Middle Buster Problem

[RickH]

Many thanks to all for your replies.
I will travel to the farm today and try the suggestions that were offered. Win, lose, or draw I will take some photos and post them tonight.

 

[acme97]

Many thanks to all for your replies.
I will travel to the farm today and try the suggestions that were offered. Win, lose, or draw I will take some photos and post them tonight.

Whatever you do, DON'T ask WIFE to stand on back of attachment! Really tends to make them mad! Don't ask how I know that one.:ashamed:

 

[Baby Grand]

Oh, no, he didn't?!? Acme - you really are living on the thin edge of geting smacked with a skillet.

 

[Baby Grand]

Just to clarify ... my suggestion of throwing some weight on the plow is not meant as a corrective action. It was meant purely as a diagnostic tool to determine if the plow needs more down force. It's fast, cheap, easily done, easily undone, and may point to or eliminate some potential root causes of the OPs problem.

 

[acme97]

Oh, no, he didn't?!? Acme - you really are living on the thin edge of geting smacked with a skillet.

LoL I know! That's why I got the CAB, I'm hoping she will think twice before throwing something at me.

 

[Reg]

I uploaded these photos, so as to better show how the toplink "adjusts" the plow angle. If the top link is made longer, the effect is to point the plow toward the sky. To shorten the top link is to effectively point the plow downward, deeper into the earth.

No doubt the plow you were using has a trip spring attached which is pretty nifty in tripping the plow rather than risking breaking the plow or stalling the tractor. That's actually a nice feature. Some middle busters use a sacrificial shear pin for the same reason.

The side view says to me that by the time that gets down and into the ground it will be riding on the sole and therefore tending to come up and out.
3pt hitch isn't a perfect parallelogram, as you lower it the implement tips back, that is to say the top gets farther from the tractor seat, so by the time that is in the ground it will be leaning back and away from you, i.e. buster point raised.
Shorten the top link maybe 3 turns, if that improves things slightly try another 2.
Once you are close very small changes will make big differences

 

[tripp1023]

Just a thought... Are you using the "position" or "draft" setting on your 3pt control? If using draft, maybe it is set too "light". That is, the tractor is raising the implement at too light of a load.

 

[johnrex62]

LoL I know! That's why I got the CAB, I'm hoping she will think twice before throwing something at me.

She may just realize that flying glass is just icing on the cake when she throws that cast iron skillet at you.

 

[bp fick]

The side view says to me that by the time that gets down and into the ground it will be riding on the sole and therefore tending to come up and out.
3pt hitch isn't a perfect parallelogram, as you lower it the implement tips back, that is to say the top gets farther from the tractor seat, so by the time that is in the ground it will be leaning back and away from you, i.e. buster point raised.
Shorten the top link maybe 3 turns, if that improves things slightly try another 2.
Once you are close very small changes will make big differences

Reg, you realize I just posted my photos to show successful plowing with a middle buster. We've yet to see the OP's photo's and cannot really offer much guidance.

I've had zero issues using the middle buster I displayed. But your point is valid. Extend the toplink and the plow will tend to "ride out" of the dirt. Shorten the toplink too much, and it'll dig so deep as to stop the tractor in it's tracks.

 

[RickH]

OK fellas, I have attached some photos which hopefully will provide a clue as to what may be wrong. The photos illustrate Baby Grand's suggestion of digging a hole to make sure the linkage would allow enough depth. The linkage obviously allows enough depth for the plow. The furrow is still very shallow in relatively soft moist soil. The rain started before there was time to add weight to the plow and observe if the weight would make any difference.
I will try that on next trip.
There is no draft control on this tractor and the position lever was at lowest position when plowing.