Setting up a moldboard plow

[plot man]

I have just finished restoring a ford 101 and have searched and read all I can find about set up. I believe I have got everything figured, but I have one question.

Should the top link on the tractor be horizontally centered when set? I am thinking no because if I center the top link then the plow will not be pulling straight behind the tractor.

I set the plow last night by adjusting the lift arms horizontally and got it close to the correct measurement to the inside of the tire and I had a straight pull but the top link on the tractor was right of center.

 

[plot man]

Oh, and hello. I have been a member here for a while and just realized this was my 1st. real post.
Great informative site and looks like a bunch of great people willing to help out when ever they can.

 

[ovrszd]

Hmmmm..... I would say the top link should be pulling straight off the tractor. But if you are saying you have the plow cutting the correct width measuring at the front shear and with the tractor tire in the previous furrow and the top link is pulling at an angle that might indicate your tractor wheel setting might not match the plow's requirement. Did that make sense?

In other words if you have a 14" plow it should be making a 14" cut with the front shear. You would correct that setting by adjusting the plow's drawbar horizontally to move the plow right or left until you get the correct measurement. Then the plow should be pulling centered on the tractor.

But,,,, if the tractor's furrow rear wheel isn't set right you would have to adjust the plow to the point it isn't tracking straight behind the tractor anymore to get the right cut. That's not a good thing.

When everything is properly adjusted, including the tractor wheels, the plow should "want" to pull straight behind the tractor. Normally you would have your 3pt arms unpinned or chained loosely to allow the plow to drift into it's proper path of cut. The sway bars should only catch the plow to keep it from hitting the tractor tires when lifted.

When properly adjusted those little plows are sweet to pull. It will follow the tractor easily. It will also sit flat and plow smoothly without jumping up and down or fighting itself.

You haven't said what tractor you are using?? I'm assuming it has "draft control"?

 

[plot man]

Thanks for the response.
I didn't think it was good either but I don't see any other way it would work. I have a MX4700 and to get the plow to run center the tires would have to move in. They are already in as far as they will go.
The 1st. thing I did was to get the plow set to where it looked like a direct pull behind the tractor, then I adjusted the side to side with the bolt and got it set to 16"~17" to the inside of my furrow tire. Everything looks good except the alignment of the top link.

 

[leonz]

I have just finished restoring a ford 101 and have searched and read all I can find about set up. I believe I have got everything figured, but I have one question.

Should the top link on the tractor be horizontally centered when set? I am thinking no because if I center the top link then the plow will not be pulling straight behind the tractor.

I set the plow last night by adjusting the lift arms horizontally and got it close to the correct measurement to the inside of the tire and I had a straight pull but the top link on the tractor was right of center.

If I remember the geometry-

The toe of the plow will want to rise out of the furrow if the top link is horizontal and will not suck properly. It has to be drawn out a bit to allow the toe to enter and properly suck into the furrow as the plow bottom will begin to level out as you advance.

If you use a 1 by 1 to visualise it you can follow the top link in the arc as it enters the furrow so to speak before you adjust it.

The lower links will drop to the point where you set the stop and the plow will engage the soil and then level out in the bottom of the furrow. if the top link is extended too much it will want to ride up and reduce the suck or if it is
turned in too much it wil skip or suck so bad it will not plow.





The left lower link has to be tugged in "I THINK" as the tractor will be in the furrow and the weight of the plow will want to go to the right and down into furrow. I am spoiled by the crank out right lower link" on my brothers AGCO.

 

[plot man]

Leonz,
Are you talking about the in and out adjustment on the top link?
You lost me which isn't hard to do at all.

 

[beenthere]

I'd forget about the top link being centered or not.

If the 101 has the original adjustments (like cranks on each end that fits into the lower arms) then to set the plow run the left tractor wheels up on 6-8" blocks while on a flat surface (like concrete pad). Then lower the plow to the concrete and adjust so the plow tracks to fill in the furrow that the right wheel is in, and is flat right to left on the concrete. Then adjust the top arm so the plow bottom is flat fore and aft to the concrete. You should be close to "good to go plow" at that point.
If you don't have the adjustment to get the plow far enough to the right to fill the furrow, then you will need to adopt another plan.

The top arm doesn't "pull" when plowing, it is in compression. Likely a one bottom plow is a bit small for the MX4700. A two-bottom plow will be easier to "adjust", but can do it this simple way.

 

[foggy1111]

Beenthere's advice seems sound to me. But that plow should pull with the top link pointing straight back (meaning not right or left). Don't try to adjust the plow to fit your tractors wheels in the furrow.....as that is going to foul you up IMO. A pic would be good to help sort things out. :thumbsup:

 

[plot man]

Thanks for the advice. I will try to take pic's tonight and post in the morning. The plow is a double 16", if I can get it set up right it should be a good fit for my tractor.

 

[Chilly807]

The top link is going to be wherever it ends up with the plow turning properly. I think leonz is right on the length of the top link, but as beenthere points out, don't get too hung up on top link position side to side.

I set up my MF 62 (2 bottom 12 inch) according to an OLD Ferguson manual (see link below).

Ferguson Moldboard Plow Service Manual

It'll take some patience, but the manual is printable, once you get the hang of how to do it. I had to load each page then print them, then assemble into a book. There might even be a manual for your plow in the same website.

Anyway, I initially set mine up with the cross beam set as the book recommends, and angled down slightly for better suck. I found jacking the tractor up to my intended plowing depth (6 inches) didn't work for me. According to the Good Book, the plow should sit level once you have the tractor right wheels down in the furrow from the last pass. If you don't, the shares will plow different depths. The first pass is "setting the stage" for the actual plowing job, you'll need a deeper draft setting on that one since there IS no furrow for the right wheels.

Once the first pass is done, park the tractor with right side wheels in the furrow and eyeball the plow for level crosswise and fore and aft. It should be slightly nose down IMO, and level from side to side. The nose down keeps the coulters cutting well, and helps draw it in quickly. Mine's at full depth within the length of the plow.

I set it up so the landsides were parallel with the tractor frame at first, it would plow ok but not flip the sods completely over. Tweaking it a bit nose-left cured that, as did turning sharp left at the end of each pass. If you didn't do that, the whole sod would want to roll back over as soon as you lifted the plow. Mind you, I was plowing soil that hadn't been turned in 30 years, so the sod was pretty thick and tough.

You need a place to practice. I ended up with a bigger garden than I planned on because a few passes were wasted on set-up. The moldboards should be shiny-smooth and free of paint, otherwise it won't scour properly (sticking mud). Anywhere the ground touches needs to be bare metal.

Left and right adjustment isn't critical in my opinion as long as you have the front plow taking a full bite. If the setup of the crossbeam is right you'll have that happening. They base the left-right offset numbers in the manual on a given tractor width inside the tires, and a given gap between the 3ph arms and the tires. If yours is wider or narrower, you'll have to adjust accordingly.

Once the first pass is done, park in the furrow with the inside of the right front wheel just about touching the vertical edge of the first furrow. If you have lots of shale or sharp rock, you may want to give a little more clearance to avoid cutting tire sidewalls. Then drop the plow and measure the distance from the front landside to the edge of the vertical furrow wall. You want to be just about 16 inches in your case, or slightly less. If it's more than that, the front plow won't completely turn the sod over because the bottom "keel" at the furrow sole is unbroken. If it's too much less than 16" the two furrows won't be even. An inch or so isn't a big deal.

Plowing speed makes a difference in my experience. Too slow and the sod doesn't "flip", too fast and you tend to lose any precision.

I'm new to this as well, but some of the folks I work with are "old pros" when it comes to plowing, and there's a lot of good info to be had if you ask the right people. What worked for me might not work for you, but plow setup is an almost lost art, as one of the guys I work with says. I had more fun plowing a couple of gardens this fall than I've had in a long time, when it's working well a plow is a pleasure to watch work.

The 3400 must be somewhere close to the tractor size the Ferguson manual uses as a baseline, because I didn't have to tweak too much. I know the wheel to wheel width was close. Ideally, you'll have the insides of the right side tires perfectly lined up. Mine isn't like that, the rears are wider stance than the fronts, but it didn't give me any problems. Really wide rear tires aren't good, a good plowing tractor will have the front and rear tire fitting neatly into the last furrow. A 16 inch plow shouldn't be a problem with a 4700 in that respect. A 12 would be minimal.

Good luck and keep us posted, questions are good and pictures are better...

Sean

 

[Chilly807]

One other thing... once you have it working well, take measurements of all the adjustments and record them for next season. It'll be nice to just mount the plow and go next year.

I used a blank page in the manual to record my settings, like distance from ground to center of each ball end, (mine was exactly three inches different, right side being lower), distance from lift arm to right side tire with sway chains tight, draft depth settings, etc.

Sean

 

[Ford850]

I use a 101 plow too, also on a tractor with wheels a bit too wide. It will run to the right of center just fine. Run it up on 6" blocks and adjust the plow so both of the shares are running on the ground, leveled both ways. Sounds like you might have done that already. Let it float (left and right) and it will find it's spot to trail the tractor which will be right of center in our cases. The number of bottoms doesn't change a thing since the first bottom is always in the same place, and has the 3ph adjusted to it not the other bottoms.

 

[Chilly807]

The number of bottoms doesn't change a thing since the first bottom is always in the same place, and has the 3ph adjusted to it not the other bottoms.

Exactly the same thing I was thinking. 95% of your setup is on the first bottom, the others are just along for the ride. Doubles and triples (or more) are easier to set up than singles when trying to judge whether you're level from side to side. A small error is more visible over the wider span. More than a double is probably harder to be consistent with over rough ground though, at least I would think so.

Sean

 

[ovrszd]

I have a MX4700 and to get the plow to run center the tires would have to move in. They are already in as far as they will go.

Answered your own question. Your description above is why your top link runs at an angle. Nothing you can do about that. It's not a perfect situation but it'll work.

The reason I say it's not perfect is because the "drag" or "pull" of the plow is going to be slightly greater on the side the top link is leaning toward. Won't be noticeable on your setup because your tractor easily pulls your plow. If you were plowing to the maximum capability of the tractor you would notice tire slippeage on that side or a difficulty in keeping the tractor straight in the furrow. Properly set up, little steering wheel effort is required. Back when I was a smoker I've let go of the steering wheel and got out my cigarettes, lit one and then put my hand back on the wheel while going thru the field with no issues.

 

[ah724tractor]

With the tractor in plowing position, the right wheels are in the furrow. If you have a level concrete floor, drive the left wheels of the tractor up onto blocks of height equal to the desired plowing depth. Now, the floor represents the bottom of the furrow. In this position, the plow should be level to the floor. Most mounted plows have an offset in the beam across the front to which the 3 pt lower arms mount, so that the plow frame is approximately level with the right wheels down in the furrow. With the tractor tilted up on blocks, adjust the drop links to make the plow level in this position. Now, look at the top link....is it still not centered?

If you have adjusted the drop links to make the plow level with the tractor level (left side not up on blocks) then the top link will be thrown to the right of the tractor center, because a line passing through the lower link pin centers is tilted down to the right.

Make sense? Take a look.

I'm about to set up a plow tomorrow, so I'll be going through this excercise. However, before I do, I'll start by making sure the 3 pt drop links are set at equal lengths.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

With a mounted plow, the 3-point top link SHOULD be straight in line (front to rear) with the centerline of the tractor. There is SOME leeway with that, but "in a perfect world", it should be straight.

In that same "perfect world", you set the tractor to match the plow, and NOT the other way around. Any plow has what is called the "line of draft". That is essentially the center of the work load.... That lime of draft should be centered behind the tractor, THEN, the furrow side rear wheel of the tractor should be set just to the outside of the front bottom. On a typical 2-bottom plow, that is 22" to 24" from center line to inside of rear tire sidewall.

That width changes (increases) with a 3-bottom plow (or larger)

With the majority of newer tractors having all sorts of different tire combinations, (ie R4,s turfs, ect) and the lack of adjustability of track width, SOME deviation from "the rules" may be needed to get a plow to track behind any given tractor.

As far as the offset drawbar..... The offset is there to level the plow when furrow side wheels are in the furrow. Rotating that drawbar is NOT to be used to level the plow from side to side..... That's a job for the leveling cranks on the 3-point hitch. Rotating the offset drawbar will skew the rear of the plow left or right depending on which direction the drawbar is rotated. That will put more (or less) pressure against the landslides, which will in turn make the plow want to follow left of center or right of center. (and you DO NOT use stabilizer bars/links on the 3-point hitch to hold the plow where you want it.) Skew the rear towards the furrow and the plowtends to track to the LAND side, as pressure against the landslides decreased.. Skew the rear of the plow towards the land side, and the plow will track towards the furrow side, as pressure against the landslides is increased.

If you have more than enough tractor (weight and hp) for the particular plow you're using, it's possible for a tractor to "manhandle" the plow when it isn't in proper adjustment. If you're operating anywhere near peak draft load, a plow would need to be "by the book" or else it would pull like the proverbial boat anchor.

With a well designed plow, attached to the tractor correctly, and everything in proper adjustment, and the plow glides through the ground ALMOST effortlessly. Deviate from "perfect" very far and you suddenly have a fight on your hands.

Think of a plow in the ground much the same as a rudder on a ship. If it is locked into position, the ship won't turn. A plow needs to be able to move side to side in order to allow some degree of control with the tractors steering. With a plow setting dead level when in the ground, you minimize the plows tendency to raise up out of the ground. Minimal wear on the shares is the key to "suck". (The plows natural tendency to pull itself in the ground) Too much nose down attitude, and the plow wants to keep pulling down, creating excess load on the tractor. Too short on the top link and the plow dives into the ground. Too long, and it tends to want to raise up. (or never go in the ground to adaquate depth) "Just right" with the top link and the plow pulls easily and has but a little compression on the top link, nor will it have excessive tension on the top link. And as mentioned, side to side directional control is acheived with rotation of the offset drawbar. It's just like sticking your hand out the window of a fast moving car....hold the hand flat and everything is effortless, but curve the hand and it wants to go up or down....You want the plow to pull as lightly and effortlessly as possible.

But...Since we aren't in a "perfect world", and tractors today are NOT designed with moldboard plows in mind as a primary duty, you have to make compromises with any adjustments.

 

[allen in texas]

I love reading these threads. learn something new from every one of them.
The most important thing I've learned lately from this forum and from pulling my plow is that if everything is adjusted correctly, the plow will, as FWJ says, just glide through the ground.

The latest lesson I've learned is to let the plow follow the tractor and not force the plow to a spot behind the tractor. I disconnected my sway links from my lower lift arms and the change was noticeable. The plow finds it's own (correct) place behind the tractor. I had to make a minor adjustment of the the right bottoms landslide but other than that, it's much nicer to pull than when I had it locked down.

Now, I need to figure a way to keep the plow from flopping from side to side when I lift it. Some tractors have sway blocks that only engage the lift arms when they are up. Others, like mine, don't have that. I'm working on a solution.

To the OP welcome to the dark world of those of us who like to pull a moldboard plow and good luck.

 

[PLUMMER]

Nice thread and lots of good info. I just picked up a 2B-14" dearborn. I am now trying to learn how to plow the field, before I make the attempt with the 8N. All I did was 5-6 100yrd passes in the field with standing water and I can see its not at all as easy as it looks. Now to find a pattern, Zanboni style, inside out..... Thanks for the set up info....

 

[cammax]

what is the inside measurement of the rear tyres, is it the same at the front wheels, size of rear wheels, also furrow width if 2 bottom plow. is the draft bar wide or narrow,if cranked draft bar viewed from behind should be down on the right up on the left. if single furrow measure across the share at rt angle to the wing it should aproximatley 2/3 to 3/4 the width u want to plow for grassland .some plows have full width shares depending on moldboard shape .a little info or some photos would help. cammax