Setting a turning plow

[challengertn]

I'm ashamed to say how long I've been doing this but I have a 135 MF with one of the older ferguson 2 bottom plows that just doesn't like to follow very well. It tries to run too far inland a lot of the time. I've tried more or less point and leveling and it still doesn't like to do right. Any ideas?

 

[beenthere]

Might be able to help, but I didn't understand what it was doing wrong, nor what you tried to fix it.
Care to rehash that again, and see if we can come to some conclusive help?
inland?
point and levelling?

There have been some pretty good descriptions in the past year, and a search and 'read' of the threads that have to do with 'plow' and 'moldboard' might bring them up for you.
Keep talkin' and we'll keep listen'n. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[teddydo]

Maybe I can help, I am an oldtimer. The tractor has to be narrowed in and I guess you already know that. The plow point needs to be in fairly good shape to do good also. Just make the frist round with the plow working so that the last plow will make a furrow for the right wheel to follow in and then on the next round you will have to play with the third arm and the up and down part of the right lift arm. Get it to track well, that is not to leave an unplowed place between the front plow and the plowed ground and then get it level. I can make it level as a concrete floor. Setting a breaking plow is an art and no one can really tell you how but you will never forget once you get the hang of it. A properly set turning plow pull easy, an improperly set turning plow will pull a tracotr to death and still do awful bad looking work. I personally like my ground turned and disked better than I like tilled ground. Good luck and have fun with your turning plow my friend...teddy

 

[JerryG]

The easiest way to tell someone that has never done it before is as follows. Get a 6" block of wood. Drive the right rear tire upon the block. Let the plow down to the ground. Adjust the plow to where both plows are flat on the ground. Now go the ground that you want to plow. Start plowing. You can then check to see if the plow is cutting all of ground between the second trip and first trip. If it is not, you will need to adjust the right wheel width. This part is done with the right tires in the furrow. It may still need to be fine tuned, but this will get you close.

 

[beenthere]

JerryG
Are you sure that isn't the left rear up on the 6" block, simulating the right in the furrow? I use the procedure you describe but am sure I raise the left wheel.

In addition, some plows have an adjustable cross beam that the lift arms connect to, that can be rotated to 'steer' the plow in the direction you want it pulled. My one bottom Dearborn plow has that, and it makes it easy to adjust. Some recent cheaper plows don't have this, but I suspect this person's plow does.

 

[challengertn]

Beenthere, I'm sorry to be so vague about what I was saying. In giving the plow more or less point I was referring to adjusting the third link to make the plow run more or less on point and by leveling I was referring to raising or lowering the adjustable right arm to make the plow run more or less level after it is in the ground and the tractor tires are in the furrow. JerryG, I finally tried the block method last year and it seemed to help but I still have a problem. Teddydo, I'm almost 50 years old and I haven't farmed for a living since helping my father as a teen years ago. I only plow mostly gardens now and that makes it harder for me to set a plow. I agree that it is an art. My father was a master at it although it would take him a pretty good while to get it to his satisfaction when I took over it was if there was almost no strain on the tractor. It was ironic because he really cared nothing about farming and I would love to be able to do it for a living and I can't set a plow for squat. I will say that it helped when there was several acres to plow instead of just gardens. I've never taken into account the wheel width but I believe they are narrowed up all the way. I have toyed with the part of the plow that connects to the two main arms because it can be loosened and slid side to side. I don't think this is the problem but have you ever heard of the plow not matching the tractor in height and causing it to pull hard? I had a neighbor who bought a 180 MF that is a higher clearance tractor and they had sold him a plow that matched up to a 175 MF. He used it for years until another dealer informed him of the mistake. He bought the correct plow and was able to pull a larger plow. I don't think this is my problem but just food for thought. Would a longer landside or slide whatever you call it on the rear bottom help any?

 

[challengertn]

Beenthere, you are correct, it does have the adjustable beam and it very well could be a Dearborn plow.

 

[PineRidge]

If your plow is a Dearbourn and looks like this I can pass to you the original set up instructions. If you would like them send me a PM with your email address and I'll shoot the works over to you. It's a rather large file.

 

[Egon]

I have toyed with the part of the plow that connects to the two main arms because it can be loosened and slid side to side.

Doesn'tthis allow you to move the plow over so the right tractor tires fit in the furrow?

Egon

 

[challengertn]

Well due to my ignorance the only thing I could think it might be used for was in the leveling of the plow due to each end being offset up or down from center. If I understand these guys right those offsets should be more towards front or back to control the direction the plow travels in. I slid the bar to the side once but the front plow failed to take enough ground.