Difference between 14" and 16" bottom plow

z4racer · Sep 23, 2009

What is the difference between a 14" bottom plow and a 16" bottom plow? I have a 45HP New Holland and would like a single bottom plow for the garden. Does the 16" go deeper? I dont think I could pull a double plow.

randy41 · Sep 23, 2009

I pull a double 14" with a Ford 1710 with 4WD so you should be able to pull a double 16" with what you got.

polo1665 · Sep 23, 2009

I believe that the difference is 2".......

just kidding. I think the measurement is how wide a swath it will plow at a certain depth. You should not have a problem pulling a 2x14" plow with your tractor. I am able to pull a 2 bottom 14" plow with my 35 HP Branson without trouble. I think it's got more to do with weight and ground engagement than it has to do with HP. My Branny weighs a little over 4,000 lbs with the loader and I've got R4 tires.
If farmswithjunk chimes in he can give you alot more info than me.

Mark

captjack · Sep 23, 2009

you could pull a 2x bottom 16 with no problem.

z4racer · Sep 23, 2009

polo1665 said:
I believe that the difference is 2"....... just kidding. I think the measurement is how wide a swath it will plow at a certain depth. You should not have a problem pulling a 2x14" plow with your tractor. I am able to pull a 2 bottom 14" plow with my 35 HP Branson without trouble. I think it's got more to do with weight and ground engagement than it has to do with HP. My Branny weighs a little over 4,000 lbs with the loader and I've got R4 tires.
If farmswithjunk chimes in he can give you alot more info than me.

Mark

I guess my real question is: Does a 14" and 16" plow at the same depth? I want to make sure I can get as deep as possible. I have not been able to find a 16" plow only 12 and 14s.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

polo1665 · Sep 23, 2009

z4racer said:
I guess my real question is: Does a 14" and 16" plow at the same depth? I want to make sure I can get as deep as possible. I have not been able to find a 16" plow only 12 and 14s.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Yes, they would plow at the same depth but the 16" would take a 2" wider swath. That means a 16" would be moving more dirt than a 14", thus making it harder to pull. I am sure you could pull a 2X14" plow with your tractor.

Mark

foggy1111 · Sep 23, 2009

I bought a 2x16 Dearborn plow. I pull it in the sandy soil I have and the tractor does a "fair" job with it. I dont plow too deep with it (I dont want to turn the sand to the top in my soils) and this helps quite a bit.

In my case the HP is not the limiting factor....it's the traction. When I plow, I use 4WD and step on the diff lock to prevent spinning. As I think you have a significantly heavier tractor.....I think you will pull the 2x16 if your soils aren't too heavy.....allthough tires are going to be a factor to consider. Do you have ag tires? industrials? or turf?

Typically plows are designed to plow to a depth of 1/2 of the width. ie the 16" plow is designed to plow at 8" depth. etc. So for a deep plowing job the wider bottoms are preferred.

I would rather have a 2x14 plow for my 790......but the 16 I have works well for my purposes......and it's in great condition. One day I may have a bigger tractor for it.

ChuckinNH · Sep 23, 2009

The rule of thumb is that a turning plow will plow half it's size in depth. That can be varied by how short you have the top link, so a 14" plow can plow somewhat deeper than 7", but adjusting it that way may affect how completely the soil turns over. Here is a link to a video that shows what I am talking about, and note that he only has a 12" plow.

YouTube - How to - Plow a Garden, Single Bottom Plow, 3pt. Hitch