moldboard plow setup

[bluesilver]

Hi, I am hoping some can help me out here just a tad.
I am trying to figure out how to best setup the Moldboard plow as i am having a few issues as soon as it digs in and gets a full cut i guess you could say.

The issue it looks to be is that it wants to dig in and down more so than just dig in and slice away
The result is that it just basically digs in and acts like a boat anchor, kind of is the best way to explain what is happening.

Is there a certain angle that i should be aiming for, as in that flat bar that sits behind the cutting shoe, should this be dead flat on the ground before i start lowing or dead flat on the ground once it has started to dig in?

Any information or advice would be very much appreciated on this.
Cheers.
Peter.

 

[redman135]

Go to youtube and put in your tractor model and plow. There are a number of videos that may be of help.
Yes there is a specific angle at which the plow will maintain depth.
It sounds like the mouldboard is set nose down.
Good Luck

 

[oosik]

I have a single bottom moldboard plow - but its on a 62hp tractor. I have found that it works best when the "flat bar" (landslide heel) sits flat in the furrow you've just dug. Getting a plow to function properly is a matter of adjustment and trial.

 

[Deleted member 216442]

Hi, I am hoping some can help me out here just a tad.
I am trying to figure out how to best setup the Moldboard plow as i am having a few issues as soon as it digs in and gets a full cut i guess you could say.

The issue it looks to be is that it wants to dig in and down more so than just dig in and slice away
The result is that it just basically digs in and acts like a boat anchor, kind of is the best way to explain what is happening.

Is there a certain angle that i should be aiming for, as in that flat bar that sits behind the cutting shoe, should this be dead flat on the ground before i start lowing or dead flat on the ground once it has started to dig in?

Any information or advice would be very much appreciated on this.
Cheers.
Peter.

Get two blocks of wood the same height as the furrow depth you want to make, say 8". Set the left tires up on the blocks on flat level surface. Adjust lift arms and top link to make the plow sit flat and level on the ground. Good to go.

 

[jeff9366]

How many bottoms does your plow have? One, two, three? The more bottoms, the more challenging to adjust for newbies.

You can follow METALWORKSHED's advice and it will work fine. Personally, I found running one side of the tractor/plow combination up on blocks too insecure for my taste. I used blocks only once.

When the plow is in the ground, use a torpedo level to determine level left-to-right and front-to-rear.

Your problem is that the plow is not level front to rear. LENGTHEN the Top Link of your Three Point Hitch. That will push down the rear of the plow, so the front of the plow will track at a shallower depth. Use the torpedo level and the Top Link to adjust close to level, then make fine adjustments, often just 1/4 turn of the Top Link, until the plow "sucks" as you wish. "Sucks" is an authentic plow term.

Should you need to level left-to-right adjust the right Lifting Rod, which is attached to the right Lower Link. The right lifting rod will have some form of screw adjustment in the center. The left Lifting Road is solid; non adjustable.

Plowing evenly and efficiently is an advanced implement skill. It usually takes a number of hours or days to master.





If you have a Category I Three Point Hitch it will work best with a Plow with Category I draft pins and Category 1 Top Link pin.

If you have a larger Category II Plow with Category II draft pins and a Category II Top Link pin, being pulled by a tractor with a Category I Three Point Hitch, the tractor pins must have bushings installed to increase pin diameter. There can be no slop when the Plow is mounted on the Three Point Hitch or the Plow will never track properly.

 

[bluesilver]

Thanks for the replies, only thing is that it is not on a tractor, it is on the BCS two wheel tractor, so no lift arms, Three point linkage, top links and only the one plow.
I have done quiet a bit of searching on setup for the plow on a two wheel tractor, but not a real lot out there.
I was hoping some people on here that use moldboard plows on their BCS Two Wheel tractors might be able to help out a little.

I can see what most are saying though i think, So basically when the plow in in the ground, set it up so that the landslide heel is sitting flat, dose this sound about right?

 

[CADplans]

With nothing to stop the depth of the plow, the plow angle is critical.
The angle may not mean too much if the soil is too "tough".

An easy answer to depth control is adding a gauge wheel.
The plow can not go deeper than the wheel.

 

[bluesilver]

Looks like a pretty good setup.
This is what i currently have and what i am trying to work with
Plough

 

[oosik]

Had another thought Peter. Get back with your BCS dealer and see what they say. They might be able to provide recommendations for you 2-wheel tractor.

I think getting the landside heel flat, more or less, in the dug trench would be a good start. There has got to be some way to tilt and angle the plow but I'm not familiar with your setup. This is where the dealer can provide input.

Just caught your last post - that plough DOES have tilt & angle adjustment. You need to get an OP manual from that company to see how to make the necessary adjustments.

 

[bluesilver]

Cheers, sorry i did forget to mention that you can tilt the angle of the landside heel.
You have a fair amount of adjustment there and also can swing the blade left or right also to get the correct angle plus and adjustment to set the whole plow at any angle behind the machine you want.

Sorry for the confusion there, just there are no lifting arms, hydraulic arms, linkage arms or the like as you would have on a normal tractor

 

[jcraftenworth]

Consider a rotary plow. It requires less traction/weight, and less hp! I think it does better in hard to plow soils as well

 

[Ford850]

I don't have a moldboard plow for my BCS, but I would set it up just like I do on a 4 wheel tractor. Drive the left wheel up onto a block the same depth as you plan to plow. Lets say 6" as an example. That tilts the BCS low on the right, high on the left, just like you will be traveling with the right wheel in a furrow when plowing. Now get the tractor sitting fairly level, front to back. Make adjustments on th eplow so it is sitting level on the ground, left to right. Then make adjustments on the plow so bottom edge of the plow is flat on the ground, front to back. If the plow won't pull into the ground enough to hold the proper depth, re-adjust the plow so the point is angled down slightly in the front. That should get you plowing and you can fine tune it from there.

 

[bluesilver]

Thanks for all the replies, appreciated.
Been playing around with it for a while now, think i might just stick to a rotary plow, the moldboard is just too big for these two wheel tractors to pull, no matter how you set it up.

 

[Ford850]

Thanks for all the replies, appreciated.
Been playing around with it for a while now, think i might just stick to a rotary plow, the moldboard is just too big for these two wheel tractors to pull, no matter how you set it up.

I would say the same, for working my soil. Unless I would use it only in my better garden soil, which has been amended for years, I could not use a moldboard on my BCS. A rotary plow, or a tiller, both will work new plots, well established gardens, or anything in between.

 

[leonz]

Looks like a pretty good setup.
This is what i currently have and what i am trying to work with
Plough

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Hello bluesilver,


The round disc with the holes in it is the depth gauge for the plows heel and toe. you have what is referred to as too much "suck" on the toe of the plow you need to adjust the plow higher using the depth gauge holes in the round plate of the Ferrari plow. The right wheel of the 2 wheel mule cannot be any deeper than the right axles ability to clear the sod as you plow.