plow help please

racjarrett88 · Apr 2, 2013

Can you shorten the plowshare to make a plow pull easier? Like cut it from 16 inches to 14 or 12 inches. Thanks for any help. Oh yeah this is my first post and I'm using a ford 1700 2wd

Austin from western NC

DJ54 · Apr 2, 2013

Beam spacing is the problem I see... Whatever you cut off, will leave a space not sheared off real well, and it may not turn it over. May even cause the plow to kick sideways, or at least increase the side draft.

If you have any used equipment jockey's around, see if they will trade, or good ole' Craigslist, and offer to trade. Someone may have a larger tractor, pulling 2-12's, and wanting a larger plow.

racjarrett88 · Apr 2, 2013

It is a single plow and it will pull it ok. Just didn't want to put as much strain on the little tractor.

Austin

racjarrett88 · Apr 3, 2013

On a single plow can I cut some off the back of the plowshare to make it pull easier?

Austin

wolftree · Apr 3, 2013

racjarrett88,

Your Ford 1700 can handle a single bottom plow easily. Just downshift if you get into a tough spot.

Botabill · Apr 3, 2013

Plow shares can be changed out to accomodate different soil conditions but I don't think the plowshare causes much of the drag a plow applies to a tractor. In my opinion (for what that's worth) it is the lifting and flipping that the moldboard does that applies over 90% of the drag.

milkman · Apr 4, 2013

racjarrett88 said:
It is a single plow and it will pull it ok. Just didn't want to put as much strain on the little tractor. Austin

I think you can pull it just fine, here's a plowing the garden video and my tractor is smaller than yours and it pulls the 14" plow just fine.
Plowing the garden with BX2200 - YouTube

wolftree · Apr 4, 2013

racjarrett88,

I used a Farmall "A" many years plowing with a 16 inch moldboard and it's whopping 13 horsepower. Granted it did not have any of the horsepower consuming hydraulic lift, it was all "ARMSTRONG" to lift and lower the plow. The red paint did make it go faster though.

Your 1700 will take that plow in stride. I do suggest front end weights if you do not have them.