Re: \"Pulling\" tractors
Plowing is an art. We've got a lot of "struggling artists" here. My Dad taught me to plow with an 8N, 2-14s. Then we moved up to a 641, 3-14s. Don't have any idea of ground speed in mph because we didn't care about things like that. But you could not walk beside the tractor, we were going wayyyyy faster than that. Using my Dad's logic that he taught me, I'll make a few comments.
When the plow is buried and plowing it has to set level, side to side as well as front to back.
Adjusting the right lift arm is used to get the side to side level and is only used after that to drop the front plow when starting the first furrow or finishing a dead furrow.
Adjusting the top link is to get the front to rear level adjustment. If the front is too low the tractor lift is constantly trying to keep the plow from going too deep and this creates a plow that hops along, going too deep, then the tractor yanking it out of the ground. If the front is too high the plow struggles to go into the ground. When you have this adjustment right the plow will go to it's established depth with 3 feet of the time you drop it after a turn around. Once it reaches that depth you should rarely feel the tractor pick up on the plow and when running thru the field the plow will glide with little or no obvious jerk.
No here's where your biggest problem lies. Rolling the sod. Drop your plow and start thru the field with the right tractor wheels properly running in the furrow. Stop the tractor, get off and standing at the back of the plow look at the tail end (furrow end) of the front cutter edge, not the moldboard, the cutting edge that's buried in the ground. The tip should be extended an inch or two into the previous furrow. If it extends too far into the furrow, you have your right wheels set in too far. If it doesn't extend to the furrow you have your right wheels set out too far. I'm guessing yours is out too far. This leaves a strip of land between the last furrow and the tail end of your next cut that hasn't been cut loose. It doesn't want to turn over because it's still connected to the ground. This creates an ugly job of plowing that a good farmer would laugh at. It also adds tremendously to the amount of HP required to pull the plow.
Someone recommended adjusting the sway bars to make the plow travel in the right spot. BAD IDEA!!! When plowing the sway bars/chains are only used when turning around at the ends to keep the lift arms from hitting the tires. If your plow is properly adjusted, when you are running thru the field plowing, your plow should be centered behind the tracotr and your sway chains should equally be hanging loose.
Early Ford tractors only had two wheel settings. This was simple because they all basically pulled the same plow. As they added tractor sizes and HP ranges they had to develop rear wheels that had multiple settings. This was to take care of different plow sizes. Ranges went from 2-12 plows up thru 3-16 plows. One size fits all wouldn't work any longer.
One last thing is the plow size. A 2-14 plow is a plow with two moldboards and they each cut a 14 inch swath. A 3-16 plow cuts three swaths, 16 inch each.
Your 40 Hp tractor should cruise along with ease pulling a 3-14 plow and make your neighbor jealous. Right now he chuckles every time he sees you trying to plow. The best thing for you to do is swallow your pride, hitch up your plow and go visit him. He will teach you the fine "art" of plowing.
Here in the midwest, 40 years ago, they held plowing contests. Farmers came from miles around to compete. It was poetry in motion and many "M" Farmall owners were embarrassed by much smaller Ford tractors that would plow circles around them all because the Farmall owner was a "struggling artist" and the Ford owner had it figured out. I won my first plowing contest at the age of 9 with an 8N and a 2-14 plow that my Dad taught me to set up.
Sorry for the ramble. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
