GRAVELY ROTARY PLOW

[JWD1312]

Could someone post a couple pic's of the plow blade, I'm thinking a building a rotary plow for my TPH. Also what would the rpm be of the blade. THANKS

 

[bobodu]

Here ya go
A manual and IPL can be downloaded free here.
Gravely Garden Equipment
I can't give to a definate RPM.I vary depending on conditions.Faster is better but I wouldn't exceed 600 rpm.
There is nothing on Earth like a rotary plow!!

 

[RalphVa]

Here's a somewhat grainy pic (photo scanned in before I got my digital camera) of my rotary plow after I repainted it.

That bucket between the plow and tractor is what the PTO end of the plow is sitting on. It wasn't bolted up to the tractor in the picture.

It's a great machine for breaking new ground that has grass on it. Wish they made one that would go on my JD PTO. Actually, wish they had a pair of them with variable spacing run off the PTO.

I've never checked the rpm. Think it's around 1,000 in low range.

Ralph

 

[slowrev]

I wonder why someone does not gang about 5 of the rotary plows together and have something better than a tiller for your tractor ?

Ben

 

[Farwell]

Gravely made some real good products. My dad had one when I was a kid that was a pull belt start and I remember it almost giving me a heart attack getting it started but when it started it would out work most other brands ten to one in the type of things we used it for.
Farwell

 

[53gravely]

Here's the only pisc I got....gravely sits 3 hours away.

If you ever have the (dis)pleasure of sod bustin' with a gravely and a rotary plow DON'T GET YOUR BODY BETWEEN THE HANDLES....take it from me. I've busted ribs twice with the old beast. When she hits a rock she kicks like a mule....nasty buggar.

 

[53gravely]

5 and a half awnry horses.....

 

[RalphVa]

That's a neat chisel plow getup for the Gravely.

Here's mine on my JD 4010, from an old JD M soil ripper converted to 3 ph.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Here's what I used to replace the rotary plow for making raised rows.

Ralph

 

[wfoltz]

Does someone have any pictures of how the rotary plow can be hooked up to the 16G tractor?

 

[whistlepig]

I have used a rotary plow. Something that doesn't look like it would work until you use one. I think these were made just to fit Gravely walk behind tractors and won't fit the riding tractors.

 

[RichardTX]

While the rotary plow can be used on a 4 wheeled Gravely, the cost for all the parts and pieces is prohibitive. You could buy one or more good 12hp two wheeled tractors for what the parts will cost.

Richard

 

[RichardTX]

Sod busting isn't a big deal with the rotary plow on a two wheeler. I plowed two good sized gardens this fall in preparation for spring. Not once did I even bruise myself. I pulled rocks over 14" long out. One rock was bigger than a basketball. I had to dig that one out as well as a couple of others. There were liternally several dozen rocks i pulled out of the two gardens. The trick to it is not to plow fast or deep at first. My 5665 was barely over an idle and in low-low. It just flipped those rocks over and onto the ground. THere were a few rocks it could not handle and it mosty bucked but didn't twist or yank as a rule. The buried PVC pipe that got wrapped around the plow was another matter.

I am not saying that bruising your ribs could not happen but it didn't happen to me and hasn't in all the years that I have been plowing. Maybe I have been using the rotary plow for far too many years and know that one has to be reactive to it....not proactive. Being proactive will usually mean fighting the machine. Just let it go. It will take care of itself. If it pulls to one side or the other consistently, then the angle of the plow needs to be tweaked. It does not matter if the tracor hits a rock and starts heading off in a differnet direction. That will get fixed later when you cultivate.

Anyway, here is a picture of a Gravely four wheeler with rotary plow.

 

[whistlepig]

Sod busting isn't a big deal with the rotary plow on a two wheeler. I plowed two good sized gardens this fall in preparation for spring. Not once did I even bruise myself. I pulled rocks over 14" long out. One rock was bigger than a basketball. I had to dig that one out as well as a couple of others. There were liternally several dozen rocks i pulled out of the two gardens. The trick to it is not to plow fast or deep at first. My 5665 was barely over an idle and in low-low. It just flipped those rocks over and onto the ground. THere were a few rocks it could not handle and it mosty bucked but didn't twist or yank as a rule. The buried PVC pipe that got wrapped around the plow was another matter.

I am not saying that bruising your ribs could not happen but it didn't happen to me and hasn't in all the years that I have been plowing. Maybe I have been using the rotary plow for far too many years and know that one has to be reactive to it....not proactive. Being proactive will usually mean fighting the machine. Just let it go. It will take care of itself. If it pulls to one side or the other consistently, then the angle of the plow needs to be tweaked. It does not matter if the tracor hits a rock and starts heading off in a differnet direction. That will get fixed later when you cultivate.

Anyway, here is a picture of a Gravely four wheeler with rotary plow.

Good post! I don't know how you found that old picture and got it on here but that's about as clear a picture of a rotary plow working that one could want.

 

[RichardTX]

I remembered that picture from an advertising booklet back when Gravely published it back about 1970. At the time I thought that the rotary plow mounted on a 4 wheeler was about as cool a thing as I ever saw. For years I lusted after a setup like that. Now that I am older and wiser I realize why it isn't a great idea. A far better setup is a 12 hp two wheeler. You can almost idle along and bust sod.

Anyway, once I found the PDF of the flyer at Old Gravelys, I took a screen shot of the picture, copied into MS paint, cropped it, saved it as a JPG and put it on my website. Not the best resolution, but it works.

For those that have never seen a rotary plow, it is likely the goofiest thing you ever saw. Even after seeing it in action, it really doesn't help in figuring out how it works. It is almost magical how it tills the soil. The principle behind the plow is actually fairly simple. What the spinning blades do is slice the earth into about 1/4" slices and then tosses it to one side. It cuts up the soil and sod into small bits and if you have the right soil, that is all you really need to do prior to planting. I prefer to take it one set further and cultivate the soil afterwards. With the right soil, you wind up with dirt that is so well prepared and fluffy that you literally sink to your ankles when you step in it.

 

[FlaDon]

I have used a rotary plow. Something that doesn't look like it would work until you use one. I think these were made just to fit Gravely walk behind tractors and won't fit the riding tractors.

Just about any attachment that can be put on a Gravely 2-wheeler can and was used on a Gravely 4-wheel L&GT of that time period.

 

[whistlepig]

Just about any attachment that can be put on a Gravely 2-wheeler can and was used on a Gravely 4-wheel L&GT of that time period.

That was my error. I shouldn't have made the statement that the rotary plow wouldn't fit the tractors with out researching it. I enjoy these Gravely posts. I presently own a 16-G. Before that a 8163-G. If anything happens to my 16-G I'll look for another good used Gravely.

 

[gravelymay]

Here is a picture of a plow set up for drilling holes.
in a slow tractor race