What kind of plow is this?

[kvmapr]

OK, here's one I hope is more interesting than my normal newbie posts (but who knows), so here goes.

This morning I fished this plow out of the forest of burdocks that grows up behind my barn every year. It's obviously a moldboard plow, but I've never seen one like this. As you can see in the photos below, it has two plow shares, but they are mounted one each on two independent arms, and they throw the soil in opposite directions(!). The arms are hinged and there's a cable and pulley that's used to adjust the elevation of each share in relation to the other.

I don't suppose that its meant to be used with both shares in the dirt at one (although doing so might dig one heckuva trench). I would suppose that its designed to allow the farmer to quickly change the direction in which the soil is thrown (although I don't know how that's any different from turning the tractor around and driving in the opposite direction).

Maybe my first notion is right? Could this thing be a firebreak plow?

Profile view of what I'm calling my "Dearborn" plow. Notice the arms that pull the shares are mounted on hinges

Manufacturer's tag on the Dearborn plow

Front view of the plow, with a better view of the hinges at the bottom of the frame. Also note pulley and cable assembly

Rear view of the plow

A wider angle view of the plow

Thanks all for the feedback.
KVMAPR

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Dearborn 2-way plow. Not EXTREMELY valuable, but worth a few peso's to a collector.

When used, only one bottom at a time is in the ground. When you get to the end of a row, you would raise the bottom being used, lower the other and reverse direction. You can plow back and forth, always throwing the plowed dirt to the same direction.

 

[kvmapr]

Thanks FarmwithJunk.

That makes complete sense now that you explain it. I've always had the "turn to the right" method of plowing in mind but that only works well on small plots. Eventually you spend too much time traveling back and forth over the head land to be efficient. A plow that allows you to just turn around and throw dirt in the same direction would save all that extra travel.

Nice to know that its somewhat unique for a plow. Its in pretty good shape so I'll park it in the barn, out of the weather, and try to clean it up some. May have to see if I can take it for a trip around the garden plot, just for the heck of it.

KVMAPR

 

[tude]

The ntractorclub website has the operator and parts manual for your plow.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

Your in luck. It looks like that plow will hook up to a normal 3pt. I grabbed my grandfathers old Allis Chammers two way and it was specifically made to go on that tractor. At least it is a piece of nostalgia from him.

 

[tommybr]

Some people call this a "switch plow"

 

[kvmapr]

Wow, thanks for the added info. I'll definitely go look for the manual. The plow does have a couple of missing bolts, and a joint on it that's seized up with rust. But I should be able to get that working again.

I was real happy to see that this "switch" plow (thanks for that bit of info) would work with my cat 1 hitch. Will be nice to see it cleaned up and in operation again. Think I need to go read some of those posts on TBN written by others who have renovated their old attachments.

One more photo, this one a little perttier to look at. The stable behind the plow is in my neighbor's pasture. Deeds written in 1870 reference that stable as the survey passes by. Mountains in the background are the Allegheny Front.

Thanks all,
KVMAPR

 

[kvmapr]

Just wanted to follow up and say thanks for that llead to the Ntractorclub site. I found a number of posts there discussing the Dearborn two way plow (and a cool little video showing how the plow "flips" over: http://www.drenpress.com/gemini/video/plow_003.mpg ). It turns out this particular model was only made for two years, 1948 and 1949. The manual and photos I found helped me recognize a couple other parts for the plow that are just laying around in my barn. Didn't know what they were for until I saw those photos. And a real bonus, apparently the wrench that comes with the plow is a very hard item to find these days. I just happened to find that very wrench, while cleaning up the site of an old work shed, at the other end of the farm from where the plow was stored.

My wife still can't understand why I would have so much fun learning about an old rusty plow.

Thanks all,
KVMAPR

 

[Turkeyman]

Great picture of the stable, grass and plow, looks like a postcard. They knew how to build them.

 

[kvmapr]

Yup, unfortunately the owner wants to burn it down. I've convinced him not to do that, but to let me take it down and salvage the logs (good chance for some wormy chestnut in there). If I had my druthers I'd just put a new roof on it, and let it stay up there where it's been happy for the last 140 years.

KVMAPR