Bottom plow information.

[D_Mac 8,593]

So I acquired these 2 plows and don't know a thing about them. I know they are both stamped Brinly 8. One is much longer then the other. What are the advantages or disadvantages of having a longer or shorter plow? Also they fit the slot hitch of a Wheel Horse but would they fit other brands without any modification? When hooked up how do you want to adjust it? I know maybe these question sound dumb but I have never used one before. With the exception of videos have never even seen one in use. So before I get rid of them I would like to know what I have. Thanks.

[squonk 41,040]

I think the short guy is from a walk bee -hind tractor maybe.

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by squonk

[slim67 2,735]

Id keep the longer one and set your tractor up for a plow day event.

[richarddwescott@twc.com 1]

I have a 418-8 tractor and would like to be able to attach a plow  and other implements to it in order to plow and harrow my small garden. I would like to know how these implements are hooked up and made able to lift and lower when in the working position. I just have the original hitch on mine as far as I know. I have been in a ponder as how to make those things work. Can anybody give me any insight as to what I have to add to my tractor to make it into a workable farm tractor??

[Handy Don 12,174]

48 minutes ago, richarddwescott@twc.com said:

I have a 418-8 tractor and would like to be able to attach a plow  and other implements to it in order to plow and harrow my small garden. I would like to know how these implements are hooked up and made able to lift and lower when in the working position. I just have the original hitch on mine as far as I know. I have been in a ponder as how to make those things work. Can anybody give me any insight as to what I have to add to my tractor to make it into a workable farm tractor??

Welcome to the forum. Congrats, because you already have a fine tractor for plowing! You have plenty of power and many folks prefer the 8-speed that you have over hydros for ground engaged work so you are good there.

The stock drawbar hitch is intended only for simple pulling, like a cart or lawn sweeper.

For a plow or cultivator or anything you want to lift when it isn't "in the ground" you need either a slot hitch or a sleeve hitch.

Slot hitch is for plows like the ones in the pics in @D_Mac's post at the start of this thread (the tongue at the tractor end of the plow inserts into a slot in the hitch and a pin secures it). 

Sleeve hitch is for plows like this one and it looks like this. 

Both have their proponents!  For either one, you need a cable and rear rockshaft that links the lift mechanism in the middle of the tractor to the hitch in the rear so that you can raise and lower the hitch-hitched implement using the big lever on the left side of your tractor.

New and refurbished sleeve hitches and rockshaft/cable kits as well as used ones (including, sometimes, slot hitches) can be had from vendors that support this forum and are known for good service: A-Z tractors, K&B Horse Parts, and Wheel Horse Parts and More (in alphabetical order). You can also find used parts at other sites on the web.

Good luck and be sure to come back with more questions and pictures of you tractor!

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by Handy Don

[richarddwescott@twc.com 1]

Thanks Don, was considering installing a 3-point hitch, but looks like all that I would need to make them workable is some way to attach them to the lift handle through a connector or cable. Am I right on that?

[richarddwescott@twc.com 1]

What does the rock shaft look like?

[Handy Don 12,174]

Just now, richarddwescott@twc.com said:

Thanks Don, was considering installing a 3-point hitch, but looks like all that I would need to make them workable is some way to attach them to the lift handle through a connector or cable. Am I right on that?

Wheel horse didn't offer a 3-point capability on the 416, though some clever folks have gone ahead and fabricated them as customizations.

You need a hitch, the rear rockshaft, the cable, and some hardware bits like bushings, E-clips, clevises and a few inches of chain. Both the "parts and more" and "K&B" sell kits so looking at their sites will make this clearer.

Plows and cultivators are often for sale in the Forum classifieds and I see them on the CList, FBook, and the bay forums. Of course, you can still buy them new!

The sleeve hitch is probably a bit more versatile if you don't already have a slot hitch or slot hitch implements.

[Handy Don 12,174]

7 minutes ago, richarddwescott@twc.com said:

What does the rock shaft look like?

I should have mentioned that many tractors already have the tube that guides the cable from front to back, but if yours doesn't, you'll need that as well.

This is what the full kit looks like from "parts and more". The bar with the notches on the shaft is the rockshaft.

[richarddwescott@twc.com 1]

Thanks Don for the info that you have provided. Looks like a very simple hookup once you see the parts that are needed.

[Handy Don 12,174]

19 minutes ago, richarddwescott@twc.com said:

Thanks Don for the info that you have provided. Looks like a very simple hookup once you see the parts that are needed.

It's not hard at all if you are a bit comfortable with mechanical stuff and tools.

For the cable/rockshaft you have to remove the seat and the fender to get in there.

Be careful of the wiring for the seat safety switch and the taillights which are both attached to the fender.

The one possible challenge is the pin at the back that is holding your drawbar. It has to come out and then get reinstalled to hold the sleeve hitch and the drawbar together. Sometimes those pins have "nature welded" (i.e. rusted) themselves into place and can be tricky to remove. Heavy impacts can crack the transaxle casting so penetrants, patience, and very carefully applied heat/cool cycles are your allies here.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Handy Don

[richarddwescott@twc.com 1]

Is the drawbar/slot hitch needed for the setup. See one advertised on here for 40 bucks. Sounds cool if that will work.

[Handy Don 12,174]

38 minutes ago, richarddwescott@twc.com said:

Is the drawbar/slot hitch needed for the setup. See one advertised on here for 40 bucks. Sounds cool if that will work.

The important point is that slot hitches require slot hitch implements and sleeve hitches require sleeve hitch implements. (Yes, some folks have built their own adaptors in both directions, but generally....it's one or the other.)

 

Frankly, if you are starting fresh and your goal is soil prep while choosing from a wider range of new and used implements, the sleeve is better. Slots are no longer manufactured and only used hitches and implements are available--you have to have patience and want to search around to go that route. Yes, you can get some good deals on slot stuff but it's hit and miss, in my view. That said, if you had a 60's Wheel Horse and wanted to stay authentic with stuff from that era, the slot would be much preferred. 

 

Another not inconsequential point is that the sleeve hitch plow is usually easier to adjust laterally so it follows the tractor on the furrow line you want--that's because the plow's hitch connector usually has three or five different pin positions an inch or so apart. Also, sleeve hitches have adjusting bolts so you can limit, or even lock down, the side-to-side motion of the implement (important for moldboard plowing so you get straight furrows) or let it swing (handy for harrowing where you might want to just do loops). Slots themselves have no adjustments and their implements are usually less adjustable. You should be aware that your 416 is wider than the 60's WH tractors, too, mainly because of wider rear tires.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Handy Don

[Pullstart 62,812]

 @richarddwescott@twc.com!  You might find more info than you can wrap your head around in this thread... dedicated solely to plowing and maybe a friendly jab in the kidney here or there...  @D_Mac I’m not sure if you’ve looked in there either, but lots to learn!  Plowing might just be the single hardest thing you could put a Wheel Horse through but shy of full on tractor shows, grow the biggest gathering for events.

 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,174]

Great add, @pullstart

 

At 2:54 in the video, you can see that the 1054 is using a slot hitch. Just before that, in the "plowing procession", the IH Cub is using a sleeve hitch.

In the "parked tractors" photo, the tractor in the center foreground has a sleeve hitch.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Handy Don

[Handy Don 12,174]

Adding this link to a thread by a member who:

a) built a rocshaft

b) is lifting a tiller (which does not use the sleeve or slot hitch--it attaches differently)

 

 

[tntatro 171]

I have a Wheel Horse Raider 12 with a slot hitch bottom plow and want to plow an area in the yard for a garden. I was wondering if they have to plow straight or can you make turns with them also? I have never tried using it before other than adjusting the depth. I also have a small disc harrow that fits into the slot hitch and I don't know if I should try making turns with it either. Just wondering before I break something because they don't swivel.

[pfrederi 17,685]

Mold board plows go in straight lines.  i would also suggest that making turns with a tiller is a bad idea also...

[tntatro 171]

1 minute ago, pfrederi said:

Mold board plows go in straight lines.  i would also suggest that making turns with a tiller is a bad idea also...

Okay, thanks. I don't have a tiller attachment, just discs but probably a good idea to go straight with it also.