First Time PLowing - Maybe this weekend

[Dave5264]

Hi All, Im goingto try plowing for the first time this weekend. I got a used 3 furrow plow in the summer (Swiss or swedish I think, cant recall the name, starts with an "o"), supposed to be an excellent plow.

Im using a 2011 McCormic CX100 Xtra Speed (build by Case) Tractor.

Ground is generally very heavy pure blue clay below the top soil, so ground is typically very hard in summer and awfully soft in spring after the thaw. Ive read its best to plow such ground in the fall.

We have had enough rain in the past few weeks to soften the ground up, so as long as its not wet this weekend I will give it a go.

Im going to do a 5 acre field to begin with, Ill start in the center and work out.

the plow has a depth wheel, So for setup i guess its a case of settign the right depth, leveling via the top link and knowing how far the drop the 3pt arms ?

I believe I have to make sure the side to side stablizers are not rigid but has slack to allow the plow to move a bit as well.

sounds simple enough but Im sure its easy to make a mess of it , any other tips ?

Im trying not to get too worked up over it, after all its just dirt so it can all be made pretty again

 

[ESBkevin]

The bottom of the plough needs to be flat/level both fore and aft as well as side to side. If you have a firm flat area, try putting a block under the left wheel (as you're seated) so it mimics the Right wheel in the furrow. Now adjust the Right hand lift arm (it will have at least a turn buckle) shorter so that the three furrows all meet the ground at the same time.
Once you have your opening furrow you can adjust the length of the top link so that the plough frame and hence the bottom of the plough blade is level front to back.
Getting this correct can take some practice, but results in the tractor struggling less and the plough cutting neatly. If the ground is hard and the plough won't dig in, try adding weight to the back of the frame. Set the overall plough depth with the wheel so that once dropped in the hydraulics play no part unless a ferguson sensor is set to lift the plough when it struggles.
There are several youtube videos of how to setup a plough, it's a great skill to acquire and very satisfying when the plough runs true.

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks very much, I appreciate the tips.

one question, doesnt the depth wheel only control the back of the plow (and its depth) and the 3 pt hitch controls the front ? I assumed a depth wheel set to 6" would have to be matched by the correct amount of 3pt arms being lowered and setting the 3pt stop once i got the plow level.

 

[jeff9366]

Your depth of cut is controlled by the pitch of the plow, set by the length of the Top Link.

After you have cut the first furrow, a 'throwaway' known as the Dead Furrow, put the RIGHT wheels of your tractor in the Dead Furrow, pull a few feet, then adjust the plow level, left-to-right (with the right Lifting Rod) and fore and aft, (with the Top Link) using a bubble level for reference. A bubble level is ultimately faster than trying to 'eye' level adjustment. You will have to stop tractor and adjust several times to achieve level in two planes.

(Note tilt on my tractor in photo with right wheel in furrow. Tractor tilt can be disconcerting at first.)

Once the plow is level in both planes set your plowing depth with SMALL adjustments of the Top Link. Shortening the Top Link will lower the front of the plow causing it to "suck" deeper.

A 12" plow will plow 5" to 7" deep.

A 14" plow will plow 6" to 8" deep.

A 16" plow will plow 7" to 9" deep.

PLOWS ARE NOT FLEXIBLE ABOUT TURNING SOIL PROPERLY OUTSIDE THESE 2" SPREADS.

Do NOT plow so deep that you bring up clay subsoil. Turn only top soil.


Only then adjust the gauge wheel (correctly: Rolling Landside), as final refinement. If you enter a competitive plowing contest you need the Rolling Landside to make the furrow wall perfect.


Plow adjustment takes time to learn. Do not be impatient with your early results.


PLOW ADJUSTMENT LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...oard-plow-wisdom-farmwithjunk.html?highlight=

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks so much, ive learned more in a morning here than i could have learned pulling my hair out in the field

Do I need to setup differently for the first run, ie before i get into furrow ? ie if im not in furrow for the first pass, will the plow fail to suck in ? or do I just Level it on flat ground with the Left wheel up and have at it...see what it does on the first pass

 

[jeff9366]

Do I need to setup differently for the first run, ie before i get into furrow ?

You plow the 'dead furrow' however your plow is adjusted. You only want to create a furrow at the depth your plow will cut (see underlined, below), for the right wheels to run in. How the furrow 'flips' is not important creating the 'dead furrow'.
(If need be, plow dead furrow twice to achieve desired depth.)

A 12" plow will plow 5" to 7" deep.

A 14" plow will plow 6" to 8" deep.

A 16" plow will plow 7" to 9" deep.


ie if im not in furrow for the first pass, will the plow fail to suck in ?

This question is not clear to me.

Normally a pass refers to plowing after the dead furrow. Creating the 'dead furrow' the right bottom will do most of the cut, although the others may scratch the surface. After the 'dead furrow' all three bottoms will go into the earth , but probably not the depth you want, and none of the bottoms will likely flip soil downside-up. Then you adjust: when the plow is level, left to right, with the right wheels in a furrow, all three bottoms should be evenly down in the soil, but proabaly not at the depth you want. Depth is refined with with minor Top Link adjustments.

Speed will affect flipping. You need to plow at a good walking pace to impart momentum to soil so it will flip.

or do I just Level it on flat ground with the Left wheel up and have at it...see what it does on the first pass.

A three bottom plow is HEAVY. With the left wheels (note: front and back left wheels, NOT one wheel) on blocks there will be so much tension on the Three Point Hitch I doubt you can adjust it. That is why I adjust with the right wheels in the 'dead furrow' and bottoms in the ground, using a 7" Torpedo Level for reference.

You want your moldboards bright and shiny when you plow. Rust increases draft force on tractor and friction on furrow soil moving over the moldboards so soil will not flip properly.

Between uses here in high humidity Florida, I spray a coat of Rustoleum gray primer on very clean moldboards to prevent rust. Creating the 'dead furrow' scrubs off most of the Rustoleum. Another option is marine grease, which is formulated to be water insoluble, which can be brushed or rolled on the moldboards.

I store my Ford Series 101, two bottom plow on a sheet of plywood, covered with a COTTON canvas tarp. Plastic tarp will continually condense moisture on your plow, which is undesirable. When you remove COTTON canvas tarp, beware of snakes hunting mice.

Take time to comprehend the LINK in Post #5. FARMWITHJUNK was the Plowmaster on T-B-N before vision problems disabled him. I learned "how-to" from his plow posts, then applied instructions in the field.
I achieve perfectly turned earth, but straight furrows still elude me after two years because I look back too often, where the action is.

Let the readership know what brand of plow you have and its size. (i.e.: 3/12", 3/14", 3/16")

A 3/16" might be too much for your tractor to pull.

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks, that makes sense, I hadnt realized that my dead furrow first pass would really only be the one blade cutting and flipping.

PS Snakes up here in Canada (certainly my neck of the woods) are not a concern, no rattlers or such up near me, thank goodness

Yes that LINK in post 5 has some very valuable insight.

thanks again!

 

[jeff9366]

Read your tractor Operator's Manual for how to set your 3-Pt. Draft Control for plowing.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Oldtimer used to set the left tractor wheels on blocks equal to the depth he was going to plow, then make all adjustments so the plow ended up level with the floor.

 

[Dave5264]

Well, I read the manual, used the block under the rear left wheel to do initial setup.

after 2 acres (one small field), i score myself a 6 out of 10 on the result (ie could have looked worse), this small field is VERY uneven and in the low spots the sod rolled back (darn it).. I score myself 5 out of 10 on setup.

Setup - what i think i did wrong:

on the first 2 passes (Dead furrows) I had way too much sod roll back, I had the plow on left/right tilt/cant ready for the wheel to drop in the dead furrow, so I think I should have used the leveling lever to have the plow level with the tractor on the dead furrow passes and then off set it once i got the wheel in the dead furrow.

When I put the tractor and plow back in the shop and dropped the plow down, i noticed I was probable a bit too nose down and too aggressive (did initial setup on the driveway), I have now lengthened the top link a wee bit.

My main Question is this ---- > I did find the plow pushing to the left a lot, and subsequently I was having to compensate by steering left, coz the tractor wanted to go right. Im not sure if the plow being too canted left/right or the aggressive pitch (nose down) would have caused that ?? any ideas. I do know i shouldnt have to fight the plow. Of course with th eplow pushing left you dont always get 100% of the sod on the right.

I also think my 6.5 km/h plowing speed may be a wee bit slow ? should be up around 8km/h or 5 mp/h ?

Looking forward to the next field, it started to rain so I figured Id stop and get some more advice before round 2

let me know if you think my "fixes" for next time are on the right track , Thanks!!

 

[jeff9366]

What size, what brand, is your three bottom plow? Are the ground contact parts undistorted and matched?

Dave5264: I read the manual, used the block under the rear left wheel to do initial setup.

Did you use 'a' block or two (2) blocks, one under the left front wheel, one under the left rear wheel?

Use a Level to check level adjustments in both planes when you start Round II.

Setup - what i think i did wrong:

on the first 2 passes (Dead furrows) I had way too much sod roll back, I had the plow on left/right tilt/cant ready for the wheel to drop in the dead furrow, so I think I should have used the leveling lever to have the plow level with the tractor on the dead furrow passes and then off set it once i got the wheel in the dead furrow.

I doubt moving the Adjusting Lever (integral to some plows) would help. Its purpose is to adjust width of cut to space bottoms equally. (If we are comprehending the same lever.)

Or are you using incorrect/confusing nomenclature for the 3-Pt. Right Lifting Rod?

Was your 'dead' furrow the correct depth (+/-) for the width of your plow? Reasonably even depth? (If the tractor wheels are going up and down, the plow will move up and down in response.

When I put the tractor and plow back in the shop and dropped the plow down, i noticed I was probable a bit too nose down and too aggressive (did initial setup on the driveway), I have now lengthened the top link a wee bit.

Good. If you only used one block under the left rear wheel, rather than blocking both the rear and front wheels for pre-adjustment, too nose down highly probable.

My main Question is this ---- > I did find the plow pushing to the left a lot, and subsequently I was having to compensate by steering left, coz the tractor wanted to go right. Im not sure if the plow being too canted left/right or the aggressive pitch (nose down) would have caused that ?? any ideas. I do know i shouldnt have to fight the plow. Of course with th eplow pushing left you dont always get 100% of the sod on the right.

Adjusting Lever, which sets width of plow furrows so they do not overlap, probably would help here, IF the plow is centered behind your tractor.

Is the plow directly behind your tractor or offset to one side more than the other?

Is the Top Link falling naturally to the middle beam on the plow? Stabilizers a little loose?

I also think my 6.5 km/h plowing speed may be a wee bit slow ? should be up around 8km/h or 5 mp/h ?

Experiment a bit. Often I set the desired engine power with the hand throttle, then adjust speed over the ground by moving hydraulic 3-Pt. control lever just 1/8" in one direction or the other, depending on soil draft resistance.

Looking forward to the next field, it started to rain so I figured Id stop and get some more advice before round 2

 

[Ivan49]

Does your tractor have draft control? If it has draft control you can use it to adjust your depth on the first 2 passes then set it where it is plowing good and leave it. Plowing takes a while to get the hang of it but once you do it is like riding a bike. Plowing is one of my favorite things to do. My new tractor does not have draft control so I will have to learn about that as it has been 30 years since I used one without

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks, its a Swedish Overum plow.

im definitely plowing too deep. plow is 12" wide and im plowing 7-8 deep , i should be plowing 6"

Draft control set too deep maybe, and too aggressive on the top link ?

I didnt have the front left wheel blocked, so thanks for that.

top link isnt naturally falling to the center the plow is pulling left, so the top link is going left. I have slack in the 3p arms, but that slack is taken up when the plow pulls left. plow is not centered behind the tractor like it needs to be.

the lever on the plow rotates the offset 3 pt link side arms on the plow, this allows the plow to tilt side to side --- my assumption was this was for dead furrow vs being in furrow...may be not

here are some pics of the rig & plow


the white lever controls the 3pt attachement pins on the plow, pull it all the way back (like pic 3 ) and th eplow is basically level side to side, push it forward and the left side drops down to allow the plow to be level when in furrow (i assume)


this is with the white lever all the way back (almost level...not quite), with it pushed forward the left side of the plow will drop


still a bit too short on top link....



if im measuring in the right place, its a 12" plow so i should be 6" deep

 

[Ivan49]

I was talking about draft control on your tractor it would be a second lever next to the one that raises your 3 pt hitch abd is usually between the fender and 3 pt lever

 

[Dave5264]

Yes, I have draft control, its a knob on my tractor console, as is position control (no levers). Draft Control knob was set a bit high, i have backed it off for the next time -- thanks

Position control on the left (bigger dial with inner and outer dials), Draft control on right, set closer to 7, should be 6



The center knob here controls how fast the pt draft control reacts to the change in the terrain, lower number means it takes longer to react :

 

[Ivan49]

On mine I had it set to 5 or 6 in that range and that was with a 2 bottom 16 inch plow. On the first 2 passes if I start in the center of the field I would just leave it there. Every other year I would plow from the outside in

 

[Ivan49]

On your speed you have to change it to how the dirt lays as it flops over and your speed will vary for different types of soil and different moisture levels

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks Ivan, I appreciate the tips very much.

 

[jeff9366]

Dave5264: It is a Swedish Overum plow.

Your plow is a 3/12", Overum Plow

im definitely plowing too deep. plow is 12" wide and im plowing 7-8 deep , i should be plowing 6"

Think of a range, 5" to 7". You cannot hold steady 6" in varying soil.

Draft control set too deep maybe, and too aggressive on the top link ?

If, if, IF the plow is level in two planes and you LENGTHEN the Top Link the front of the plow will run shallower. Express yourself in terms of long/short, which I can understand. Adjustment should be minor.

We will deal with the Draft Control after the plow is working well.


top link isnt naturally falling to the center the plow is pulling left, so the top link is going left. I have slack in the 3p arms, but that slack is taken up when the plow pulls left. plow is not centered behind the tractor like it needs to be.

Most likely your plow is not level in the horizontal plane. Check it against a Bubble Level for reference. You really cannot adjust to level by 'eye'. Achieve level across plow by adjusting the 3-Pt. Right Lifting Rod.

It may require refininement by moving white adjusting lever somewhat to the rear from mid-point position, which will decrease width of cut AFTER the plow is level across.


If this does not center the plow, you may need to change the position of the adjustable cross bar to set the plow more to the center of your tractor, especially if plow was adjusted for a significantly larger or small tractor before you acquired it. This will require removing bolts from dog holes, moving the bar and tightening bolts into different dog holes.

((Or you can reposition your tractor wheels.))

the lever on the plow rotates the offset 3 pt link side arms on the plow, this allows the plow to tilt side to side --- my assumption was this was for dead furrow vs being in furrow...may be not

On a Ford plow your white lever, attached to the "J bar" cross shaft is known as the Plow Adjustment Lever, sometimes as a Landing Lever. The Adjustment Lever sets the width of the furrow cuts, so there are no gaps between cuts and no overrun. Start with the Adjustment Lever in a center/middle position of its arc.

The cross shaft on most plows is adjustable/movable.

here are some pics of the rig & plow
View attachment 445135

the white lever controls the 3pt attachement pins on the plow, pull it all the way back (like pic 3 ) and th eplow is basically level side to side, push it forward and the left side drops down to allow the plow to be level when in furrow (i assume)
View attachment 445136

this is with the white lever all the way back (almost level...not quite), with it pushed forward the left side of the plow will drop
View attachment 445138

still a bit too short on top link….

Cannot tell, out of the ground.

View attachment 445137

if im measuring in the right place, its a 12" plow so i should be 6" deep

Measure from the center of one plow beam to the center of the next plow beam, that is your plow width. 12" is most common width for compact tractor plows.

View attachment 445139[/QUOTE]


TOO MANY COOKS.

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks Jeff !