Plow

[TonyTill]

2) with this cut Sorghum-Sudan seed, when I try to plow grass builds up a large plug on my plow. Do I need to move my coulters back or sharpen them?

You should not attempt to plow grass. The field should be mowed as short as possible before being plowed. You should plow stubble, not grass.

In the "old days" dry fields were burned after the harvest before being plowed a little before first frost.

You may need to adjust your coulters in or out. Consult FARMWITHJUNK in Post #7.

The Sorghum-Sudan grass was cut but still residual grass lying on ground. I will check out the Farmwithjunk in Post #7. Thanks!

 

[sweettractors]

To get the correct initial setting for the tractor to plow correctly: for 12 inch plows, the inside of the right rear tire should measure 23 inches to the center of the tractor drawbar/centerline and 25 inches for 14 inch and 27 inches for 16 inch. Ken Sweet

 

[Rockbadchild]

Depending on the type of soil if it is too dry it is very hard to plow. It could be adjustments as well, put your tractor on level ground and the plow should contact on the ground evenly from front to back when lowered. Don't try to go too deep around 4-6 inch is the sweet spots.

 

[TonyTill]

To get the correct initial setting for the tractor to plow correctly: for 12 inch plows, the inside of the right rear tire should measure 23 inches to the center of the tractor drawbar/centerline and 25 inches for 14 inch and 27 inches for 16 inch. Ken Sweet

Thanks. This may help a lot.

 

[LouNY]

If you are plugging your coulters are not set properly and or your grasses are very tall. Often plowing is easier if a field is disced prior to plowing, and allowed to dry a bit.
Proper setup with the right tire spacing and plow positioning is critical for good plowing.

This is just my opinion developed from plowing with several tractors from an Allis WD, IH 400, 560, Ford 8000, IH 1066, 1086, then Magnum series 7110-7250's.
Draft control very seldom works well, when your tires spin you are actually putting less of a draft load on your tractor.
The later electronic computer controlled draft using lower arm sensors will work marginally, they are better when interfaced with the ground speed radar units.

 

[52wej]

I have plowed hundreds of acres with a 2 bottom ford roll over plow pulled by a Ford 3000. Weight on rear tires was critical. Ours were filled and we had wheel weights also since that tractor was a 2wd with a front loader. We were plowing heavy sod in late fall/early winter when there was sufficient moisture in the ground. The draft control on those tractors worked fine. The tractors that I have to day without draft control are a pain to plow with.

All these factors have been mentioned earlier in the thread. Hope you can figure this one out.

 

[jeff9366]

To get the correct initial setting for the tractor to plow correctly: for 12 inch plows, the inside of the right rear tire should measure 23 inches to the center of the tractor drawbar/centerline and 25 inches for 14 inch and 27 inches for 16 inch.

Your right side tires, front and back, have to move freely through the last plow furrow created. If your plow is 12" wide, producing a 12" wide furrow, but your rear tires are 15"+ wide, forget a consistent result.
(I speculate this is your problem.)

If your plow is 14" wide, producing a 14" wide furrow, but your rear tires are 15" wide, the weight of the ballasted right rear tire usually will pack moist furrow soil sufficiently so the plow can operate as designed.

A 16" wide plow will allow the rear tires of any COMPACT tractor, including your MF 451, to move freely through the last furrow created.

INFORM US OF THE WIDTH OF YOUR PLOW AND THE WIDTH OF RIGHT REAR TIRE.

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[Egon]

Fifty years ago plows were a common agriculture impliment. I just can't recall even hearing about the problems that seem to be experience in today's world. It was just a matter of hooking up, getting the plow and tire aligned and going to work. It must have been the farmers just knew how it should be done which is quite simple. Perhaps just knowledge passed down through the generations!

There were no tape measures used. Just empirical observation and adjustment. None of today's supposedly knowledge required; myself included!!

 

[lman]

Fifty years ago plows were a common agriculture impliment. I just can't recall even hearing about the problems that seem to be experience in today's world. It was just a matter of hooking up, getting the plow and tire aligned and going to work. It must have been the farmers just knew how it should be done which is quite simple. Perhaps just knowledge passed down through the generations!

There were no tape measures used. Just empirical observation and adjustment. None of today's supposedly knowledge required; myself included!!

Fifty years ago we farmed about 500 acres and were able to make it. You couldn't pay the bills doing that now. I talked to the guy that farms the 80 acre field across the road from me and he said that he's farming 4,600 acres. I remember when I was a kid, we had an Oliver 60 and my dad found a 2 row cultivator to put on it. I was about 13 and put in 12 hour days on that tractor. It seemed like it took me all day to do 20 acres. They combined 150-200 acres yesterday near me with two combines with 40 ft. heads.

 

[Egon]

Fifty years ago we farmed about 500 acres and were able to make it. You couldn't pay the bills doing that now. I talked to the guy that farms the 80 acre field across the road from me and he said that he's farming 4,600 acres. I remember when I was a kid, we had an Oliver 60 and my dad found a 2 row cultivator to put on it. I was about 13 and put in 12 hour days on that tractor. It seemed like it took me all day to do 20 acres. They combined 150-200 acres yesterday near me with two combines with 40 ft. heads.

The farming times have changed. Equipment & supplies have gotten more expensive but the land production has not increased in perspective. Now it takes a lot more acres to support the equipment.

Those combines we’re probably about a million a piece.

Most of the little farming knowledge I have is well outdated.

Feeding the cattle used to be done with a hay rack, pitch fork and a team of horses. Now!