all this. I finally saved enough money to buy an old 8n tractor and (hopefully) a plow & disk for it. I've gotten a ford 8n, it's not perfect, but it runs OK and passed all the tests I criteria I could find reading on the net and in a restoring ford's book I have. I'm hoping to break 1-3 acres this year for garden, corn, animal feed and maybe a little for a deer plot.

Ideally I'd like to get a plow in the ground soon (if I get get a dry enough spell) so that I can take advantage of the freezes here in January/Feb. I think I want a 1 bottom plow or one that I can convert to 1 bottom as it's all pasture at the moment. I also think I want a trip plow if I can afford it as the soil is.. well I live next to a mountain .

Problem is, I don't really have much of a clue as to how to evaluate a plow's value. I know that getting wear parts for some of them is MUCH easier than others and to avoid obvious metal problems I can't fix. However, I don't know how to tell which ones have those easier parts and/or what else I should be looking for.

Here are a couple links to plows I might go look at soon for input or reference:
Fast Hitch 3 bottom plow and 2 pan breaking plow

Having failed at using google to find much information, I'm hoping someone here can point me to a good guide or provide some help in how I could go about figuring out a basic evaluation plan. Input on that or anything else I might want to know (like I'm completely wrong) is greatly appreciated.

-Greg

Make sure you can buy spares for the one bottom plow before you buy it and make sure it has a disc or fluted coulter to cut the sod.

If you are purchasing this plow through a dealer I would suggest that you obtain a copy of the catalog
ask your dealer to replace the plow share with the www.wiesecorp.com/ minimoldboardplowshare.com and point and the new sweep to pull the dirt over in furrow.

The Wies Conservation Tillage Mini Moldboard will create little drag on the plow and tractor and it will plow with little effort and break the hardpan to 14 inches deep which is what you want to do and break and bury the sod the first time. This way you will have a food plot that will be overgrown with deere food.

As long as you break the hardpan the seeds will root quicker and deeper and faster.

 

[sweettractors]

I'm brand new to all this. I finally saved enough money to buy an old 8n tractor and (hopefully) a plow & disk for it. I've gotten a ford 8n, it's not perfect, but it runs OK and passed all the tests I criteria I could find reading on the net and in a restoring ford's book I have. I'm hoping to break 1-3 acres this year for garden, corn, animal feed and maybe a little for a deer plot.

Ideally I'd like to get a plow in the ground soon (if I get get a dry enough spell) so that I can take advantage of the freezes here in January/Feb. I think I want a 1 bottom plow or one that I can convert to 1 bottom as it's all pasture at the moment. I also think I want a trip plow if I can afford it as the soil is.. well I live next to a mountain .

Problem is, I don't really have much of a clue as to how to evaluate a plow's value. I know that getting wear parts for some of them is MUCH easier than others and to avoid obvious metal problems I can't fix. However, I don't know how to tell which ones have those easier parts and/or what else I should be looking for.

Here are a couple links to plows I might go look at soon for input or reference:
Fast Hitch 3 bottom plow and 2 pan breaking plow

Having failed at using google to find much information, I'm hoping someone here can point me to a good guide or provide some help in how I could go about figuring out a basic evaluation plan. Input on that or anything else I might want to know (like I'm completely wrong) is greatly appreciated.

-Greg

The plow that was sold with that tractor usually was a 2-12 Dearborn and then later a Ford 2-12 (both with solid beam). To get trip beams you will need to go newer to the Ford 101 series or Oliver 2-12 plows also pull easy. I am showing a 2-12 Dearborn with solid beams and a 2-12 Oliver with trip beams. Ken Sweet

 

[berrymtn]

I may be wrong here but isn't a fast hitch the older 2 point hitch set up and doesn't the ford n series have an actual 3 point?

Yes, the 8n has a real 3 point and pto despite it's age. They aren't as easy to use as the newfangled live PTOs and separate hydraulic pumps though :laughing:. It's rated as a two bottom plow tractor, but could only pull a single 16" when it was new. With 60 years of wear I doubt it's quite as strong as it once was so I''m thinking a single 12 or 14 might be best.

I've been looking at a few ford 101 plows in the past week, mostly because I'm pretty sure I can get parts for it easily. Unfortunately, they are all a fair drive from here so I'm looking at alternatives. I'll look around for ones you guys mentioned as well.

There are a lot more shear plows around here than trip (and the trips tend to be more money). I've been looking for a trip because I think I need it, but I could be wrong. Is there a good way to tell other than just getting one and trying it?
FWIW, my subsoiler will stop the tractor (it runs out of traction) before the shear bolt breaks.

 

[sweettractors]

Yes, the 8n has a real 3 point and pto despite it's age. They aren't as easy to use as the newfangled live PTOs and separate hydraulic pumps though :laughing:. It's rated as a two bottom plow tractor, but could only pull a single 16" when it was new. With 60 years of wear I doubt it's quite as strong as it once was so I''m thinking a single 12 or 14 might be best.

I've been looking at a few ford 101 plows in the past week, mostly because I'm pretty sure I can get parts for it easily. Unfortunately, they are all a fair drive from here so I'm looking at alternatives. I'll look around for ones you guys mentioned as well.

There are a lot more shear plows around here than trip (and the trips tend to be more money). I've been looking for a trip because I think I need it, but I could be wrong. Is there a good way to tell other than just getting one and trying it?
FWIW, my subsoiler will stop the tractor (it runs out of traction) before the shear bolt breaks.

We have a Nice used Ford 101 2-12 with shearpin and coulters for $695 and a Ford 2-12 tripbeam with no coulters for $495. Ken Sweet

 

[berrymtn]

We have a Nice used Ford 101 2-12 with shearpin and coulters for $695 and a Ford 2-12 tripbeam with no coulters for $495. Ken Sweet

Yah, I was looking at your stock and wishing you were closer. I'll PM you to see what shipping might be like.

 

[Jeff Lary]

My very best advice is look at the brand then call local equiptment dealers and see if you can getparts if needed like point's, land sides, frogs ect. I just bought a ford Dearborn 2 bottom last spring long story short just cause it said Ford it is not a given that parts are readily availabe. These are not . I did by spending probably 10 hours on the phone and numerous trips to dealers got all the parts needed. Now it is pretty much it is in new factory cond now.I did buy duplicate parts for all so i will never need more.
I did have a blast replacing everything i have all the torches welders and tools needed. That said if i did not,.... well i would have ate a 12 ga by now. Good luck and do a little research you can buy a new 1 bottom for about $350.00 up here and in other places much cheeper.The high price of scrap a few years did a lot of harm to tinkerers like me.People took a lot of awful good stuff to the yard.

 

[sweettractors]

FWIW, All the used plows that we sell, we also stock all wear parts for them. No matter the brand. Ken Sweet

 

[Chilly807]

Ideally you want to plow no more than 6-8 inches deep at most. The idea is to turn over the sod without running out of topsoil. As soon as you get below the topsoil you start mixing the poor soil below it into the good stuff, and lose the quality you had originally.

I'm not sure how much HP the 8N has, but a 2 bottom plow makes a lot shorter day than a single if the tractor will handle it. If you have anywhere close to 30 hp a 2-12 shouldn't be an issue as Ken mentioned. My 3400 Kubota (35 hp) will pull a 2-12 MF #62 plow through decent ground almost at an idle.

Mine was a little bit rough when I got it, a few hours with the welder fixed most of that. Look at the lower rear edge of the moldboards, they shouldn't be a knife edge (mine were). I had to weld a new strip of steel along both edges and grind it smooth after. Judging how much is left of the points is a matter of experience.

Coulters are a good idea if you're plowing pasture, the sod needs to be cut to turn well in my opinion. They should turn, although that can be fixed too.
Adjusters should move, not be frozen with rust.

Sean