How do I adjust the depth of this plow?

[Domush]

I'm trying to dig a trench from my house to my garage in order to run power. The trench must be 18" (code), but I can only get this plow to go 7" deep. Is there a way to adjust the deptch of this thing? I don't have access to any other useful attachment, so this will have to do, if possible.

Here is the plow:


Note this is a two row plow, but I removed one row in the hopes it would be easier on my tractor and make less of a mess, as I just need one row dug.




The trench is about 130' long, so digging by hand in clay which has never been disturbed doesn't sound fun.. at all.


7 inches is the most I've gotten it to dig so far.

Is there some adjustment I can make to this thing to coax it to really dig deep? My tractor has been pulling it pretty easily, so I'm not worried about depth bogging it down.

Any ideas?

[ozley]

Try making the top link longer.

[heviduty]

Not a farmer, but I have used a plow a time or two. I may be wrong, but I shorten the top link to go deeper and lengthen it to go shallower.

[Domush]

Hmm, it is as short as it goes, though I have a long top link to begin with (it is a repurposed 3-pt arm link). I guess it's time to make a new top link.

[ozley]

Not a farmer, but I have used a plow a time or two. I may be wrong, but I shorten the top link to go deeper and lengthen it to go shallower.

Yes I was backwards. I been know to talk that way too.

[eray1066]

Wrong tool for the job. Rent a ditcher either self powered or 3ph. If your time and back are worth anything to you, it makes lots of sense to do the job right, quickly, and with the least effort.

[sweettractors]

Shorten top link. Make sure the tractor lift arms are not holding you out of the ground. Add weight to the plow. Ken Sweet

[gwdixon]

In general, eray1066 has the answer - to rent a trencher.

However, if you must use the plow then get rid of the coultler and take off the rear wheel.

It looks like you want to sink the plow to the frame but the amount the 3PH will lower will be the real limiting factor.

My guess is that undisturbed clay plowed 18" deep will grind the tractor to a halt. Maybe several passes would work but in the end a lot of the expelled dirt/clay will fall back in the trench and require much shovel work.

Back to the trencher, it will do the job in no time and the results will be perfect for what you are doing.

[deere5105]

Wrong tool for the job. Rent a ditcher either self powered or 3ph. If your time and back are worth anything to you, it makes lots of sense to do the job right, quickly, and with the least effort.

Second the wrong tool for this project.

[MHarryE]

I know my 2 plows I have for my Kubota will not go down 18" no matter what I do. The 3 point limits travel. With the links down if I lengthen the top link the plow will not dig in - the back of the share hits first. If I shorten the top link the point of the share will dig in but the 3 point main links will limit downward travel. Have seen several outfits on TBN that operators have made using single point rippers to open the soil and conduit fastened to the ripper to guide the wire down to the bottom. I have used my single bottom plow to go deeper making a ditch but with multiple passes pushing the dirt out so I ended up at least 18" deep, but sloped down over a 10 foot width.