please help identify this plow

[N80]

You'll get better answers than mine but I'll take a shot at a couple of your questions. As for names, this type of plow is frequently referred to as a turning plow, bottom plow or moldboard plow. I don't know which ones is technically proper (if any). The type you have is referred to as a garden plow because of its small size and simple hitch design (for garden tractors).

From what FWJ has said, I imagine getting 5" is about right with a 10" plow.

I think its advantages over a tiller are probably pretty small. It is probably cheaper, lighter and maybe a little faster. Probably does not do as good a job as tilling. I have found, in my very limited experience that my soil needs to be disked after plowing to make a good seed bed. In other words, the plow turns the soil and sod over in long, wide rows. The disk chops and mixes all of this into a more 'loamy' seed bed.

Technically a disk is a harrow but when most people talk about harrowing they mean pulling something over the soil once the seed has been laid down. This covers the seeds and even things out. Harrows come in an endless variety of manufactured and homemade forms (the most common of which is a section of chain link fence dragged behind the tractor.) I have heard of using a disk as this type of harrow and I tried it this year on sunflowers and cow peas and they are coming up great. I set it to the least aggressive gang angles just to get a little coverage. However, the brown top millet mixed in with the sunflowers has not emerged so the disk may have put it too deep. We'll see.

Hope you get more and more technically accurate answers but that's what I know.

There is also an issue of soil compaction which plowing is known to do. Not sure how a tiller compares in this area. Not sure it matters at all in a small garden.

 

[RobJ]

Here is a picture of how I attached this sort of stuff to my tractor. Not pretty but it works..

Rob

 

[ampsucker]

ah, so that's a middle buster!

i guess i have a middle buster type plow too, in addition to the one i asked the question about. we also called it a tater digger, water line trencher and railroad tie planter! it was designed to be pulled by a chain and had two handles so the second guy (the actually worker as opposed to the driver) could bear down on it and guide it where he wanted it to go.

i like your 3pt adaptation better! since ours needs some reworking, i may try to make it a 3 pt mount like yours so it's easier for one person to handle.


amp

 

[RobJ]

I 've gotten a ton of use out of this funny looking bar.

 

[Barneyhunts]

For me, the plow and disc are much easier to use in rocky soil. On a small tractor (SCUT & CUT) the tiller will "rattle your teeth" and it really feels like you're abusing the equipment. I've been told that on a large tractor the tiller will smash and bury rocks, but I've not seen it.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've been told that on a large tractor the tiller will smash and bury rocks, but I've not seen it.

A "large tractor" will smash something alright. THE TILLER. I've used my tiller on a 60HP Deere 2440 in rocky conditions a time or 2. That's when I found out how easy it is to buy new tines from King Kutter. Ideally, I don't want to use a tiller in rocks on ANY tractor. High horsepower makes just as much, maybe even MORE noise and isn't nearly as forgiving as a moderate amount of power.

 

[ampsucker]

i got my little brinley plow converted over to a 3-pt hitch set up (kind of). it was what that little plow needed. i plowed our small garden plot up today, even though it was pretty wet. i had some organics sitting on top i wanted to turn under. i think if i keep adding organics and turning every month or two, i should have some pretty decent loam for next spring. right now, it is very thick clay.

thanks for all the advice. i am still tweeking my angles, but it worked pretty well, had good "suck" and i think would have been even better if i had a few more rain free days to let things dry out. unfortunately, that hasn't been an option around here, lately!

should have taken some pics, but had too much going on today. maybe next time!

amp

 

[Gizmo36]

glad you got it going

 

[ampsucker]

got around to charging the camera batts and taking a few pics today.

first photo is of of the plow in 3-pt conversion mode. it isn't pretty, but functional. i adjusted everything by putting the left side wheels up on 5x5 blocks as suggested to simulate plowing with the right side wheels down in the previous furrow. i then leveled the plow share through manipulation of the top link, the threaded bar on the plow itself and the grading adjustment on the lower link of the tractor's 3pt. i maintained a slight downward angle on the front tip of the plow but otherwise tried to make things pretty level. i was eventually able to get a good compromise between performance in ground and getting the plow high enough when raised to make moving forward and backward pretty functional.

rest of the photos are of it's handiwork on the neighbor's garden and my plot extension i'm preparing for next spring. i was able to get better penetration in my plot. i think the neighbor had a much higher hard pan because of his regular tilling with a small tiller.

the next time i hook it up, i'm going to try adding a little weight to the plow itself to see if it will dig a little better through our hard clay. i think that might help and might be why others seem to get better performance with a two bottom plow with one share removed. the extra weight helps compensate somewhat for the different hitch geometry of the newer compact tractors.

the bx pulled it pretty well and i got good "suck" and overall am pretty happy with it.

next project is a dedicated sub-soiler to break up underneath and get better drainage.

thanks to all for the help and feedback on this! great site and great folks!

amp

 

[amberg]

looks like might fit a allis chalmers c model tractor.