Position vs. Up/Down lift

[Indian Territory]

Everything Attachments has a video for their moldboard plow in which they recommend a gauge wheel for tractors that have an "up or down" lift. They do not recommend the wheel if you have a "position lift". I have a small Boomer 24. The 3 point lever always springs back to the center position, thought the lift arms themselves can be placed and maintained at any height the operator needs. In contrast, my previous tractor (New Holland 75hp) had a 3 point lever that stayed where you put it (didn't spring back to center) and was keyed to the height of the 3 point arms. Is this the distinction the implement people are trying to make between "up or down" versus "position" lifts? Or is there some distinction I am unaware of, where much older tractors had 3 point lift arms that were literally up or down (but no in-between). Also, where does draft control come into play? Maybe some of you big tractor boys can help me learn something about my overgrown lawnmower.

Ultimately, all this comes down to this question: Do i need a height gauge wheel to get satisfactory performance out of a single-bottom plow pulled by my Boomer 24?

Thanks.

 

[MossRoad]

As I understand it, position control allows you to limit the down function of your 3pt to a certain height. Let's say you want the 3pt to drop no lower than 12". You set your position control for that depth. If you raise the implement, it can come up to full height. Every time you lower it, it can never go lower than the 12" you set your 3pt hitch for until you change it. It's a depth limit so you can quickly return to your planned depth each time you get to the end of the field, lift the implement to make a turn, then drop the implement for the return trip.

 

[MossRoad]

Draft control works like this:

You set your plow for a 12" depth. As you drive along, you encounter easy plowing, and hard plowing, depending on changing soil conditions. If, for example, your plow hits some hard clay, it starts to put a drag on the tractor, and you start losing traction as your wheels start to spin. As your wheels start to spin, they dig a hole in the ground. Your tractor starts to sink down, but your implement doesn't. As the wheels sink and the implement stays at the same depth, that tries to change the length of your top link, as the angle wants to change. Since your top link is solid, the implement pushes forward on it. The other end of the top link is attached to a rock shaft. This rock shaft operates a valve in your draft control. That senses the push and lifts the 3pt implement out of the ground. As it lifts the implement out of the clay, that relieves drag on the tractor, it climbs out of the tire track holes. As it climbs out, that again tries to change the angle of the implement to tractor, that relieves pressure on the top link, which relieves pressure on the rock shaft, which operates the draft control in the opposite direction, and lowers the implement back into the ground to.....

the 12" depth you had your position control set to!

 

[MossRoad]

Hope that helps. :confused3:

 

[aczlan]

The up or down control is what you have, that needs the gauge wheel.
Position control like your previous tractor does not necessarily need the gauge wheel, but it is nice in my experience.

Aaron Z

 

[Indian Territory]

Wow MossRoad. So well said. Thank you!

Do you have an opinion about the necessity of a depth gauge wheel on a small moldboard plow pulled by a small tractor (which as I understand now, does not have depth control).

 

[Indian Territory]

Ah, beat my follow-up question by a second, aczlan. Thanks. So sounds like the wheel is the way to go. I had hoped to saved the money. The Titan wheel for my Titan moldboard seems expensive to me, but maybe it's something I'll just have to swallow. Anyone else want to disagree and save me some money?

 

[aczlan]

Ah, beat my follow-up question by a second, aczlan. Thanks. So sounds like the wheel is the way to go. I had hoped to saved the money. The Titan wheel for my Titan moldboard seems expensive to me, but maybe it's something I'll just have to swallow. Anyone else want to disagree and save me some money?

The other option would be how to use a chain from the top link to the lower links of the 3 point hitch to limit how far down the plow can go. Then it would act like position control on a larger tractor and you would not need the wheel. The downside is with bumps and such you may end up going deeper or shallower when the front of the tractor goes up or down.

Aaron Z

 

[ruffdog]

The other option would be how to use a chain from the top link to the lower links of the 3 point hitch to limit how far down the plow can go. Then it would act like position control on a larger tractor and you would not need the wheel. The downside is with bumps and such you may end up going deeper or shallower when the front of the tractor goes up or down.

Aaron Z

You can get a chain kit like this. I greatly stabilizes the side/side movement too as it triangulates you 3pt lift arms.

 

[MossRoad]

Wow MossRoad. So well said. Thank you!

Do you have an opinion about the necessity of a depth gauge wheel on a small moldboard plow pulled by a small tractor (which as I understand now, does not have depth control).

Nope. I've never plowed a furrow in my life. I did have an IH2500b tractor loader with draft control and position control and used it fairly well with a box blade for several years. So that's how I learned about those two controls.