Have a Ford 3 f plow. Replaced the points on it but am having major problems with the furrows not flipping over in damp soil. Have set up the plow as suggested with the left side of tractor on a block and leveling the plow. Have tried driving faster-no luck.The furrow will flip over if I plow quite deep but because soil is damp I want to only plow approx 5-6" deep. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.g
You mention it being a 3-bottom plow.....What width bottoms?
As a rule of thumb, many (including Ford 101 bottoms) are generally designed to be operated at a depth of 1/2 their width. (ie 12" bottoms, 6" deep. 14" bottoms, 7" deep, ect...) You can get away with a slight variation from that rule, but not by much. (Of course, conditions can dictate the final "best depth") "Back in the day" most plow manufacturers offered options such as "semi-deep draft" and deep draft bottoms for plowing deeper than that "1/2 the width" rule. Staying relatively close to "spec" is MOST critical when plowing sod.
The moldboards found on the majority of Ford 101 plows were designed to plow at speeds of (between) 4 to 5 mph. Faster (by a small bit) is better than slower in this case.
Also, plows need to operate at correct plane.. (level front to rear/side to side) If the plow is used with the slightest "nose down attitude", they'll tend to bob up and down, (porpoise) not roll the furrow slice correctly, and pull with quite a bit more resistence. The point being "nose down" will suck the plow into the ground farther, then a combination of factors (properly working draft control, traction available, soil structure, ect,) will result in the plow raising to a shallower operating depth. Inconsistant depth will result in changing results as far as consistancy of how the furrow slice rolls....
Look at different brands of plow....The moldboards will have SOME difference in contour, but generally speaking, plows of different brands, yet from the same era usually have a shape that is close to the same. (with John Deere moldboards showing the MOST variation from other brands....Deere plow I've used in the past weren't exceptionally gifted at plowing sod....My experience with them is they only roll sod about 90 degrees, leaving it on edge, unless you plow at break-neck speeds)) There is a narrow "window" of what works and what doesn't work so well. With a plow running (even slightly) "nose down", you throw the plow bottom's geometry off (in effect, RAISING the rear end of the moldboard relative to the leading edge of the plow) . The results may vary slightly, but you'll usually see the negative results in the form of a furrow slice that doesn't roll correctly.
Most "American" style plows weren't designed to flip dirt 180 degrees. They were actually designed to turn dirt about 125/130 degrees. In soils of decent tilth, it will turn well at those angles, usually burying surface trash. In sod, you'll get an incomplete burying of the "green". Once upon a time, plows were sold with bottoms (as an option) that were intended to plow in existing sod. They are somewhat different shape than a standard duty bottom. Adding "cover boards" (aka "trash boards") to a plow will net much better results in sod OR in conditions where there's a good deal of surface trash (ie crop residue)
And finally, there's times where plows just don't do a consistant job of rolling dirt. THat's generally a result of soil conditions, what sort of root mass that sod hands you, and soil moisture. Wet, heavy soils just don't plow well in all instances.
I hope SOMETHING here helps.... You may just be a victim of "soil circumstances". Bottom line is, play around with depth, leveling adjustments, and speed. Note changes and apply them for best overall results. And keep in mind plowing is as much a "black art" as it is a skill. Takes practice......and experience
