Let’s Go Plowing—rolling Dirt!

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

I’m sure there have been threads started specifically for this topic on here and if the moderators want to combine this with one of those, please do.  Per @Daron1965‘s request, I’ll start a thread about my personal favorite attachment for a Garden Tractor—the furrow plow. I want to state clearly here that I don’t claim to be an authority on this subject. Maybe like doctors “practice medicine”, I find myself “practicing with a Brinly” every time that I head out into a field.  I’m going to tag a few of my buddies like @Achto @WHX20 @Shynon @prondzy @Stormin @WVHillbilly520H (If i’ve Forgotten you, not my intention, please join the discussion) Who are all “plow dogs” in that they enjoy climbing into the furrows and turning earth for extended periods of time! I hope that they will weigh in here with their experiences and things that they have done with their rigs and plows.  Pictures will definitely welcome and encouraged in this thread, both for instruction and coolness factor.  It is funny how people look at someone on a garden tractor turning under a field!  I wish I had a dollar for every time someone uninitiated said to me, “I didn’t think you could do that with a lawnmower!”  Many folks today have seen people blading with a GT, mowing with a GT, blowing with a GT, but when they see someone plowing with one—they are often shocked. Our culture has moved so far from the agregarian society that people aren’t familiar with it.  I bought a 10” Brinly two weeks ago from a buddy who brought it to my Uncle’s Farm day.  It was a vey cost efficient price.  Apparently, he found it at a garage sale. The person had painted it all black and was using it for a yard ornament because they had no idea what it was for.

 

 

The first thing I want to make clear about plowing with a GT: GROUND CONDITIONS ARE OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE!

If you are trying to plow red or blue clay that hasn’t seen a drop of rain in two months—Don’t Even waste your time.  You won’t have fun, you won’t have very good success, and you’ll probably break your tractor in the process!  Also, be aware that a garden will traditionally plow easier than a field because the field gets compacted throughout the year with large equipment that weigh anywhere from 5 ton to 20 and more.  If the soil is too wet when you are trying to plow it will stick to everything unless it is a real sandy soil. 

This soil here was quite sandy but was still as hard as a rock.  We had trouble getting the plows to suck in.  When a plow is only cutting a 2” deep furrow, the geometry of the plow isn’t correct and the next pass or tractor in the furrow is acting more like a chisel plow than a moldboard plow.

One of the awesome things about GT plow days, is the opportunity to share the experience with some buddies. Rarely do we get together to blow snow or cut lawn.  I like GT shows but I like plow days better. Why? Because not only do we get to look at cool tractors or show off our own, we get to use them and see them in operation.

 

Here my Uncle Roger is using his 314-8 to turn my garden. He was cutting a 6-7” deep furrow with his 10” Brinly and it was doing a beautiful job.  This soil is a sandy loam and the moisture content was perfect.

One problem with most WH’s as a plow tractor—they are way too light in the front. If you want to do any SERIOUS plowing with one, you need at least a good 60-70#’s or more of front end weight. I’m running 3- 22# weights on my front attach-a-matic and a pair of cast front wheel weights on GhostRider.  When I first plowed with him, I couldn’t keep the front down! I was tempted to sit on the hood and look backwards over my shoulder .

 

Power is important and it is good to have a strong running engine. However, there is no need for 25hp when a strong K301 will pull a 12” Brinly in moderate soil conditions with proper adjustments and weight all day.

 

Size your plow to your tractor and it’s power.  Comanche is an 8hp Tractor and an 8” Plow is suited well to it.  I regularly run the Punisher(my 12” Brinly) behind GhostRider (my 314-8).

Conditions were nearly perfect this particular day. I was cutting a 6-8” furrow (notice the lean angle on the tractor) and the soil had just the right amount of moisture to scour really well.  

 

Tires are important.  I like the modern Carlisle TruPower on the left but I know that Tom and Mike swear by Firestone 23’s and I can’t wait for them to weigh in on their experiences.  Dan and I have been discussing the pros and cons of tire width. Too wide and your tractor floats more and then it takes more weight to keep it from spinning.  Too skinny and you don’t have enough bite in the ground. 

 

A clean moldboard is also very important especially if the soil is sticky at all. If you buy a used Brinly and the moldboard and plowshare are all rusty, I’d suggest cleaning them up some with a wire wheel on a grinder or a drill before using it.  The dirt in the field will do the rest.

I love the mirror shine that Dan has on his plow here!  You know the plowing was good when you leave the field and your plow looks like this and your rear tire like that!

 

I have a lot more to say but I have a few other things to take care of right now and so I’ll check back in later...

 

[Daron1965 644]

Awesome post,  I'm going to grab a coffee and sit back and enjoy this. 

[Digger 66 3,485]

26 minutes ago, PeacemakerJack said:

 

 

 

 

 

                                                  ^^^^ CALENDAR CANDIDATE ^^^^

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2018 by Digger 66

[squonk 41,287]

I plowed a small area in our back yard about 4 yrs. ago for a bigger garden. now it's all raised bed so no more plowing. It was fun though but I couldn't really get going before I had to stop. Only plow day near me is in the spring when there is really too much going on.

 

 

[cschannuth 3,816]

I'm following.  I have a plow and I've plowed some gardens for buddies but I can't seem to get it set just right.  I have plenty of power, weight, and traction so I look forward to learning from this great thread.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Maybe this should be "Pinned" so when the newbie question comes up, "Can I plow a garden with my Wheel Horse", we can direct them to this!!

Excellent post @PeacemakerJack

[Stormin 9,981]

  Rather interesting reading that. Several differences to ploughing in and  Not just the way we spell plow/plough either.

  Over here, if in competition, you'd only plough about 5 - 6 inch deep. For GT's, walk behinds. Also when you have turned the ground/sod, no grass or stubble should be showing.

  The Brinly ploughs seem to give a wider furrow as well. I use a plough off an Auto Culto walk behind. Ploughs a slightly narrower furrow. Unfortunately, courtesy of Photobucket, some of my photo's are unobtainable.

 

 This is my tractor I use for ploughing. The Black Horse. '78 C-121 12hp.

 

 

The three striped poles, are sighting poles. First goes in front of the tractor. 2nd half way down the plot and the other at the far end. All in line. When you cut your first furrow you keep your eyes fixed on them. Looking neither left or right. Having someone remove them as you get up to them. Don't look behind on the move. You can pull the steering wheel and put you off course.

 

 Narrow front wheels. Modified scooter ones on trailer hubs on modified spindles.

 

 Rear wheels narrowed and fitted with 7.00 x 12 ags.

 

 

Due to the 7.00's being two inch bigger in OD, the fender has been lifted an inch and the front spindles extended an inch where they fit into the axle.

 

Home made wheel weights. Basically Land Rover Freelander brake drums filled with lead. About 53lb.

 

 

It also has an electric lift for the hitch. A bit slow. May be modified at some future time. 

 

 There are threads on myoldmachine on all these mods and more. Plus others of ploughing matches. If I knew how to put up links I would.

 

 Finally a photo of number three grandson. Ploughing with a friends tractor and Ransomes drag plough. That ground was very hard. My plough wouldn't touch it. The much heavier Ransomes cut in well. 

 

Edited September 3, 2018 by Stormin

[Daron1965 644]

Some basic questions for the more knowledgeable plow guys... 

 

1. When I plow a row, shout there be any spots of undisturbed soil in between the furrows?

2, Do the three holes on the mount make a big difference in the mounting?

3. SPEED. At what speed (or gear) should I be aiming for.

4, Any suggestions on the amount of front weight needed?  I felt as I was tractor pulling with the amount of times I spent leaning forward, or side to side in a failed attempt to steer with my       tires in the air.

 

I have to admit, I did enjoy the seat time while attempting to plow.  

[Achto 27,717]

Great thread Josh!! I was well acquainted with plowing with farm tractors, I've used 3 point mounted, trailer plows & spent countless hours pulling 8 16's. GT plowing is slightly different but most of the same principles apply. I had a great time plowing for the first time with my Raider and I was glad that I used it before I set it up to be my dedicated plow mule. Using it first gave me insight on what I needed to do to get it dialed in, plus I was with a great group of guys that were more than willing to give pointers.

 

4 hours ago, PeacemakerJack said:

If you buy a used Brinly and the moldboard and plowshare are all rusty, I’d suggest cleaning them up some with a wire wheel on a grinder or a drill before using it.  The dirt in the field will do the rest.

 

As Josh said a clean plow is very important. My favorite way to clean up a rusty plow is with a Scothbrite wheel on an angle grinder. It leaves a nice clean surface and will not leave deep grooves behind. I'm also very anal about putting my plow away properly. After I get done plowing I clean the share & mold board up & wipe a layer of grease on them to keep them from rusting. 

4 hours ago, PeacemakerJack said:

.

 

The day this pic was taken there was also a farm tractor pulling 3 14's. His mold boards & shares were rusty when he started plowing & after making about 8 rounds ( about 1/4 mile each way ) he was still fighting with the dirt sticking to the plow. He was even stopping at the end of each round to clean the build up of dirt off from his plow. It kinda sucked following behind him because the pan in his furrow was full of clumps and was very choppy.

 

The guys plowing with steam engines at this event were ribbing me because I was plowing deeper than they were. I was still nice enough to go back & clean up spots that they missed do to the guys running the hand trip platform plow picking up too soon.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Achto

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

Thanks guys for your input and the links already!  Thanks @Stormin for checking in, not only with an informative post but also cool pics of your rig and a detailed explanation of some of the differences between plowing/ploughing for competition and plowing for “fun”.  You guys do a great job over there and I love your plow tractor!  

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Daron1965 said:

Some basic questions for the more knowledgeable plow guys... 

 

1. When I plow a row, shout there be any spots of undisturbed soil in between the furrows?

2, Do the three holes on the mount make a big difference in the mounting?

3. SPEED. At what speed (or gear) should I be aiming for.

4, Any suggestions on the amount of front weight needed?  I felt as I was tractor pulling with the amount of times I spent leaning forward, or side to side in a failed attempt to steer with my tires in the air.

 

1. If everything is set as it should be, and you don’t ride out of the furrow at all, there shouldn’t be “missed spots”.  One adjustment that I have found to be critical on keeping a straight line is the left hand bolt in the Brinly hitch. I adjust that out until it solidly contacts the hitch on the plow. Then I apply some pressure to the right side of the plow beam where it connects to the moldboard pushing it to the left which simulates the pressure of the ground working against it. While putting pressure on it, I eyeball the line of the beam to make sure it makes a straight line to the front of the tractor. Brinly’s website says to keep both bolts loose on each side of your hitch pin. I have not found this to work well in field plowing.

 

2. I suppose the holes make a little difference but I generally always use the middle one.  Let’s see if our other plow dogs have a different take on this one.  Brinly’s directions indicate which hole to use based on the spacing of your rear tires. From my “seat of the pants” testing, I generally stay with my hitch pin in the center hole. 

 

3.  Speed is dependent on conditions.  I generally like 2nd gear while varying exact speed with the throttle.  Sometimes it is necessary to plow in 1st. I’ve not personally ever tried to plow in Hi gear!

 

4.  Above I listed what I was running on GhostRider for front weights.  Maybe @Shynon or @Achto will check in with the amount of front weight they are using. 

 

I’ve been plowing with the CC100 in the above black and white photo for about 5 years now.  It is a really good little plow tractor that holds its own well...

 

 

however, I was at a big plow day in Iowa several years ago and Caleb was plowing on the Mule for about two hours. All the sudden I noticed that he was having trouble keeping the suck point in the ground. I had him get off the tractor and I took a round.  I had to stand on the plow to get it in the ground.  

There was a clump of dirt that wasn’t coming off of the point and so I decided to investigate...

Turns out that it had perfectly picked up a drag link on the point and it wasn’t allowing it to sink in the ground.

This was the culprit!  Who would think that little piece of metal would make such a big difference in the operation of the plow? 

 

I’m relating this story to let you know that sometimes the smallest thing out of whack can cause a big problem.  Once the link was off, I was back in business! The adjustment of that suck point is a very important adjustment.  I’ve seen many guys in hard ground (I.e. bad ground conditions) keep adjusting their point down without success.  If the ground is too hard, you won’t get that point into the ground, and if you could—you likely wouldn’t have the power or traction to pull it!

 

This is a close up of the three 22# weights I’m running.

Here’s our favorite @stevasaurus getting some seat time on GhostRider a couple of years ago.

[Shynon 7,460]

My observations/learnings.  The Machine is a 1257 with an 8 speed 8 pinion differential. I do believe that having more horsepower will make you plow better is not the true in my opinion . The Machine is a stock 12hp Kohler freshly built and used only for plowing and I have never ran out of power 2nd gear high full open throttle. One of my earliest observations was traction was king, I did a lot of spinning wheels, thus 1st things were to add more weight on the rear tires, next up as traction got better front got light, thus add front weight. I was pulling a Brinly 10" with Carlisle if I remember 8.5-12,  Fast forward today The Machine sports  inside and outside rear wheel weights about 125lbs per wheel, add front wheel weights 30lbs each wheel and a front weight about 70lbs hanging 12" in front of the tractor, Hy pump for lifting plow( gets pretty tough on the arm after a 12+hr day of plowing.  Latest addition was the Firestone Full Floatation 23 bar tires and firestone 16-6.5-8 fronts. Tractor weights about 600 lbs plus 380 in weights so almost 1000lbs minus driver (no I won't answer). Plow is now a Brinly 12" with a guide wheel custom made by @wheelhorseman

[Shynon 7,460]

15 minutes ago, PeacemakerJack said:

Let’s see if our other plow dogs have a different take on this one.  Brinly’s directions indicate which hole to use based on the spacing of your rear tires

I go by the Brinly spacing in the manual as to say if you use the wrong hole on a 12" plow you really may only be plowing 10", I set mine up on flat concrete floor with the tail of the landslide about 1" off the floor and start with that, this is a starting point, when you get in the furrow you can adjust the as @PeacemakerJack says the suck of the plow. Usually once you get it adjusted there is really no need to adjust again based on dirt condtions, if it won't  suck down  the dirt is probably too hard, I see some add weight to the plow to help this, have never tried that. Another thing is if it doesn't suck down you may be going too fast. 

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

Some of the Rigs:

 

@Shynon‘s Machine

 

 

@Achto‘s Raider

 

 

@prondzy‘s Beast

 

 

@WHX20‘s WHX1😉

 

 

My Dad’s Clyde

 

 

GhostRider

 

 

 

Here you can see how they are set up and in action. Most of these videos have been posted on the Forum before but in keeping with the topic, I feel it is good to have them all here in one place...

 

[prondzy 3,881]

Here is my plow tractor, much like my dads @Shynon it weighs in around 1000lbs without the driver, i am running a rebuilt 16hp kohler, inner an outer weights, hy lift and my front weight is made on an old snow blower frame to hang about 50lbs out another 12 inches from the tractor.

Here is an updated pic i added a swept axle to get a wider front stance, i havent gotten to plow with this setup yet. I do prefer the firestone flotation 23deg tires over the deestone ags i was running in the beginning they make this thing dig in like a sherman tank!

here is a pic of our plow ground, my friend allows us to plow here unlimited after crops come out. We average 15 acres between a couple tractors over the course of a weekend.  This pic here is some of the blackest soil in the country, at around a 1/4 mile run for one pass.

I also like to rough it sometimes and run with a simpler tractor my 856 pulling an 8in plow without weights. I one ran a 702 no weights for 6 hrs it was a blast! So rock on @Coulter Caleb w/ comanche it is amazing how much a little hp tractor can do!

1 hour ago, Daron1965 said:

Some basic questions for the more knowledgeable plow guys... 

 

1. When I plow a row, shout there be any spots of undisturbed soil in between the furrows?

2, Do the three holes on the mount make a big difference in the mounting?

3. SPEED. At what speed (or gear) should I be aiming for.

4, Any suggestions on the amount of front weight needed?  I felt as I was tractor pulling with the amount of times I spent leaning forward, or side to side in a failed attempt to steer with my       tires in the air.

 

I have to admit, I did enjoy the seat time while attempting to plow.  

1. No soil left unturned- its a party foul like spilling your beer

 

2. They do not make a huge difference, but it comes down to that unturned soil inbetween furrows i run mine to the far right so i can minimize that space (mostly from tire/axle offset between different tractors)

 

3. MY OPINION: 2nd gear/hi gear @ full throttle. Gotta keep air moving through those engine cooling fins. Especially with how hard most are working their tractors. 

 

4. The only weight limit is when the front axle snaps or the spindles bend. I run front wheel weights @ 20lbs20lbs each and a 50lb weight haning 12 in in front of the tractor. The front end is planted pretty solid but can dance a little in sticky soil.

 

@PeacemakerJack said it all soil conditions make the world. We plow very black dirt in MN. This stuff will make your tractor grunt all day pulling like your dragging a school bus behind you. We went to  @WHX20 plow day thinking we have this in the bag. We will show them a thing or two in WI, nope not at all. I had all the power in the world, the sandy soil in WI proved to be its own challenge. As soon as the tires slipped in the loose earth you were spinng into a big hole. Soil is everything.

4 hours ago, cschannuth said:

I'm following.  I have a plow and I've plowed some gardens for buddies but I can't seem to get it set just right.  I have plenty of power, weight, and traction so I look forward to learning from this great thread.

There is a lot of information on this thread already. It is very easy to get confused or frustrated when plowng a small garden most of the time you dont have the run to get a good furrow so we compensate by tipping the point down as far as we can to get depth but it acts more like a shank ripper. These long runs allow us to dial in a plow to our tractors but if i stay in black soil condtions at home i dont make any adjustments to my plow from year to year.  because in a large area you are going to get soil variations that make it a difficult to stay at the perfect depth all the time. So if it starts to go too deep or shallow dont get off and readjust all day you are going to get this. 

[Shynon 7,460]

9 minutes ago, prondzy said:

As soon as the tires slipped in the loose earth you were spinng into a big hole

Yep I think I got stuck 3 times in the 1st pass

[oliver2-44 9,831]

If appreciate some in-site into running a guide wheel. I’ve seen a few GT pictures with them,  what the purpose. 

Back home we used to plow black land with 3/16’s behind an early 1960’s mode 45 hp Ford 4000.  Moved up to a 1975 Ford 4000 with 56 hp and another 1000 lb of weight.  I used to like to plow at night. That diesel would really talk with that cool night air.  

 

GR Plowing is on my list, but I’m a year or 2 from setting up at tractor for it

[roadapples 6,983]

Never tried it.. Looks like fun, but where are the rock's? My place has more rocks than dirt...

 

 

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

51 minutes ago, oliver2-44 said:

If appreciate some in-site into running a guide wheel. I’ve seen a few GT pictures with them,  what the purpose?

 

Primarily setting the depth of the plow in the soil. If your tractor is set up with a stop like a strong arm (manual lift) tractor does, then you can dial that to the exact height that works for your conditions and it keeps a consistent depth. If you have a tractor that doesn’t have an adjustable stop, then you find yourself constantly playing with the lift to get the right depth.  A land wheel, lets you drop it and go!  Dad’s Clyde has hydraulic lift with no provision for a depth stop...so he built a super cool adjustable land wheel that works great.  It allows him to adjust for conditions yet drop the plow all the way at the beginning of each furrow.

 

 

 

It works really well!

 

37 minutes ago, roadapples said:

Never tried it.. Looks like fun, but where are the rock's? My place has more rocks than dirt...

 

 

Funny story about that—early on in my plowing experience, I had set up a CC682  for plowing. It was a hydro with a Magnum 18 and I used it with my first plow, an old style “flat beam” 10” Brinly.  It didn’t take me long to get the hang of it because the soil conditions were nearly perfect on harvested wheat ground.  I decided to open it up a bit and was doing about 5mph when I heard this loud  BANG! The whole tractor jumped and lurched forward.  I quickly looked behind me and saw a 50# rock sitting up beside my furrow.  It did a number on my upper adjuster turning the threaded rod into an “S”!  

 

Lesson learned: Rocks, Suck points on plows, and speed don’t make a good cocktail!

Edited September 4, 2018 by PeacemakerJack

[Stormin 9,981]

 Thanks for the photo's of the land wheel, Jack. We call them depth wheels. I've been thinking of one for my plough, as the electric lift I have is either up or down. Different ploughs of course, but the idea helps.

[Daron1965 644]

I really enjoy this thread.  A great way to enjoy the morning.  Drinking coffee and watching wheel horse tractor turning over some dirt. 

[stevasaurus 22,841]

I went ahead and pinned this, but I think it should end up in the "Reference section" after it runs it's course. 

[Daron1965 644]

I have learned a great deal from this thread,  if I don't get rained out,  I plan on doing some plowing this afternoon. Will try and get some pics.  

 

Thank you for the great information. 

[Stormin 9,981]

  Not sure if this is the right place, but I thought I'd show what mod's I've done to my ploughing tractor and plough. May give some people ideas. The plough mod is already covered in my Depth Wheel thread.

 

  The first thing I did was make a tool bar to fit the slot hitch. The slot hitch is lifted and lowered by an electric actuator. No photo', sorry!

 

 

 

  As you can see it has several holes which can be used for different equipment. My plough, an Auto Culto off a walk behind, fits in the outside right hand hole.

 

  The next photo' shows the connection to the slot hitch from the actuator. The holes vary how far the hitch will go down or up. The latch is for when traveling when not ploughing. The weight of the plough and bouncing, can cause the actuator to work out and lower the plough.

 

 

 

 

  At the front is a 25lb weight of one of those fitness things I don't use, fitted on a modified mule drive bracket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by Stormin

[Daron1965 644]

Broke ground for the wife's small herb garden next year. 

 

[PeacemakerJack 10,738]

Looking good Daron!  Did you enjoy your time “in the saddle” today?  We are in plowing season here in Wisconsin but I’ve been sooooo busy lately that I haven’t had the opportunity in about a month to turn some earth.  Hoping to change that this week though!