Look what I found! (long...but interesting)

[Perdido]

You can also try one of the older Hardware stores in your area, I am not talking about the chain stores, but the ones that have been in the family for a couple of generation. I have found all of my bolts, nuts, etc from one of these and with a 1958 dexta I am always looking. Most of my equipment is over 40 yrs old also.

 

[Z-Michigan]

That plow looks just right for your L4400. If anything I would think you could pull a 3-14 in light soil conditions.

Well, it is sort of community property now. My B-I-L didn't actually give it to me, he just said anyone who wants to can use it.

The good thing is that it does have shear bolts behind each one of the shanks that the moldboard is attached to. They look a little too small. However, I hit some rocks, an old stump (which it snatched out of the ground) as well as that real hard clay several times without breaking them. So hopefully if he gets to going along at a good clip in the 65hp tractor and hits a rock that won't move, the shear bolts will keep it from getting too much damage.

Idea: before you loan the plow, replace the shear pins with some really weak ones. Mention to the JD5400 guy that there are shear pins, and give him some extras (also weak) to have on hand in case he breaks one. When he calls up and says he's breaking them left and right, tell him his tractor must be too big and he had better not damage your nice useful plow. Problem solved.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

That sticker looks just like the J Bar sticker on my dirt scoop.

I have a 2 bottom plow very similar to that one,
except I believe it is a Big Bee brand.
If the J Bar parts will interchange then
I now know where to get parts for it.
I'm close enough to drive to Trion GA.

J Bar Farm Equipment

Pooh Bear

 

[Glowplug]

Idea: before you loan the plow, replace the shear pins with some really weak ones. Mention to the JD5400 guy that there are shear pins, and give him some extras (also weak) to have on hand in case he breaks one. When he calls up and says he's breaking them left and right, tell him his tractor must be too big and he had better not damage your nice useful plow. Problem solved.

That is brilliant!! Sneaky, but brilliant. I LIKE IT!!!

 

[scott_vt]

This plow will do that as well. On the first pic you can see that it has a sort of set screw that holds the plow frame in position along its drawbar. There is a fair amount of left to right adjustment. However, these bolts are rusted solid and it screws into a square nut that is held in place by the frame. I am afraid I won't be able to find replacement nuts and bolts for it, so it may end up locked into that postion.

Afternoon George,
I looked at the picture you posted too quickly ! I see the adjustment now ! Start by soaking it every day with Liquid Wrench or whatever your favorite juice is. After a few days of that get yourself a big wrench and a torch, youll get it apart. If not, grind it off and redrill and tap. Its a shame not to have that adjustment, that is unless its positioned perfectly for your tractor now !

 

[scott_vt]

That is brilliant!! Sneaky, but brilliant. I LIKE IT!!!

Afternoon Chuck,
I agree, I think Z is onto something !!!

 

[N80]

Idea: before you loan the plow, replace the shear pins with some really weak ones. Mention to the JD5400 guy that there are shear pins, and give him some extras (also weak) to have on hand in case he breaks one. When he calls up and says he's breaking them left and right, tell him his tractor must be too big and he had better not damage your nice useful plow. Problem solved.

That is brilliant...but there are two problems. First, it is as much his as it is mine. Like I say, it is community property now. I wish I was the only one freeloading on my brother-in-law, but I'm just one of many!

Second, after he breaks a few shear pins, I'm afraid he'd find some bolts that wouldn't shear at all.

In any case, its out of my hands.

What I'd really like to do is offer to do all the plowing of the new dove field and let him follow behind me with his heavy disk. That way, he doesn't break the plow and I get invited to the dove hunt too! I would get invited anyway, but you know what, plowing is fun. I have no idea why, and I'm sure if you do it for a living it might be miserable, but I like it.

 

[weldingisfun]

Afternoon George,
I looked at the picture you posted too quickly ! I see the adjustment now ! Start by soaking it every day with Liquid Wrench or whatever your favorite juice is. After a few days of that get yourself a big wrench and a torch, youll get it apart. If not, grind it off and redrill and tap. Its a shame not to have that adjustment, that is unless its positioned perfectly for your tractor now !

This sounds like the perfect project for the candle wax technique.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/88697-repair-mechanic-tricks-tips-3.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/108127-penetrating-oils.html#post1230106

What have you got to lose?

 

[scott_vt]

This sounds like the perfect project for the candle wax technique.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/88697-repair-mechanic-tricks-tips-3.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/108127-penetrating-oils.html#post1230106

What have you got to lose?

Mornin Lee,
Yes I remember seeing that post sometime ago and never tried it ! I think George (N80) would be a nice enough to try that on those stubborn bolts for all the observers here !

 

[N80]

Well, I'm not going to do anything unless I'm sure I can get the right kind of replacement bolts/nuts. But when I do, I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

[scott_vt]

Well, I'm not going to do anything unless I'm sure I can get the right kind of replacement bolts/nuts. But when I do, I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Mornin George,
Well if you know someone that owns a set of calipers, and there are enough threads showing to see if they are coarse or fine thread, we can figure out what you have. Most likely they are standard bolts, that piece isnt old enough for it to have any mongrel bolts on it IMO !

 

[Danno1]

.

McMaster Carr sells square nuts. Plow bolts too.

.

 

[N80]

McMaster Carr sells square nuts. Plow bolts too.

I didn't think about them, but I should have. They have everything else!

I'm going to do like you guys said and soak these nuts and bolts for a while. (They're already soaking in WD-40 but I'll get something better on them this weekend If I can get them off without tearing them up, I'll look around and see if I can find matching stuff. There is actually a small fastener manufacturing plant near here that says they will do custom stuff, so if I hit a dead end, I'll check with them. Of course they may have minimun orders in the thousands!.

Here is another thing that is curious. On both this plow and the middlebuster (they came from the same place) the top link attachment point is splayed out. The top link pin is barely able to bridge it. I wonder what would have done this?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Here is another thing that is curious. On both this plow and the middlebuster (they came from the same place) the top link attachment point is splayed out. The top link pin is barely able to bridge it. I wonder what would have done this?

A Cat 2 toplink ball maybe?
larry

 

[Mike058]

PB Blaster is terrific for rusted or seized parts.

I'm going to do like you guys said and soak these nuts and bolts for a while. (They're already soaking in WD-40 but I'll get something better on them this weekend If I can get them off without tearing them up, I'll look around and see if I can find matching stuff. There is actually a small fastener manufacturing plant near here that says they will do custom stuff, so if I hit a dead end, I'll check with them. Of course they may have minimun orders in the thousands!.

 

[Glowplug]

PB Blaster is terrific for rusted or seized parts.

I agree. PB Blaster is in a league of its own when it comes to freeing rusted frozen parts. Other products MAY be able to get the job done but none like PB Blaster.

 

[N80]

I'll give it a try. I'm going down there in a few hours.

 

[N80]

Here's a little update. First, I have not bothered trying to fix this plow up. Its working fine as is and to get all the necessary bolts off would require a lot of work (PB Blaster and friends did not help) and this plow really isn't nice enough to spend any money on.

But, I did find one thing out. If you look at the pics at the beginning of this post you'll see a close up of a figure stamped into the back of the moldboard. As you can see the words in it are unreadable and the symbol was not familiar to me. Well, this weekend I was driving to the mountains and stopped at a tractor place in Shelby, NC. The guy had tons of rusty junk out front. Even had a single bottom plow exactly like the one in this post. He had several older single bottom plows that looked like the good old ones but they had all been broken and cobbled together with other stuff. Anyway, we talked to the old guy for a good while and as we were pulling out of the lot he came out and handed me a parts catalog from Temco. In it there are plow parts made by Crescent. And on one of the colums was that same little symbol and it is for Crescent Forge and Shovel Company in Havanna, IL! So at least that little mystery is solved. The company does not have a website but they are apparently still in business.

 

[Glowplug]

That sounds like an excellent lead!
BTW, I was in Shelby on Friday the 19th!