First Time PLowing - Maybe this weekend

[Dave5264]

Hi All, Im goingto try plowing for the first time this weekend. I got a used 3 furrow plow in the summer (Swiss or swedish I think, cant recall the name, starts with an "o"), supposed to be an excellent plow.

Im using a 2011 McCormic CX100 Xtra Speed (build by Case) Tractor.

Ground is generally very heavy pure blue clay below the top soil, so ground is typically very hard in summer and awfully soft in spring after the thaw. Ive read its best to plow such ground in the fall.

We have had enough rain in the past few weeks to soften the ground up, so as long as its not wet this weekend I will give it a go.

Im going to do a 5 acre field to begin with, Ill start in the center and work out.

the plow has a depth wheel, So for setup i guess its a case of settign the right depth, leveling via the top link and knowing how far the drop the 3pt arms ?

I believe I have to make sure the side to side stablizers are not rigid but has slack to allow the plow to move a bit as well.

sounds simple enough but Im sure its easy to make a mess of it , any other tips ?

Im trying not to get too worked up over it, after all its just dirt so it can all be made pretty again

 

[ESBkevin]

The bottom of the plough needs to be flat/level both fore and aft as well as side to side. If you have a firm flat area, try putting a block under the left wheel (as you're seated) so it mimics the Right wheel in the furrow. Now adjust the Right hand lift arm (it will have at least a turn buckle) shorter so that the three furrows all meet the ground at the same time.
Once you have your opening furrow you can adjust the length of the top link so that the plough frame and hence the bottom of the plough blade is level front to back.
Getting this correct can take some practice, but results in the tractor struggling less and the plough cutting neatly. If the ground is hard and the plough won't dig in, try adding weight to the back of the frame. Set the overall plough depth with the wheel so that once dropped in the hydraulics play no part unless a ferguson sensor is set to lift the plough when it struggles.
There are several youtube videos of how to setup a plough, it's a great skill to acquire and very satisfying when the plough runs true.

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks very much, I appreciate the tips.

one question, doesnt the depth wheel only control the back of the plow (and its depth) and the 3 pt hitch controls the front ? I assumed a depth wheel set to 6" would have to be matched by the correct amount of 3pt arms being lowered and setting the 3pt stop once i got the plow level.

 

[jeff9366]

Your depth of cut is controlled by the pitch of the plow, set by the length of the Top Link.

After you have cut the first furrow, a 'throwaway' known as the Dead Furrow, put the RIGHT wheels of your tractor in the Dead Furrow, pull a few feet, then adjust the plow level, left-to-right (with the right Lifting Rod) and fore and aft, (with the Top Link) using a bubble level for reference. A bubble level is ultimately faster than trying to 'eye' level adjustment. You will have to stop tractor and adjust several times to achieve level in two planes.

(Note tilt on my tractor in photo with right wheel in furrow. Tractor tilt can be disconcerting at first.)

Once the plow is level in both planes set your plowing depth with SMALL adjustments of the Top Link. Shortening the Top Link will lower the front of the plow causing it to "suck" deeper.

A 12" plow will plow 5" to 7" deep.

A 14" plow will plow 6" to 8" deep.

A 16" plow will plow 7" to 9" deep.

PLOWS ARE NOT FLEXIBLE ABOUT TURNING SOIL PROPERLY OUTSIDE THESE 2" SPREADS.

Do NOT plow so deep that you bring up clay subsoil. Turn only top soil.


Only then adjust the gauge wheel (correctly: Rolling Landside), as final refinement. If you enter a competitive plowing contest you need the Rolling Landside to make the furrow wall perfect.


Plow adjustment takes time to learn. Do not be impatient with your early results.


PLOW ADJUSTMENT LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...oard-plow-wisdom-farmwithjunk.html?highlight=

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks so much, ive learned more in a morning here than i could have learned pulling my hair out in the field

Do I need to setup differently for the first run, ie before i get into furrow ? ie if im not in furrow for the first pass, will the plow fail to suck in ? or do I just Level it on flat ground with the Left wheel up and have at it...see what it does on the first pass

 

[jeff9366]

Do I need to setup differently for the first run, ie before i get into furrow ?

You plow the 'dead furrow' however your plow is adjusted. You only want to create a furrow at the depth your plow will cut (see underlined, below), for the right wheels to run in. How the furrow 'flips' is not important creating the 'dead furrow'.
(If need be, plow dead furrow twice to achieve desired depth.)

A 12" plow will plow 5" to 7" deep.

A 14" plow will plow 6" to 8" deep.

A 16" plow will plow 7" to 9" deep.


ie if im not in furrow for the first pass, will the plow fail to suck in ?

This question is not clear to me.

Normally a pass refers to plowing after the dead furrow. Creating the 'dead furrow' the right bottom will do most of the cut, although the others may scratch the surface. After the 'dead furrow' all three bottoms will go into the earth , but probably not the depth you want, and none of the bottoms will likely flip soil downside-up. Then you adjust: when the plow is level, left to right, with the right wheels in a furrow, all three bottoms should be evenly down in the soil, but proabaly not at the depth you want. Depth is refined with with minor Top Link adjustments.

Speed will affect flipping. You need to plow at a good walking pace to impart momentum to soil so it will flip.

or do I just Level it on flat ground with the Left wheel up and have at it...see what it does on the first pass.

A three bottom plow is HEAVY. With the left wheels (note: front and back left wheels, NOT one wheel) on blocks there will be so much tension on the Three Point Hitch I doubt you can adjust it. That is why I adjust with the right wheels in the 'dead furrow' and bottoms in the ground, using a 7" Torpedo Level for reference.

You want your moldboards bright and shiny when you plow. Rust increases draft force on tractor and friction on furrow soil moving over the moldboards so soil will not flip properly.

Between uses here in high humidity Florida, I spray a coat of Rustoleum gray primer on very clean moldboards to prevent rust. Creating the 'dead furrow' scrubs off most of the Rustoleum. Another option is marine grease, which is formulated to be water insoluble, which can be brushed or rolled on the moldboards.

I store my Ford Series 101, two bottom plow on a sheet of plywood, covered with a COTTON canvas tarp. Plastic tarp will continually condense moisture on your plow, which is undesirable. When you remove COTTON canvas tarp, beware of snakes hunting mice.

Take time to comprehend the LINK in Post #5. FARMWITHJUNK was the Plowmaster on T-B-N before vision problems disabled him. I learned "how-to" from his plow posts, then applied instructions in the field.
I achieve perfectly turned earth, but straight furrows still elude me after two years because I look back too often, where the action is.

Let the readership know what brand of plow you have and its size. (i.e.: 3/12", 3/14", 3/16")

A 3/16" might be too much for your tractor to pull.

 

[Dave5264]

Thanks, that makes sense, I hadnt realized that my dead furrow first pass would really only be the one blade cutting and flipping.

PS Snakes up here in Canada (certainly my neck of the woods) are not a concern, no rattlers or such up near me, thank goodness

Yes that LINK in post 5 has some very valuable insight.

thanks again!

 

[jeff9366]

Read your tractor Operator's Manual for how to set your 3-Pt. Draft Control for plowing.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Oldtimer used to set the left tractor wheels on blocks equal to the depth he was going to plow, then make all adjustments so the plow ended up level with the floor.

 

[Dave5264]

Well, I read the manual, used the block under the rear left wheel to do initial setup.

after 2 acres (one small field), i score myself a 6 out of 10 on the result (ie could have looked worse), this small field is VERY uneven and in the low spots the sod rolled back (darn it).. I score myself 5 out of 10 on setup.

Setup - what i think i did wrong:

on the first 2 passes (Dead furrows) I had way too much sod roll back, I had the plow on left/right tilt/cant ready for the wheel to drop in the dead furrow, so I think I should have used the leveling lever to have the plow level with the tractor on the dead furrow passes and then off set it once i got the wheel in the dead furrow.

When I put the tractor and plow back in the shop and dropped the plow down, i noticed I was probable a bit too nose down and too aggressive (did initial setup on the driveway), I have now lengthened the top link a wee bit.

My main Question is this ---- > I did find the plow pushing to the left a lot, and subsequently I was having to compensate by steering left, coz the tractor wanted to go right. Im not sure if the plow being too canted left/right or the aggressive pitch (nose down) would have caused that ?? any ideas. I do know i shouldnt have to fight the plow. Of course with th eplow pushing left you dont always get 100% of the sod on the right.

I also think my 6.5 km/h plowing speed may be a wee bit slow ? should be up around 8km/h or 5 mp/h ?

Looking forward to the next field, it started to rain so I figured Id stop and get some more advice before round 2

let me know if you think my "fixes" for next time are on the right track , Thanks!!