Restoration of an old Athens Offset Harrrow

[MHarryE]

My disc plugged bad in our clay soil in anything other than super dry soil, and scrapers weren't available so somebody told me to wrap chains from the frame down around the spools. Works great, never plugged again. Now I have more power and pulled an old 13' disk of my cousin's out of the weeds. I saw that he had a couple chains inlace of broken scrapers. Worked good and when I broke more scrapers (we bought this disk in 1958) I replaced them with chain.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

I've been hard at work getting this old disc restored. I sandblasted it and primed and painted it Allis Chalmers orange...... !

"Allis Chalmers orange" is actually "Persian orange" if you ever have to ask for it at the counter....BobG in VA

 

[HCJtractor]

Thanks. I never want to see any more orange paint. I have been spraying all week, both this disc and a 4 row AC planter that I am also restoring. I took the planter completely apart, so there were about a zillion parts to spray.

 

[HCJtractor]

By the way, this is what it looked like where it sat for 20 years in a briar patch. I have not quite finished it, still have to add new decals and decide on the scrapers, but it is close. Can't wait to see if my tractor will pull it.

 

[kf4uda]

Wow,your tractor should be proud to pull that disc....Awesome job!

 

[kthompson]

You probably have more clay in your soil than I do on the coastal plains of SC, but for the vast part of my disking agree with you if not wetter than you should be trying to disk you are fine. Have some heavier soil had disk where my brother lives and if wet some issue but again it is wetter than it should be worked.

 

[deere5105]

Good job on restoration. I have been following your thread as I am also working to restore a 3pt disc I picked up a couple months ago. I am not moving on it as quickly as you are. I am having to have a little assistance with some of the metal work and had to replace a few pieces. Hope to have the frame part complete in the next couple weeks and then move on the blades, axles and bearings. I know going in one axle will need replacing. Where did you wind up purchasing your blades?

 

[HCJtractor]

Blades were purchased from Valu-bilt. I also got some parts from Shoup. The blades are 1/4" thick 24" smooth with a 1.5" square axle. I also replaced all bearings and most of the bearing housings. I see blades and even common axles at Ag Supply, Tractor Supply, Shoups, and Valubilt. Valubilt had a 20% off special until the end of 2011, so I saved a little. The blades alone cost $1275 and weighed 600 lbs. Good luck with yours! I still have a few minor details on mine to finish, and still have to decide on whether to reattach the scrapers.

 

[deere5105]

In the thread I started on my project I was trying to recall where I had viewed a question about the different country of origin blades. In looking back it was on this thread. My disc has 1 1/8" axles and the thickest I have found for it on Ag Supply is the 5.0 mm which is a little less than 1/4". Something like 0.2" versus 0.25". Did you ever find that any one is better than the other? In looking at Ag Supply tonight it looks like they are not currently offering free shipping. I have found a 7 gauge locally that is close in price. Not sure if the small difference in price and thickness is worth the hassle or just pick up locally.

 

[HCJtractor]

I am not to sure. i heard the Brazilian ones were superior to the Indian. Mine are made by Herschel and they look good. Not sure where they were made. My limited experience would be to buy the thickest I could. I have broken a good many on my old Leinbach disk and they are a pain to replace. The ones that came on it were trash, but I am not sure where they were made or what thickness they were. Show us some pix of your project!