Restoration of an old Athens Offset Harrrow

[BobG_in_VA]

Before I'd spend all that $$ on that disk, I'd grease it up good (probably will take a couple of tubes initially) and pull the crap out of it...see how it works..how big of a tractor do you have...the blades all look OK to me..same diameter, etc..Personally, if I wasn't gonna "show" it, I'd work the heck out of it the way it is...pull the wheel's centers and grease the bearings...spin them to see if they move freely..if they do...yank it home and use it. BobG in VA

 

[HCJtractor]

I have a Kubota M 6800 4 WD loaded rears 68 horse. I think it will pull it. Whatcha think? I agree that before I spend $$$, I need to try it out. I pulled it about 50 yards from its resting place and the gangs did all turn. I need spend some time on the bearings and then check it. I am waiting on the new wheels (Athens Plow sent the wrong ones--not enough offset) so I can load it and take it to my farm before I do too much more work on it.

 

[flusher]

I have a Kubota M 6800 4 WD loaded rears 68 horse. I think it will pull it. Whatcha think? I agree that before I spend $$$, I need to try it out. I pulled it about 50 yards from its resting place and the gangs did all turn. I need spend some time on the bearings and then check it. I am waiting on the new wheels (Athens Plow sent the wrong ones--not enough offset) so I can load it and take it to my farm before I do too much more work on it.

You probably don't have more than 60 hp on the drawbar. The may be enough to move that disc at 5-6 mph (speed needed to plow effectively) in dry soil. In soft soil, you'll probably wish you had 20-30 more hp.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I bought an old tandem disc that had been setting up for a while and a couple of the sealed bearing were grinding. I bought one of the needle injectors that fits on grease gun and injected some grease thru the rubber seal. They work great now with no noise and spin freely. Saved me from replacing the bearings at least for now. If they are tight and just dry, this method works well. That old disc may have babbit boxes rather than bearings that work OK, but require a lot of greasing. If it has sealed bearing, invest in one of the needle grease fittings, it will be worth the price.

 

[JoeinTX]

That plow is in very good shape. Consider it a gift. I've used worse looking stuff on a regular basis and have done very well with them. I've got an old Moline iron wheel one-way from the 1940s that gets drug out of the weeds about once a decade, greased up, and used without much problem.

New tires would be nice but if the ones on it hold air and aren't rotted then I'd go with them. The discs on it look good. I wouldn't be in a big hurry to replace them. Heavy offset discs like this are designed for primary tillage whereas other lighter tandems are designed for harrowing and soil conditioning. Of course, as mentioned above, the axle bearings are a concern but assuming the age of the plow I'd bet they are greasable unsealed bearings which you can just pump full of grease and go with. The zerks may have frozen up but you can prattle with them and keep trying to force grease into them and they'll usually free up.

Blasting and painting are other things. For a parade plow, okay.

But from the looks of it, you should be able to grease it up as-is and take it to the field for some plowing. $1700 is nothing to spend for an offset plow like that. But I think you can have a very nice field unit for much less than that if you're not worried about style and fellow ranchetters gossiping about your "ugly" plow.

 

[HCJtractor]

the front discs are worn to 17" and the rears about 18.5. I assume this plow originally had 24" or 26" according to the folks at Athens Plow. I still am considering replacing these. Took most of it apart yesterday and started transporting it home. I am having trouble breaking free the large castle nuts on the main shaft. I think I will take it by a shop where they have a 1" impact driver. My cheater bar, heat, PB Blaster just isn't working. I hate to cut them off. I saw one source that listed the new nuts at $18 each. THey are big (2 3/4" socket)

 

[hrcarver]

If you need an offset harrow, it is worth it. I just talked to my jd dealer yesterday and he wants $15k for a new 24 (26") disk model 425 offset, but he did say the athens were a little cheaper. $1700 dont sound so bad to me...

 

[hrcarver]

Before I'd spend all that $$ on that disk, I'd grease it up good (probably will take a couple of tubes initially) and pull the crap out of it...see how it works..how big of a tractor do you have...the blades all look OK to me..same diameter, etc..Personally, if I wasn't gonna "show" it, I'd work the heck out of it the way it is...pull the wheel's centers and grease the bearings...spin them to see if they move freely..if they do...yank it home and use it. BobG in VA

I'd agree with that, might just need couple used tires, a cylinder, and maybe a bearing or two. Disks look OK. Could have it running for under $500. No way it is worth painting unless you want a show winner instead of a worker. Its plenty thick enough that a coat of rust will not hurt it.

 

[flusher]

the front discs are worn to 17" and the rears about 18.5. I assume this plow originally had 24" or 26" according to the folks at Athens Plow. I still am considering replacing these. Took most of it apart yesterday and started transporting it home. I am having trouble breaking free the large castle nuts on the main shaft. I think I will take it by a shop where they have a 1" impact driver. My cheater bar, heat, PB Blaster just isn't working. I hate to cut them off. I saw one source that listed the new nuts at $18 each. THey are big (2 3/4" socket)

Sounds like the same problems I had when I reconditioned an 6.5 ft Towner offset disc that my neighbor gave me. Had to cut off the castle nuts with my 4-1/2" angle grinder and some cold chisel work. PITA.



Good luck.

 

[HCJtractor]

Here's an update. Got the Athens harrow disassembled and ready to sand blast and paint. Have new 24" smooth blades and new bearings ready to install. All is going well and it should be like new when it is finished. I expect to have about $2000 in its restoration, so probably not a bad price for a disc like this. I tend to get carried away in my restorations, and just can't do anything 1/2 way. Getting the bearings out got easier as I got experienced, and pressure washing helped a lot to get the decades old grit out of the bearing holders. All in all it is in very good shape. I can't believe how heavy it is compared to the Leinbach 20" x 20 3 point disc I have been using. I hope my tractor will pull this adequately! Here are some pix awaiting the blaster.