Ford 101. 14" 3 bottom - question about operating

[pharmvet]

I scored a nice Ford 101 14" 3 bottom plow with vaulters and auto trip mechanism. I took it to my local Ford dealership today to order some shins, shares, etc. my dealer (old man who has been in the business for many years) was very helpful and informative. In the process of explaining how to set it up and run it, he asked me what I planned to pull it with. I told him my ford 7710II. He said the tractor would have no trouble pulling it, but that the tractors wheel spacing might cause me to have a strip of unplowed ground with each pass. He mentioned that the rt rear wheel would ride in the furrow of the previous pass and that the plow might leave a strip because the first plow might be too far to the left. Can anyone comment on this? Is there a chance my 7710 will work well with this plow or was it designed for a smaller tractor with more narrow wheels?

 

[orangeandgreen]

Your plow was designed for a tractor with narrower wheel spacing than your 7710. We used to have to move the left wheel in for plowing with the old JD 125 , it was a tricycle 3010. When we traded for a JD 1250, it was made for the wider wheel spacing and we didn't have to move the wheel any more.

 

[pharmvet]

Orange and green---that's what I was afraid of! .

1) what would you consider the optimal "Ford" tractor to pull this plow?

2) what would you consider the optimal plow for my 7710?

Thanks

 

[RickB]

Great plow for a 3000/3600/3610. or a 4000/4600/4610/4630 at about the most. You should match 4-16" s or 4-18' s with your 7710. A semi mount plow would be the easiest to find and set up "here". Matching tractor & plow brand is unimportant. Find a plow that you can buy parts for and has a reputation for doing a good job. IH and any of the plows built by White and sold as White, Case, or Ford would be high on my list. The last Deere built plows that were any good were made in the 1960's IMHO.

 

[pharmvet]

Rick. Thanks for the info. I recently got my 7710 paid off and have been considering the purchase of a smaller tractor for trail shredding as well as for use with this new plow and my 4 row 71 flex planter. Of those models you listed (3000 and 4000) series, do you have a favorite? Was there one model that is especially well liked or has a following (like the JD 4020)? Lol

 

[RickB]

4610 or 4630 with the optional two pump hydraulic system and deluxe remote valves. 2WD or MFD as you prefer. MFD preference would be a 30 series as it has fully hydrostatic steering. 3910 or 3930 same tractors with less HP will do fine as well.

 

[CanadianMike]

That plow will work with your tractor width (76.9 inches according to tractordata.com).

I have my rear outside tire width at 75" for (mowing ditches) and pull a MF 3x 14".

You just need to shift your hitch to the right a bit. I cut 2x14" and one 15-16" furrow and it flips it no problem even at a crawl in virgin ground.

Shifting the plow to the side skews the plow shears a bit, this might not be the perfectionist's way of doing things but it works surprisingly well.

Off-setting the hitch to the right makes the tractor pull to the left but putting the front tire in the furrow counter-acts this.

I struggle to pull this combo with my machine but you have more power, weight and R1s and will be fine.

Throw your plow on, shift it all the way to the right and measure the width from the outside of the first (right most) shear to the inside of the right rear tire, what do you get?

 

[jeff9366]

FARMWITHJUNK was the resident plow guru before poor health ended his posting.

Here is his wisdom on moldboard plows and plow setup:

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