I've plowed cornstalks all my life, dad let me put a couple hours in a day when I was 8 with the IHC 300 and 2-16 Oliver trip plow here in the 150-175 bu clay ground her ein southern MN, one knows what a coulter is for in short order.
I also detest having to run a disk or stalk chopper in front of the plow, so try to plow down standing stalks. That's a extra challenge...
Soil type and moisture changes how exactly to set the coulters. They need to be big, large diameter. Smooth is typically best, in real mud the slightly rippled ones can be nice, noched is ok too but never saw any reason for it.
Someone described the cone coulters that JD had as an option for a few decades, they looked like they worked sort of like a covering board, neat idea. Neighbor uses them, dad bought a plow that had them but one was busted so he proceeded to take them all apart and add to the junk pile. Sigh. I think JD stopped support for them in the late 1990's. Cool idea tho, i woulda liked to try them myself.
Really couldn't plow the stuff I plow without coulters, not really an option in my region. Only see one out of 20 or so plows without coulters 'here'. Spring loaded is the way to go, tho shear pin type worked fine for me back when. Plows have had spring loaded coulters since the 1960s as an option?
Hope I find the one my wife lost in the field last fall, and I hope I don't find it with a tire....
--->Paul