One bottom plow or two?

[VroomVroom]

I have a small 28 hp mahindra 2816 hst. I wanted to plow a field that they made hay on 40 years ago. Lots of grass ect. I think a one bottom would be enough for the machine to pull. But would it be better to buy a two bottom and remove one if I ever wanted to use it in ground that has been worked over in more recent rears?

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I have a small 28 hp mahindra 2816 hst. I wanted to plow a field that they made hay on 40 years ago. Lots of grass ect. I think a one bottom would be enough for the machine to pull. But would it be better to buy a two bottom and remove one if I ever wanted to use it in ground that has been worked over in more recent rears?

I pulled a 2 bottom with an 8N. Your tractor is more than an 8N.

 

[MTGreen]

I seem to recall reading that the old Fords were geared lower than recent model geared tractors which allowed them to pull 2 bottom plows. I have not owned one and can't confirm this but I imagine there are many on here that do and can chime in. I understand you have an HST.
I also have read that the rule of thumb is 1 horsepower per inch of moldboard as a reasonable minimum. If you have 28hp and you want a 2 bottom, that would limit you to 14" each.

I have an old and very heavy Oliver 2 bottom rollover plow at 20" each for a total of 40". Per the rule of thumb I would need 40hp minimum. My 53hp tractor pulls it pretty well and I can effectively use the draft feature, but I wouldn't want to use any smaller of a tractor

 

[jaxs]

You may as well compare apples to oranges as 8n to 2816 and onions to oranges as compare soil in AR to Newfoundland. An 8n with water in tires and Sherman might put it on equals with the 60 year newer 4wd. Within 20 miles of where I live is soil either tractor would pull 2 14" plows while 20 miles from there it would take both in tandem. To maximize the tractor's ability to turn soil I highly recommend a 1 or 2 disk type turning plow. If possible test each type and you will agree. If you can find an old horse drawn one-way plow,try it out and I think you will be sold. Not only will either disk plow go deeper and pull easier,when it hits roots the disk will hop right over whereas a moldboard will stop the tractor in its tracks.

 

[Rockbadchild]

At 28hp you wont be able to pull a tow bottom plow in that field unless it is really sandy soil but buying the two bottom plow and removing one is a good idea, it gives you flexibility.

I see three main variables on whether you would be able to pull a two bottom plow ... the spacing of each wing, type of soil and how malleable it is.

You can get a two-bottom plow from 12 to 16 inch (maybe more variations) so you could turn 24 to 32 inch of soil big difference from one end to the other... I have a 60hp tractor with a two bottom plow 16 inch per wings and in some soil that haven't been work in years it would stop me dead in my tracks (blue clay and black dirt mix)... but if you have a garden and you work it every year then no problem or next time you work that field then you might be able to pull a two bottom plow.

Before you do plow it, first thing would be to burn that old grass, the old tall grass gets stuck and tangle in the plow and hold you down or the plow won't dig in because of that thick layer of grass.
Second is to get the condition right, enough soil saturation is paramount but too much and you won't get traction and get stuck.

Plowing in the fall and leaving it for the winter make is a lot easier to break it down when disking, lots harder than plowing in the spring and trying to disk it in the summer, it needs to be dry when disking if not you will get lots of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) and lots of chunks. but if plowing in the fall you need to cut the grass if not again it gets stuck and tangle in the plow and it won't dig in or hold you down and the optimum condition for plowing in the fall can be pretty short...

Hop this help.

 

[jeff9366]

Newfoundland, Canada, is likely to have tough soil.

If you will break 1-2-3 acres, buy a one bottom moldboard plow.

If you will break 5 - 10 acres, a two bottom moldboard plow will save you time and fuel.


Would it be better to buy a two bottom and remove one if I want to use it in hard ground?

Moldboard plows are not designed to be modular. Removing one bottom is not practical.

Plowing proficiently is an advanced implement art. It is easier to master a one bottom moldboard plow than a two bottom moldboard plow.


Lots of grass etc.

Mow the field as short as possible or burn the grass before starting to plow. SCALP.

If you cannot mow the grass shorter than 3" you will need a plow equipped with coulters.

 

[jeff9366]

Your 4-WD Mahindra tractor with HST can pull a 12" or 14" wide two bottom moldboard plow. It may struggle or stall pulling a 16" wide two bottom moldboard plow.

I have a 28 hp mahindra 2816 hst.

Sufficient tractor weight is more important for most tractor applications than tractor horsepower. Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models, new and used.

Rear tractor tires filled with liquid will improve your Mahindra 2816's ability to apply 28 horsepower to the ground. TRACTION = WEIGHT will be your tractor issue, not horsepower.

Mahindra 2816 Dimensions​

Dimensions
Length	115 inches 292 cm
Width	59.4 inches 150 cm
Gear Operating weight	2315 lbs 1050 kg
Hydro Operating weight	2458 lbs 1114 kg

 

[LD1]

I seem to recall reading that the old Fords were geared lower than recent model geared tractors which allowed them to pull 2 bottom plows. I have not owned one and can't confirm this but I imagine there are many on here that do and can chime in. I understand you have an HST.
I also have read that the rule of thumb is 1 horsepower per inch of moldboard as a reasonable minimum. If you have 28hp and you want a 2 bottom, that would limit you to 14" each.

I have an old and very heavy Oliver 2 bottom rollover plow at 20" each for a total of 40". Per the rule of thumb I would need 40hp minimum. My 53hp tractor pulls it pretty well and I can effectively use the draft feature, but I wouldn't want to use any smaller of a tractor

Actually the old fords were were geared higher. Which is why they dont work with a modern forward rotation tiller

 

[LD1]

I have a small 28 hp mahindra 2816 hst. I wanted to plow a field that they made hay on 40 years ago. Lots of grass ect. I think a one bottom would be enough for the machine to pull. But would it be better to buy a two bottom and remove one if I ever wanted to use it in ground that has been worked over in more recent rears?

All depends on the acreage to be worked.

A single bottom plow is much simpler to setup. A two bottom is a little more tricky because you have two boards and two furrows to level and cut evenly.

And you dont mention what tires you have, or if they are loaded.

That said, a 2-12 should pull fine behind that machine. And they are dirt cheap on c-list and marketplace. Probably cheaper than a single bottom.

IF you only have an acre or two, I'd lean toward a single bottom. You can pull it a little faster, and save time and headache on setting it up.

IF you have more than a few acres, 2-bottom will save time and worth the initial setup headache. But there is an art/science to setting up a plow.

 

[oldnslo]

In sod with that light of a tractor I would be surprised if could pull two bottom. It would be a combination of lack of traction and horse power. My tractor is approx 2,000 plus loader frame so maybe 2,400 with ag tires and 16” potato plow - middle buster will cause it spin out.

 

[Egon]

Note that there are differences in the cutting edges and moldboard between breaking and regular tillage plows. The breaking plow will pull a little easier and turn and lay down a nice strip of sod. The normal tillage plow makes a mess when used on sod.

Setting up a plow properly has been done many a time by many persons.

 

[jaxs]

I've been at this since the mid 50s but I'm always eager to learn in cases like this when others are teaching. The only way I've been able to successfully use a single moldboard is using a much larger tractor capable of pulling 3. When attempting to use a single moldboard with a tractor similar in hp and weight to this one,here's what happened. If plow is offset to the right so it fills farrow of last pass the front of tractor is constantly pulling hard to right which increases load on tractor often causing it to stall. Repeated lifting plow and backing up to get straight makes it look like hogs rooted the field,not to mention how hard it is on tractor and operator. If plow is centered so it pulls straight and doesn't overload engine the right wheels must run over and compacting freshly turned soil from previous pass. How do those of you recommending single bottom handle the problems I experienced when I tried it?

 

[jeff9366]

My guess is your moldboard was improperly positioned left-to-right along the plow frame.
Correct alignment for one tractor is often incorrect when plow is moved to a second tractor.
It could be many other things, possibly a bent/distorted plow frame.

Did someone proficient at plow use coach you in the beginning?

 

[jaxs]

My guess is your moldboard was improperly positioned left-to-right along the plow frame.
Correct alignment for one tractor is often incorrect when plow is moved to a second tractor.
It could be many other things, including a bent/distorted plow frame.

Did someone experienced at plow use coach you in the beginning?

Thanks for posting that to support my assertion it requires extra horsepower to pull a single offset plow (50 horse 4wd in this video). Despite what narrator says,that soil is far from hard to work compared to average.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Thanks for posting that to support my assertion it requires extra horsepower to pull a single offset plow (50 horse 4wd in this video). Despite what narrator says,that soil is far from hard to work compared to average.

single plows tend to go a lot deeper then two or three plow ... personally when I had the issue of the tractor getting pull by the plow like you describe it was alwayse because the soil was too dry...

 

[oldnslo]

Jaxs
My experience is similar to yours in trying to use one bottom plow. I think problem I had was the one bottom was made for larger frame or wheel width than these little compacts are. Back in the 50’s and 60’s tractors did not have 4 ft wheel base they where probably closer to 5 or 6 ft. I am thinking of tractors like “C” farmall, 8N ford, A John Deere etc.

Newer one bottom made for smaller tractors should work better but I have never used one.

 

[3gunr]

years ago i used a two bottom jd plow behind my mahindra 2810 shuttle and it pulled it just fine i am not sure of the size of the plows but they are pretty big , Since i got the tillers i dont plow anymore .