JD 5520 and number of plow bottoms

[sixdogs]

I have a JD 5520 FWD and wonder how many bottoms I can pull. I have the option of either a three or four bottom JD145 semi-mounted plow available to me for purchase.
My JD is 75 or so HP with 18.4-30 and 12.4-24 radials. I have four rear wheel weights total, a 285 lb front starter weight and nine 100 lb front weights. Total maybe 8300 lbs. I can pull an 8 ft (8 shank JD 100) chisel plow in tilled ground if I don't go too deep and use draft control.
My soil is Kokomo black clay and I want to plow dead alfalfa stubble next summer.

I have pulled Kvereland three bottom plows (pull easy) before on grass and did just fine but I ave heard JDs pull harder. Just hoping someone might know. Thanks.

[art]

I don't know why you would want to moldboard anything do to the compaction but your choice of money.

You should be able to pull the four with out difficulty. The types of bottoms on the plow is most often what makes them pull hard.

[sixdogs]

It's heavy alfalfa stubble going back to grains and this is a good way to do it around here. I don't even own a plow so want to buy the right one
You have gravel soils around where you live?.

[JasG]

I would not compair Kverneland to JD, I have never used the Kverneland, but I have some friends who have. I have pulled JD 4 btm and in clay they seemed to pull very hard. Another friend of mine had a set of 4 btm deere's that we used for years in a high clay soil. 5 years ago we switched to a Ford plow (Ford, Oliver, White all made by same OEM) and boy what a difference. Same width plows and I can pull the next higher gear easy. From what I have been told the Kverneland pull very similar to the old oliver plows. This person who has told me this has had Deere, White and now Kverneland.
I have used 4 different sets of JD and they all seemed to pull hard. Very good rugged plows, just pull hard. IH pulled easier, but seemed to break a lot, but I only have 1 set to go by. By far I have had the best results with the Oliver type plows. I would say 75 HP is too small for a 4 btm Deere, I know one of the tractors I used was a 85 HP 4wd and it had all it could do in the clay around here.

[sixdogs]

Thank you. Yes, the Oliver-White and Ford 151 are great plows and pull easy. The Kverneland pulls even easier and you can pull an extra bottom because of the long moldboard. In fact, the fancy new JD plows use the Kverneland bottom.
I know the JD pulls hard and I think I'm stuck with three bottoms. This is a one-time only plowing event and after the stubble is gone i am going to re-sell the plow.
I used to have a Kverneland--which is the Cadillac of plows--but had little need for it. It was such a work of art and did such a perfect job I wish I could have kept it. Almost all of the plowing championships in Britian are wond by Kverneland.

[jagyzf]

Thank you. Yes, the Oliver-White and Ford 151 are great plows and pull easy. The Kverneland pulls even easier and you can pull an extra bottom because of the long moldboard. In fact, the fancy new JD plows use the Kverneland bottom.
.

What deere plow used Kverneland bottoms? Seems to me that would be a very good combination.

[sixdogs]

What deere plow used Kverneland bottoms? Seems to me that would be a very good combination.

Not "used" but rather "uses" in the current and recent plow catalogs. They are big plows with a number of bottoms and are the ones with the long-sweep moldboards. I told the parts guy they look a lot like a Kverneland and he said that's because they use their bottoms. These are probably $25,000 plows.

No two or three bottoms here. Got to find an old Kverneland for that. Make sure you don't need landslides, moldboards or spare parts or the price will be truly shocking. Older models can get parts from Canada but newer Kvernelands from a place in PA. Search net--some machind shop guy. Bring all your money and your right arm for payment.

[sixdogs]

. I know one of the tractors I used was a 85 HP 4wd and it had all it could do in the clay around here.

Do you recall which model tractor and which model plow? I can look at the Nebraska tractor tests to determine pulling power. Thanks.

[slowzuki]

Up here a 10,000 lb 85 pto hp mfwa will pull 4 bottoms in normal soil. In land plowed yearly it can handle 5 bottoms.

[JasG]

Do you recall which model tractor and which model plow? I can look at the Nebraska tractor tests to determine pulling power. Thanks.

I know it was a JD 2940 that I was told was about 85 PTO hp, the plows, I do not know the model. They were JD with the hydraulic trip, I think 16". I know our 4230's pulled the same set of plows a little better with 1 dual on the tractor.