JD 15 Moldboard Plow

[bigtiller]

Someone near me has one of these plows for sale and is advertised as a 15 inch plow. Is this correct? Also, what size tractor was this plow made for?

 

[dieselalles]

Above is a JD 15 Moldboard.

Let me take a stab at this. The most common size for a moldboard plow is a 14", less common is the moldboard with a 16" bottom. The 16" bottom plow has a 2" longer cutting edge, making it a little harder to pull. In non-compacted soil, a 32 HP tractor can handle a 2-16" bottom plow with no problem. In harder soil, a 2-14" would be a better fit. Just double the bottoms for a 64 HP tractor, or half it for a 16 HP tractor.

Just a comparison of soil types, in the cornfields of Illinois, a 90 HP tractor can handle a 6-16" bottom semi-mounted plow pretty good. In West Tennessee, that same arrangement would make for a hard pull. 5-16" or 5-14" would be a better choice. So soil types make a difference.

So the JD 15 with a 15" bottom is in between and a 16+ HP tractor should be able to handle it.

Things to look for on the plow...

1. Is the moldboard attached solid to the frame? If there's no shear pin or trip mechanism, make sure the plow isn't warped.
2. Look for broken welds or parts that have been welded back on. This tells you if it has had a hard life.
3. Wear and tear on the moldboard cutting edge and the face of the moldboard plow. Look down the edge of the cutting edge, is it concave in shape?
4. Wear and tear on the coulter. Are the bearings in good shape? Are the coulter teeth worn down? Shouldn't be any play when you grasp the coulter and try to wiggle it from side to side.
5. All the parts there? Also be sure the runner behind the moldboard is intact.

Wear and tear (#3 and #4) can be fixed if everything else is solid. If there is wear it should be priced accordingly. But a warped plow is scrap. It won't plow worth a darn.

 

[dieselalles]

I eye-balled that plow pretty close and seriously doubt it's a 15" moldboard. Looking at it, I'd say it's probably a 12" moldboard. And I looked for specs for that plow but never could find any. A physical inspection would tell all.

 

[BATTY54]

How do you measure a plow, by the length of the cutting edge?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Those plows were built primarily for compact/subcompacts. From what I recall, it'll be a 12" "light draft" plow (approx. 6" depth of cut) . They are not trip beams if memory is correct. Plows are measured by width of cut. Length of share doesn't indicate plow size. There was a thread running recently in "attachments" that has a link to an older thread about measuring plow width. In that thread, I posted a few pictures on how to measure width of cut. (I'm at work now and don't have access to my photo file or I'd post those pictures here)

They weren't an "option laden" plow. I don't recall them being available with coulters. It's a basic, simple low profile plow for smaller tractors. From the picture, it doesn't appear to be worn excessively. It should make a great garden plow. Not something I'd want to light into plowing a 40 acre field with, but OK for smaller plots. I would think any tractor with 18 to 20 hp would handle it with ease.

I would think that plow is a fairly scarce item. At anything like a reasonable price, it's a real find.

 

[kvjohndeere]

Someone near me has one of these plows for sale and is advertised as a 15 inch plow. Is this correct? Also, what size tractor was this plow made for?

Here is A picture of my John Deere 12" single moldboard Plow It is awesome !http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x247/kvjohndeere/100_0529.jpg

 

[BATTY54]

Thanks for the info on measuring, nice job on the pics "Farmwithjunk".

I will have to use a couple of boards for straight edges to measure the size on my single bottom. I think someone replaced the 14" with a 16" bottom. It is an old little wonder plow I picked up at an auction.

My JD 850 MFWD turned my garden into a battlefield because it does not have draft control like my old 9N Ford had. The plow would start digging in too far when the front tire went over a lump of dirt from a previous furrow then start scalloping more with every pass. I would have to start a new furrow every 8-10 passes the plow would actually be riding an inch or so below the surface then dive in to stall out the tractor.