How many plows do I need on a Bottom Plow?

[Chancho]

Is there a rule of thumb to figure out when to use a one bottom plow vs. a 2 bottom, 5 bottom, 7 bottom, etc?

 

[Clint S]

This is based on hp and size of your machine and what kind of ground you have. A 25 hp machine may pull a 3 bottom through sand or well worked ground, but not clay. I guess how big the area your plowing would factor in too.

 

[4570Man]

How big of a tractor do you have. I haven’t plowed much but my observation would be at least 2000 pounds of tractor per plow bottom and probably closer to 3.

 

[Clint S]

I pull a two bottom fine in all but the very toughest unworked clay ground and have pulled a three with minimal trouble in very sandy worked ground . Farmall 200 , 3500lbs , 21 (a little tired )hp.

 

[radios1]

I see you don't have a tractor, are going to be pulling this with horses or other farm animals?. it makes a big difference right there!..

 

[jeff9366]

Moldboard Plows come in various widths.

The common widths for compact tractor Moldboard Plows are 12", 14" and 16".

A 12" single plow cuts a furrow 12" wide. A double 12" plow cuts two contiguous furrows 24" wide. A triple 12" plow cuts three contiguous furrows 36" wide.

How much time do you wish to spend plowing? How much fuel do you wish to burn plowing?

16" plows turn almost double the weight soil of 12" plows, hence require fewer bottoms or a heavier tractor.

Any who express how many plow bottoms they pull without also relating plow width are not sharing much useful information.

 

[4570Man]

My L3800 struggles to pull a 2 bottom. It does have R4s which definitely isn’t ideal for plowing.

 

[oldnslo]

We used to figure 20 horse per 16 inch bottom. 85 HP 14,000 lb tractor

That was both alfalfa sod and corn stubble mostly loam soil

 

[ovrszd]

We used to figure 20 horse per 16 inch bottom. 85 HP 14,000 lb tractor

That was both alfalfa sod and corn stubble mostly loam soil

Generally, I'd agree.

 

[KennyG]

Years ago tractors were classified by plow bottoms. We called them three bottom tractors or four bottom. We knew there was difference in size of the plows, but no one ever classified the tractor by plow size. For example, a AC WD was a three bottom tractor. If you asked someone about their plow they would probably tell you it would pull 3 14s but they wouldn't want 3 16s. As I recall we had 12s and 14s but I don't remember anyone using 16s.

You didn't need all that much horsepower. A 30 HP tractor would pull 3 12s or 14s in most soil. When we put a D-17 kit in our WD-45s they would easily pull 4 14s with a little over 40 horsepower. Of course we were running R1s and had the tractors weighted down. and they were a lot more suitable for field work than CUTs.

 

[sd455dan]

Is there a rule of thumb to figure out when to use a one bottom plow vs. a 2 bottom, 5 bottom, 7 bottom, etc?

Here's a 55 hp tractor pulling a 3 pan in Peru (1st breaking ground pass) tractor weighs about 5400lb

SHANGAI NEW HOLLAND CUSCO PERU - YouTube

Have basically the same older model of the tractor in video and it pulled a 3 bottom plow in clay without problem

I think a 4 bottom would have been a good test though

 

[BrokenTrack]

I can pull a 2 bottom plow (14") with my 25 HP Kubota, but the single bottom plow does a much better job at plowing. It has to do with how it can roll rocks out of the ground.

 

[Chancho]

Here's a 55 hp tractor pulling a 3 pan in Peru (1st breaking ground pass) tractor weighs about 5400lb

SHANGAI NEW HOLLAND CUSCO PERU - YouTube

Have basically the same older model of the tractor in video and it pulled a 3 bottom plow in clay without problem

I think a 4 bottom would have been a good test though

Thanks for that demonstration.

I suppose I will need to rent the biggest tractor I can find. I知 going to prepare about 15 hectares, and want to do all the prep work as quick as possible, so the more bottom plows I can pull, the merrier. It痴 just going to be a question of what痴 available in my area for rent.

 

[radios1]

Thanks for that demonstration.

I suppose I will need to rent the biggest tractor I can find. I知 going to prepare about 15 hectares, and want to do all the prep work as quick as possible, so the more bottom plows I can pull, the merrier. It痴 just going to be a question of what痴 available in my area for rent.

the current biggest tractor is the John Deere 9630. the big bud 747 was a limited run, and not made anymore. John Deere 963 Tractors for Sale | Machinery Pete

 

[BukitCase]

From a (possibly) more realistic angle
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...&setCookie=1&usg=AOvVaw0E465BMpVIvbwfTQS4Irg_

And no, I didn't miss the "more the merrier" comment, but 530 horse 35,000 lb tractor for 37 acres? It'd probably be cheaper to buy SHOVELS for an ENTIRE TOWN and pay 'em to SPADE that plot ... Steve

 

[orangeandgreen]

We have pretty heavy clay around our area. When we used to use "breaking plows" back in the 1980's, we pulled a 5-16 ( 5 bottom, 16 inch width each) behind our 100 hp tractor, and a 4-16 behind our 85 hp tractor. I currently use a 2-12 behind my 30 hp Kubota every couple of years on the garden spot.
Based on my limited experience, 20 "drawbar" horsepower per 16 inch bottom is about a minimum.

 

[radios1]

From a (possibly) more realistic angle
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...&setCookie=1&usg=AOvVaw0E465BMpVIvbwfTQS4Irg_

And no, I didn't miss the "more the merrier" comment, but 530 horse 35,000 lb tractor for 37 acres? It'd probably be cheaper to buy SHOVELS for an ENTIRE TOWN and pay 'em to SPADE that plot ... Steve

not if you rent it. he wants to rent the biggest he can find, and get the job done as quickly as possible. his words..

 

[4570Man]

not if you rent it. he wants to rent the biggest he can find, and get the job done as quickly as possible. his words..

Where can you even rent a tractor that big? And assuming you could do your have any idea what rental and transport is going to cost? You’d be a lot more economical with a average size utility tractor and maybe a 5 bottom plow. You’d spend more time trying to move a huge tractor than doing the job with a smaller one.

 

[jeff9366]

The OP is in PERU.

 

[radios1]

The OP is in PERU.

yep, so who knows what the ground is like there, it may be a nightmare, and who knows what they have for rent there, it may be so rural that they have huge farms there!..