Farmall Super MD and a 3 14 plow - can it pull it?

Anonymous-0 · Jul 23, 2012

Hey guys,
I am curious if a Super MD has enough power to pull a 3 bottom 14" plow? The plow would be a 2 pt fast hitch. I am not versed in the 2 pt hitch to know if it pulls a plow good or not. I would imagine it would be preferable to a trailer plow, as the 2 pt makes it mounted. But that is why I am asking you guys, I just don't know if they are a match, and if they are if the fast hitch plows do a fine job or not.

Charlie M · Jul 23, 2012

I pull 3-14 trailer plows all the time with my regular M so a super M shouldn't have a problem with 3-14's no matter how they hook up. I guess an obvious question - do yo have a 2 pt hitch on the super M? I believe it would have been an add on by a previous owner to get one as I don't think they were available for the super M.

tractorsam · Jul 23, 2012

The biggest problem I'm seeing is the Super MD never came with a fast hitch so how are you planning on hooking it up to the tractor? Otherwise I wouldn't have thought it would have an issue power wise. Sam

soybeanjoe · Jul 23, 2012

Back in the day we pulled a #16 3x14" plow with a gas SM. Usually got along fine in 2nd gear in our Ipava loams but had to drop to 1st in the Sable loams. Tractor had 6 weights on the furrow wheel & dual on land side plus 3 weights & calcium chloride in all 3 rear tires.

sflem849 · Jul 23, 2012

I've done it with a trailer and an MD. Needed more tire and a couple weights. My furrow tire is terrible and the land tire is poor. I also have 0 weights on the MD because I have 4 sets on the SMTA. That said it worked and I finished fine.

Don't have a plowing picture, but here is a different shot of the tractor. You can see the poor tire in the picture so you can only imagine what the other one looks like. :lol:

IH fan · Jul 23, 2012

It would have to be a pretty sick SMD to not pull a 3x14" plow.In clay it might be all it wants, but in most soil it should run away with it.
However, If you have mounted a Fast Hitch or if it's a semi-mounted plow using just the lower links of a 3 point, you do not have any draft control or load sensing mounted on anything older than the X00 series. Without that, you have no advantage over a pull plow as far as ease of pulling. We pulled a 3x16" Fast Hitch plow with a 450 in heavy soil and plowing deep when I worked on a S. Dakota ranch in 1964.

Super-H-Mike · Jul 23, 2012

That is the right size plow for the tractor. If soil is tough you will want weights and you can always go a little shallower if it pulls too hard. My gas SM will handle my 3x16 in 3rd for easy soil, second for hilly clay. With fluid and wieghts.

armand tatro · Jul 23, 2012

I will have my pictures from the Penfield I&I tractor show but I am shore I saw either a SMTA or a 400 with a 450 style fast hitch. Armand

Super-H-Mike · Jul 23, 2012

Wow ! Now thats a bunch a wieght on the old girl, bet you didnt spin too much...

Kyrock · Jul 23, 2012

It will depend alot on the type of soil you are plowing...............

cushman · Jul 23, 2012

I bought a 3-16 fast hitch plow this spring for my 400 diesel and it pulled it well in 2nd gear.It was a good match for power and traction.We did not get a good freeze last winter so it pulled a little harder than normall ,but still a good match.

Stuart · Jul 23, 2012

I dont think it will do it. We had a 3-14 plow and a 58hp 400 farmall and it was a load for that tractor.

Bill Lisbon · Jul 23, 2012

I had a Farmall M that would pull a 3 bottom plow just about anywhere. I was renting a farm and there was one field that had not been worked in years, the owner told me that the ground was too tough. I thought no problem! boy was I wrong. I got the field plowed, but it took both my M and My 400 to pull the 3 bottom thru that limestone clay.

soybeanjoe · Jul 24, 2012

One problem you're going to have with a fast hitch plow is the front end of the tractor is going to need some weight added to it. I failed to mention in my other post but during the later time period we were running the gas SM & the 3x14" # 16 plow we also ran a 450 & 2pt 3x16" plow. Front end was very light when you picked the plow up so we ended up making a weight bracket & mounted an Oliver frt weight about 18" out in front of the tractor. Still the front end in was a little light. You could lightly hold a brake down & spin the tractor around on one tire. We plowed "around" the field at the time & would square the corners. With the 450 you just spun around & headed up the next side but with the SM you had to "loop around. Tractors would plow close to the same speed but you could gain quite a bit of distance in the corners with the 450.

john d · Jul 24, 2012

If it won't pull that plow, you either have some very tough soil to plow, or the Super MD needs some work.

Andrew Z · Jul 24, 2012

Like the others said soil condition is key to what you can pull. But that being said i have a Super MD
overhauled with the 4 1/8" pistons and IH 600D (D350) pump, It will pull a 4 bottom Case trailer plow though soil here in CT, mainly tilling in corn stubble. You will need the proper ballast and good rubber. I am mainly in 2nd gear though in 'easier' pulling 3rd is possible but generally is much to high. If i can find pictures of it ill post them.

Andrew

dej(Jed) · Jul 24, 2012

(quoted from post at 15:40:20 07/23/12) Hey guys,
I am curious if a Super MD has enough power to pull a 3 bottom 14" plow? The plow would be a 2 pt fast hitch. I am not versed in the 2 pt hitch to know if it pulls a plow good or not. I would imagine it would be preferable to a trailer plow, as the 2 pt makes it mounted. But that is why I am asking you guys, I just don't know if they are a match, and if they are if the fast hitch plows do a fine job or not.

I love all of the comments.LOL. A three bottom can be a 12", 14" or 16" plow.
The type of soil and the depth you plow at all comes to play in the scenario.
Also all brands of plows don't pull the same. An IH plow is one of the hardest pulling pieces of iron that I have ever used. By comparison the JD and Oliver plows pull much easier. Like they say, you need to compare "apples to apples".

Anonymous-0 · Jul 24, 2012

The SM does have the 2 point hitch added to it. Does not have duals, but I can stack on the rear weights. Does let me know I should get some font weight on there.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 24, 2012

It is a 3 X 14" plow, and it is a IH made 2 pt plow. Coulters and a tail wheel.

D Slater · Jul 24, 2012

Pulled a 3-14 2 point plow with a farmall 400 diesel with no trouble in second or third gear.
No fluid, 3 wheel weights on each rear wheel.
Fast hitch was the traction control type that if working transfers weight to the rear tires when pulling hard. Traction was never a problem unless wet or muddy. Used the same plow on a Farmall 450 gas and the front needed weight on a hard pull. Heavy diesel engine worked fine with out front weight. 400 wheel base is a little longer than your SMD though. Don't know the 2 point hitch type you have also.

C S · Aug 26, 2012

I plowed for 3 years with a 1953 SMD...Pulling a 3-16 international trailer plow (60?)

It generally struggled with it, I always plowed in 1st gear in clay and clay/sand creek bottoms.

The SMD is not quite as powerful as the gas SM I think. it is however much cheaper to operate.

My advice is to get a 2bottom plow and go faster.

I bought a Zetor 5211 and it absolutely blows the SMD out of the "water" when it comes to plowing.

Farmall Super MD and a 3 14 plow - can it pull it?

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