Plough buying advice

[marimus]

Hi guys.
I'm wanting to buy a plough of some description for cheap. I have found a couple close to me (pictured below) but I don't know which would be best for what I want. They are both the same money ($330). I want it to convert some pasture into a small vegetable plot.

I put some watermelons in last week by using my single tyne ripper with multiple passes, I then pushed the grass to one end using my FEL and spent an hour with my little 2stroke cultivator. I only found 1 rock with the cultivator, so I don't think there are too many rocks in the area (although you never know right!)

Anyway, which of these do you guys think would be best for my intended use? If they are both going to suck, let me know that too (and why)


Thanks,

Cran

 

[CharlieTR]

I think you may find the one on the left (near wall) more common.
It is a good old fashioned Moldboard, I am not sure about the one on the right. It looks like round disks from that picture. If you want to turn over the soil I think the one on the left will do better.

From what I am told the moldboard is the hardest and most time consuming implement to hook up and then use. There are instructions on the internet and some members here can tell you how to do it good. You will want to know some of the details before you buy. One trick I read is to set the rear left tractor wheel on a six inch tall block before hitching the plow.

 

[Jerome]

On this topic how much horse power per plow share do you need????

 

[Grrrr]

I think the one on the right is a disc plow. It will do a similar job to a moldboard, I think they were more often used in sandy soils. It will break the soil up more.

I would go with the good old moldboard plow though. It is the tried and tested design and probably the easies of plows to use.

I am not quite sure about the plough you show in the picture though as it looks a pretty old and complicated design to me. You might want to think about getting something a bit less complicated (less levers) and a bit more modern.

What sort of tractor are you going to be pulling this with. They look to be pretty solid ploughs and I would think you are going to need some umph to pull the moldboard one with three shares.

On this topic how much horse power per plow share do you need????

I think the general rule of thumb was 10 - 15 HP per plough share. I think at one times tractors were referred to by how many plough shares they could pull.

 

[marimus]

I think the one on the right is a disc plow. It will do a similar job to a moldboard, I think they were more often used in sandy soils. It will break the soil up more.

I would go with the good old moldboard plow though. It is the tried and tested design and probably the easies of plows to use.

I am not quite sure about the plough you show in the picture though as it looks a pretty old and complicated design to me. You might want to think about getting something a bit less complicated (less levers) and a bit more modern.

What sort of tractor are you going to be pulling this with. They look to be pretty solid ploughs and I would think you are going to need some umph to pull the moldboard one with three shares.



I think the general rule of thumb was 10 - 15 HP per plough share. I think at one times tractors were referred to by how many plough shares they could pull.

I will be pulling with my 75HP 4WD New Holland.

I don't want or need anything really modern, unless you guys can tell me that there is something actually wrong with buying an old plough, more modern means more $$$.

Regarding adjustments, I actually thought that it would be better than one without...

Cran

 

[D7E]

Board plough will do a neater job and with 75 hp you could handle a 4 furrow and if you mean 75 pto hp maybe even a 5 ,Depending on soil type and depth.
I've done 000's of acres with a 4 furrow on a jd 2130 and a 5 on a ford 7000/7600 ?

 

[marimus]

Board plough will do a neater job and with 75 hp you could handle a 4 furrow and if you mean 75 pto hp maybe even a 5 ,Depending on soil type and depth.
I've done 000's of acres with a 4 furrow on a jd 2130 and a 5 on a ford 7000/7600 ?

I'm not sure, but I think the NH is rated 64 pto hp.

Thanks for your post.

Cran

 

[Gizmo36]

I use them all the time , with the disk you can go as deep as you want it will be more of a rough cut then the moldboard . the disk will last longer and you will always be able to get them.I did 10a with the moldboard last week. It was sanded .and I did 5a with the disk plow because it had a lot of clay in it. but if I only had one I would want the disk plow ever time. and if you have a water you need to turn the disk is the best. it takes more HP for the disk but you have a enough. so it would be the best .

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Both look old. I THINK that's an old Randsome (sp) moldboard plow. (VERY rare to see a mounted plow with a gauge wheel in this country) Parts may still be available in certain parts of the planet. None to be had in the US. Disc plow parts are all but non-existant anymore, especially on the oldies. If you plan on using either for bigger acreage, or continued use, I'd look for something just a little more current.

In the US, disc plows had a limited market. In SOME areas, in SOME conditions they were fairly popular, but they never caught on for widespread use. They just didn't fit the majority of US markets. Moldboard plows, then in later years, chisel plows were much more common.

Not knowing your soil conditions, nor the "local customs", I'd just be speculating, but me personally, I'd stay with the moldboard plow.

 

[Gizmo36]

I don't know about getting parts for all of then .but I can get parts for my JD disk plow any time at the JD dealer.

 

[diyDave]

Those old disc-plows have a place. Their niche is plowing new ground, where you don't know where the rocks and roots are. They can be a real hassle to get parts for, if it's not a big name brand. They also use less horsepower per bottom to pull. Some things to look for: brand ID, diameter of disc, bearing looseness, tail wheel center spine wear, and the missing disc scrapers. When properly maintained, these plows will plow every bit as good as a moldboard plow, plus they will cut right through a 3 inch tree root!

 

[D7E]

Both look old. I THINK that's an old Randsome (sp) moldboard plow. (VERY rare to see a mounted plow with a gauge wheel in this country) Parts may still be available in certain parts of the planet. None to be had in the US. Disc plow parts are all but non-existant anymore, especially on the oldies. If you plan on using either for bigger acreage, or continued use, I'd look for something just a little more current.

Not knowing your soil conditions, nor the "local customs", I'd just be speculating, but me personally, I'd stay with the moldboard plow.

This plough looks to have a 1 piece share ? I'm not familiar with any ransomes that did , Maybe in us they had different setup .
If it is a ransomes i'd buy it ..very user friendly and a favourite among competition ploughmen and can do a beautiful job ?
But ideally a newer plough would be better, KVERNLAND ?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

This plough looks to have a 1 piece share ? I'm not familiar with any ransomes that did , Maybe in us they had different setup .
If it is a ransomes i'd buy it ..very user friendly and a favourite among competition ploughmen and can do a beautiful job ?
But ideally a newer plough would be better, KVERNLAND ?

I've got a book laying around here somewhere about comp. ploughing in England. There's a picture of a Ransome plow that looks almost identical to the one in the original post.

At first glance, it looked "Massey Ferguson" with the exception of that gauge wheel. Who knows? Paint color can have a strong influence on opinion. Who's to say it was always red?

I also have an old sales brochure on Ransome plows (somewhere?) It shows about 20 different styles of bottoms available back in the early 1950's.