Reversible plough or Mould Board plough?

[Glass]

Hi,

I am looking to buy a 12" single bottom plough for my 24 HP Kubota B2420. There seem to be two options for this kind of ploughs - a straightforward mould board or a reversible plough.

As everyone knows, the reversible plough has two bottoms one on top of another so that the direction of the bottom is changed at the end of every furrow run, in order to save the trip by the tractor to the start point as with a mould board plough. The switch of the bottom is either manual or hydraulically operated.

I noticed reversible ploughs are not very common though. Can someone advise if there is a reason for that and if there are some downsides to using a reversible plough, performance or otherwise? Is there issue with the coulter or depth wheels etc.?

Secondly should I stick to 12" single bottom for this tractor?

Thanks.

 

[paulemar]

OK, mind you I'm no expert at this, but! 12" single bottom plows should be much easier to find than the reversible---much, much easier. 2nd if you are going to be plowing alone with a manual flip plow, you will really get tired of getting off the tractor at the end of each row.
Most folks plow in some kind of a pattern with a standard plow to avoid this---up one side, down the other side, plowing towards the middle. Or up the middle, down the middle plowing towards the edges. Switch patterns the next time you plow. If the garden is small enough, just drive back to the other end and plow another row. That's what I did with a 100' X 50' garden until I bought my rototiller. The reversible, if you can even find one, will be more expensive too. Remember, you don't plow every day or every week, so a little extra effort is not that much of an inconvenience.

 

[oosik]

This is the very first time I've ever seen a single or two bottom reversible plow. Like paulemar said - most folks plow in a pattern that eliminates the need for reversible bottoms. I can only guess at why they would be uncommon - - COST. I can imagine they would be at least 2X the cost of a single bottom and probably are only used/needed under special circumstances. My neighbor has an 18 bottom reversible plow - which is still uncommon in this area.
Plow size - go with what your owners manual recommends. If you do not have an owners manual I'm sure somebody with your model Kubota will be along shortly to let you know what is recommended.

 

[Glass]

Thanks paulemar and oosik - your points make perfect sense. I see choosing a right pattern should address the round trips issue. I am also guessing a plain plough would be sturdier/more reliable due to the simplicity.

@paulemar
I think the direction switching is through the hydraulic lever or by manually pulling a lever right from the sitting position. From the videos I have seen, there is no need to get down the tractor.

@oosik
The manual says single bottom 12", I will go with that based on your advice than explore oversizing.

Thanks again.

 

[MHarryE]

The turnover plows are common in Europe - in fact I have never seen a non-turnover plow in my extensive travels in Western Europe. They do not have top furrows or dead furrows in their fields - start on one side and work your way across to the other. They are not common in America and I assume it is due to cost. YouTube has some impressive plowing videos from France of farmers plowing with 10 bottom semi-mounted turnover plows - 20 bottoms - must cost an arm and a leg.

 

[oldnslo]

Turnover plows are also used in the USA where fields are flood irrigated. This eliminates the dead furrow. Would a fully mounted 1 bottom roll over be to heavy for the B2410 to lift? I doubt it but would also be something to consider.

 

[Daver1963]

If you need some reading material on using a plow, plowing procedures and other things then the following links might help. The manual is for Ferguson AO plows, but has very helpful information that I'm sure you could apply.

Plowing Procedures (6 pages)

Opening Lands (4 pages)

Difficulties and Corrections (2 pages)

 

[Glass]

@MHarryE
Thanks. It is amusing though why the cost difference should affect the popularity in some countries.

@oldnslo
I think weight will not be a problem with B2420, it is rated about 190kg for the implement.

@aver1963
Thanks for the great info.


I have just ordered a plain 12" MB!