Power Required to Pull a Two-Bottom Moldboard Plow

[Trey318]

We plow with an 8 inch 2 bottom plow behind an 18 horsepower john deere M

 

[Turbys_1700]

Rule of thumb on plowing is 1 drawbar HP per inch...
My 1720 NH is 28 HP at the engine and rated @ 23.5 @ the PTO...
The drawbar HP should be in the 20 range...
With that said I purchased an old Allis Chalmers model 80 2-14 bottom plow that had been changed over from snap couple to three point...
It is a high clearance plow and loads my tractor in heavy clay...
I can pull it but not as fast as I would like to...
My advise would be to stick with a single 14 or 16...
I bought the plow because it was a really good buy and figured that I could use it now or with a larger tractor later...

 

[2458n]

Doesnt any one remember the 2bottom Dearborn plow was used with a 24hp 52ford 8n tractor? There was no 4 wheel drive to put it in. My farm is poor dirt-meaning clay. You should run along fine if you have loaded rears.

 

[nybirdman]

Doesnt any one remember the 2bottom Dearborn plow was used with a 24hp 52ford 8n tractor? There was no 4 wheel drive to put it in. My farm is poor dirt-meaning clay. You should run along fine if you have loaded rears.

That's how I came about the Dearborn that I have,we used to used it behind an 8N&9N.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Thanks for all the helpful info guys, much needed and appreciated.

After seeing Daver1963 plowing his field with a similar tractor to mine, I feel confident that I'll be able to pull a single bottom furrow but I probably wont do any more due to my soil type. Glad to hear that your able to plow with a 2wd as well.

You will want to be able to pull it a little faster than DaveR was going in his video. Ideally, you want to pull it fast enough to turn the soil over 180 degrees so you're flipping the vegetation under and fresh soil up on top.

 

[jeff9366]

I just recently purchased a Kubota L3300 used tractor that is about 33 HP and has simple 2wd. I'd like to use it to plow about 2 acres of land.

What tires have ye, on the L3300? Narrow, barred, R1 ag tires? Fat R4 industrial tires? Turf tires?

 

[Kioti Tom]

Don't forget, The 9N was designed and geared primarily for plowing. Everything else was gravy.

 

[Daver1963]

Doesnt any one remember the 2bottom Dearborn plow was used with a 24hp 52ford 8n tractor? There was no 4 wheel drive to put it in. My farm is poor dirt-meaning clay. You should run along fine if you have loaded rears.

If you look at the Dearborn, Ferguson, and Ford plows of that era they were almost identical. Ford used Ferguson plows for the 9N.
A brief history on Ferguson Plows.
A little bit more detailed history: Ford N-Series Tractor History

 

[AK47]

What tires have ye, on the L3300? Narrow, barred, R1 ag tires? Fat R4 industrial tires? Turf tires?

I believe they are ag tires but here's a picture of the tractor so you can see for yourself

 

[jeff9366]

Ahhhhhh…..picture.

Yes, I would say ags. Certainly best for traction when plowing. Are the rears filled with air or liquid?

 

[AK47]

Ahhhhhh…..picture.

Yes, I would say ags. Certainly best for traction when plowing. Are the rears filled with air or liquid?

I'm not sure about that. I'll have to ask the dealer I bought it from.

 

[Looking4new]

Just put the valve stem near the half way mark and release a bit of air. If your finger is wet, they are liquid filled. If not then not. Smell the liquid, if it smells sweet, then you've probably got Rim Guard in the tires. This is a good thing.

 

[efam3300]

I have a B3300SU 4wd and pull a 2 bottom 14" plow. It struggles at times, without 4wd it would be difficult to get thru the clay

 

[allen in texas]

You have the power but like others have asked, can you get that power to the ground? I pulled a two bottom 14 inch Ford 102 rollover plow with a Grand L3240 with 25 pto HP. Now I pull a three bottom oliver rollover with a Grand l5740 with 50 HP pto power. My soil is called sandy loam but it bears a striking resemblance to concrete when it is dry.

Here's a video of the three bottom...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdEStYYl1Ts

PS both tractors are 4WD with filled rear tires. The bigger tractor also has 642 pounds of cast iron wheel weights. gotta get the power to the ground.