To each their own I suppose.
Just seems odd to me I guess.
I would use my revs with a taller gear/bigger plow.
Bottom plow width vs rear tire width
- Thread starter peter_vii
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To each their own I suppose.
Just seems odd to me I guess.
I would use my revs with a taller gear/bigger plow.
Coolnorth
Bronze Member
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- 82
- Location
- Dryden, Ontario, Canada
- Tractor
- Massey Harris Model 20, IH 240 Utility
I would have to say the same as I've been learning about my tractor this year in combination with my (new to me) 2 bottom plow. Unfortunately, I don't have enough working gears to fine tune the process, but in 1st gear (about 2.5 mph) at about 1500 RPM, the governor barely has to work to fuel the engine. My fuel consumption is closer to 7/8 gal/hr, but I'm running an old, abused F series engine.
There's always something to be said if the operator isn't screaming the engine wide open, mostly because you can still hear enough to say something!
HCJtractor
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- upstate South Carolina, Greenville
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- Kubota M6800, Massey Ferguson 240
What kind of plow are you going to purchase? New or used? Send some pictures! I am looking for the same size.
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
I'm not one to be proned to be deliberately wasteful, especially so when there's NOTHING gained.
I bought an old Oliver plow with spring resets. Online ad, I paid $425.
It is in a very good shape. Looks like new. It is very heavy plow, the top square beam is 4"x4" or 3"x3", lots of steel was used to build this one.
Some people recommended 15HP per bottom but from my very limited experience
it all depends on the plow (12"-18"), the tractor and the soil conditions.
20-25HP/bottom is probably on the safe side. My tractor is over 8000lb with
the loader and stone fork bucket but this Oliver 3 bottoms took all the juice
out of its 65 HP in some wetter spots. It did however trip nicely on 1'+
stones/boulders. The largest boulder was over 4 ft wide.
I would not want to pull 4 bottoms in my area with less than 80-90 HP.
Also, buy a plow with resets.
I'll post some pictures once I figure out how to do it: -(
I guess I was looking at it from a different mindset. The only thing we plow is sod that has been tracked on, usually when wet, for several years and is dang tough plowing and wouldn't easily be done at 2/3 or 3/4 throttle.
HCJtractor
Veteran Member
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Yeah Peter, pictures are tough for me also, but there are some posts that walk you through it. I need to get my 14 year old daughter to assist her aging dad. Some times in this electronic, text messaging, digital age, I feel kinda like a dinosaur. I remember when a blackberry was something I would pick for my Grandmom to make a pie!
By the way, I see some nice plows online. Did you have it shipped freight to you? If so, how did that work out. What were the details. I see things online that tempt me, but just have never been sure of how to get it here.
By the way, I see some nice plows online. Did you have it shipped freight to you? If so, how did that work out. What were the details. I see things online that tempt me, but just have never been sure of how to get it here.
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
As I said, the torque peak is around 1500rpm. That's where work is done at it's most efficient point. I still pull the plow as fast as it's meant to operate by using the correct gear. Wind the rpms up to full song and you'll gain absolutely NOTHING. In turn, you LOOSE fuel efficiency. As an example, I plowed 25 acres of alfalfa sod ground last fall. You aren't likely to find plowing conditions much tougher than our clay soil with tough, deep alfalfa roots. The tractor just cruises @ 1500 rpm and gains NOTHING as far as power or "ease" by winding up the engine to excessive rpms.
And it isn't just that particular tractor. While farming for near 40 years, every tractor I owned had a "sweet spot" right around 1500 to 1700 rpm where they ran best. There are a few later model tractors that have smaller cubic inch engines that operate at high rpms than may need to be blasted to get decent power. Personally, I'd shy away from them. It stands to reason an engine that makes it's peak power at a lower rpm would last longer over the long haul relative to an engine that produces the same hp at a much higher rpm.
It's been my observation over the years that if/when a tractor has to be run at maximum rpms the engine has to offer to pull a plow at a reasonable speed, the plow is probably a little too much for that tractor to begin with.
If that was the case why wouldn't the rev limit just be set at 1500?
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
Not EVERY job you do with a tractor is always about power or maximum efficiency. Simple things like running down the road at maximum available speed would be very limited if you couldn't rev out the engine. PTO speeds may require operation at or above peak torque points. Not every tractor has it's peak torque point specifically at 1500 rpm. Like I said in the earlier post, many of the newer, smaller engines today are meant to be operated at higher rpms in order to compensate for fewer cubic inches (relative to what was common on older tractors)
These days it's very UNcommon for a tractors owners manual to list specifics on plowing or heavy tillage. That's especially true in the case of tractors that would be considered "smaller". Back when just about every tractor model produced was likely to have a plow hung on it at some point, manuals would give specific info on plowing. In just about every case I know of, manufacturers would recommend operating engines somewhere near peak torque rpms while plowing, which is generally NOT full throttle. That was for a litany of reasons, not least of which was maximum engine life and maximum fuel efficiency. The latter is more important now than it was back then in my eyes.