Mouldboard plowing wth CUT

[sjhulsmn]

I recently saw a Craigslist ad listing a Dearborn (sp?) 3 point 2 bottom mouldboard plow. The plow does not have any wheels - just the frame, 2 bottoms and coulters. Asking price is $450. The paint is rough and the mouldboards are rusty. The plow looks straight and is complete with coulters. I am guessing the mouldboards are either 12" or 14" in size. I think the unit could be cleaned up pretty well. My 2 questions are: What do you think is a fair price for this plow? Could either a JD 1070 or cab JD 3720 pull this plow without too much difficulty?

Both tractors are 4WD and both have unloaded turf tires. My soil is basically sandy loam with 6-12 inches topsoil and the land is relatively flat. There are a lot of rocks from tennis ball to basketball size and the occassional big 500+ pound rock just below the surface. Thanks for any input.

 

[beenthere]

Should be able to pul that plow with those tractors. Traction may be a problem but tire weight can be added as well as proper adjustment for ground engagement will be important.
Lacking on one or both tractors may be draft control. This is important so the3 ph will lift slightly if the pull exceeds traction capability. Loss of traction causes spin out which drops the tire and also drops the plow deeper. If you have to manually lift the 3 ph to compensate, plowing can be a pain trying to find that sweet spot manually.
Just saying, as you may not enjoy plowing with these two tractors if they are not equipped. But getting them to plow well is very satisfying too.
Search on mouldboard plows (also moldboard) on TBN as there has been discussion in the past along with pics and how-to set up and adjust these plows.

Does the Dearborn plow (good plows by the way) have a land wheel that runs in the fresh furrow?

 

[Reg]

Somewhere else on this forum you can find setting instructions for spacing your rear wheels so that the right hand one plops down nicely into the previous furrow.
I think you should chase those threads down first and then figure if your right hand rear tire can be spaced out far enough for a 2 bottom plough.
A member who posts under the user name "Farmwithjunk" has written quite extensively on this and if anything he says about ploughing disagrees with what others have said.... I would think it through and if still in doubt don't believe the other guy (-:

My first guess is that turf tires on a compact tractor won't have enough space between the inner sidewall of the right side rear tire and the centerline - BICBW.

 

[beenthere]

If the Dearborn plow is not the economy model, then it should have the crossbar that allows adjustment to place the plow in the correct path behind the tractor. If like some of the newer plows, they can come without that adjustment possibility.

Here is a pic of a Dearborn plow.
Plowing Instructions For The DEARBORN MOLDBOARD PLOW

 

[sweettractors]

Before you plow, setup your tractor so you have 23 1/2" from the center of the tractor drawbar to the inside right rear tire. 25" for 2-14" plows and 27" for 16" plows. Ken Sweet

 

[Reg]

Before you plow, setup your tractor so you have 23 1/2" from the center of the tractor drawbar to the inside right rear tire. 25" for 2-14" plows and 27" for 16" plows. Ken Sweet

Thanks Ken,
I had forgotten that you also respond to these questions (-:

I was trying to say that a compact with turfs probably isn't going to HAVE 47 inches between its inner sidewalls - axle too short, tires too wide.
So it becomes a crab ? (-:

 

[sunnyside360]

Both tractors are 4WD and both have unloaded turf tires. My soil is basically sandy loam with 6-12 inches topsoil and the land is relatively flat. There are a lot of rocks from tennis ball to basketball size and the occasional big 500+ pound rock just below the surface. Thanks for any input.

I'm familiar with the 3720 cab with loaded R4 tires since I own one. I cannot make it work with the 2 bottom Ferguson plow I have due to traction. Power is not a problem.

Also, years ago I had a 45 hp Massey Ferguson 4WD cut with loaded turf tires (5000 lbs?). This also had difficulty handling the same 2 bottom plow due to traction. Again no problem with power.

Soil conditions is a big factor. My soil is similar to yours except I don't have 500 lbs rocks. Biggest rocks I have is maybe 10 - 15 lbs -- not many of them.

 

[sjhulsmn]

Thanks everyone. Just the kind of info I needed. Think I'll pass on the plowing idea. Using a 3 point tiller looks like a better option to me at this time.

 

[beenthere]

Amen to that.

 

[flusher]

I recently saw a Craigslist ad listing a Dearborn (sp?) 3 point 2 bottom mouldboard plow. The plow does not have any wheels - just the frame, 2 bottoms and coulters. Asking price is $450. The paint is rough and the mouldboards are rusty. The plow looks straight and is complete with coulters. I am guessing the mouldboards are either 12" or 14" in size. I think the unit could be cleaned up pretty well. My 2 questions are: What do you think is a fair price for this plow? Could either a JD 1070 or cab JD 3720 pull this plow without too much difficulty?

Both tractors are 4WD and both have unloaded turf tires. My soil is basically sandy loam with 6-12 inches topsoil and the land is relatively flat. There are a lot of rocks from tennis ball to basketball size and the occassional big 500+ pound rock just below the surface. Thanks for any input.

With that thin topsoil, I'd use an offset disc as the primary tillage implement. You don't want to flip the soil with a moldboard plow and bury the good stuff and bring the bad stuff to the surface.

Here's the disc I use on my gravely loam soil that is pretty thin ~6-10 inches of good soil over clay. It's an old 6.5 ft wide Towner offset disc with 20-inch dia pans. The white things are concrete weights (120 lb each) to get the disc to bite better.



I use a tire drag behind the disc to bust up the clods and level the field as I go.



You need to pull discs like this at 5-6 mph. My "puller" is a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, power steering, gear tranny 8F/2R)



Good luck

 

[sunnyside360]

Thanks everyone. Just the kind of info I needed. Think I'll pass on the plowing idea. Using a 3 point tiller looks like a better option to me at this time.

Rotary tiller should work well. This is what I use for gardening and wild game food plots. Just have to go slow and easy. I've broken a few tines when going too fast and striking rocks.

 

[5030]

I second the disc if your topsoil layer is light. The tiller will also upend the soil and bring up what's underneath plus it pulverizes too much and, it's power intensive.

Get yourself a good used disc and be happy.

 

[sunnyside360]

Hmmm, here is my actual experience with the two discs I have -- one eight foot 3ph fairly new and an older twelve foot transport disc in very good condition. There is no way either disc is better than the rototiller in my soil. I can control the depth on my rototiller so depth control is not a problem. Actually, I'm thinking about selling the two discs because I never use them any more. No more farming here on this old 300 acre farm, just keep the fields mowed and sell some hay. That is my experience with the soil here and it may be different in other soil.

Also, I doubt very much if your 3720 with unloaded turf tires has the traction to pull a disc.

 

[foggy1111]

A little report on plowing with my Dearborn "Economy" 2 bottom plow (economy meaning throw-away lathes). When I bought mine, the tag said it was 2x14's....but it turned out to be 2x16" bottoms. Ouch. I had a 790 JD with R1 tires at the time (30 hp engine) and it pulled the plow fairly well in sandy loam soils in 4WD using the diff lock. But it was all the tractor could do...and at times I would spin the tires.

Later I traded up to a 3320 and this tractor handles the plow very well....even with R4 industrial tires. I could have wished for 14" bottoms....but I handled the 16's OK on my land. I would not have bought the plow had I measured the bottoms first. 16" bottoms pull significantly harder than 14". I did not plow very deep and I doubt I could pull this plow in clay or tough soil conditons. I did not have rocks to contend with.

Unfortunaely, I only have a few inches of good top soil....and moldboard plowing only serves to put my good soil down. I quickly gave up the practice of plowing and went to my disc and tiller to prep my soils.

I resold my Dearborn plow for $475. as I had no use for it. It was in top condition.