Interesting way to plow

JRSutton · Feb 20, 2014

Doesn't look too efficient, but I guess if the fields were real muddy it may make some sense...
plowing

Dean · Feb 20, 2014

Cable plowing was once rather common in some areas of the country.

I saw one or two steam traction engines with cable drums at the Ford Museum when I was last there in the 1970s.

Dean

nhboyd · Feb 20, 2014

Easier to move plow over than to turn tractor around at end of strip

JRSutton · Feb 20, 2014

makes sense.

I can't but wonder what happened to the guys sitting on the plow when they hit rocks.

(though I suppose they probably only used those things where there ARE not rocks...)

Bryce Frazier · Feb 20, 2014

Seems like it might not be that bad if it was a REALLY long field! Bryce

Anonymous-0 · Feb 20, 2014

I ave been told that cable plowing at one time vas popular in the UK, but hear in the states it vasn't practical.

Samn40 could probably tell more aboot it

johnlobb · Feb 20, 2014

I learn something new (to me) almost every day on this website!

T in NE · Feb 20, 2014

Didn"t really take off, if it did anywhere it probably died when we got rubber tires and traction wasn"t such an issue.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 20, 2014

Johnlobb, its good to learn sumthing new everyday.

Did you know, that if no one is round a tree falling in the forest does make a sound?

JerryMT · Feb 20, 2014

Looks like a method invented by Rube Goldberg!

Dan in North Houston · Feb 20, 2014

Understand it was pretty common in Holland. Considering how soft the ground is there, it would make sense to keep the tractors or steam engines up on what little firm ground there is.

Phil Scarborough · Feb 20, 2014

System was invented about 1850-1860, so was a lot more efficient than using a horse. Some rope drums were wider than others and held up to a mile of wire rope. These were used for dredging lakes. I have been privileged to have ridden on the plough of one these sets, it is almost silent, all I could hear was the soil sliding over the mouldboard.Standard cable length was usually about1/2 mile. System mostly used in Eastern England where land is flat and alluvial soil, so not many problems with rocks.Same applies in Europe. Level land, big areas, much quicker than 1 furrow at a time. Phil

showcrop · Feb 20, 2014

I have a book on old time farming in the UK hat has a section including some pictures of this. It indicates that it was popular in areas of the UK

Nebraska Cowman · Feb 20, 2014

If you think about it a steel wheeled tractor takes about half of it's available horsepower to move itself. Using a winch you have nearly all the power available to pull the implement.

JRSutton · Feb 20, 2014

good point.

I'd like to know how much tension is on that cable.

You always hear you need X horsepower to pull Y bottoms etc.

but I wonder what it equates to in pounds of pulling force. As in - how thin could you go with your choice of cable before it started snapping.

Anybody have a rough number? Obviously varies with the soil conditions - but just a ballpark guess?

mkirsch · Feb 20, 2014

That's about the same idea as what they were going to do with that bidirectional tractor that was in the forum yesterday.

5 bottoms on the front, 5 bottoms on the back. Spin the cab around at each end of the field, drop the plow that's now behind you, and go. Back and forth, no turning around.

37chief · Feb 20, 2014

Then someone came up with a bright idea. Why don't we just hook the plow to the tractor' and the rest is history. Stan

Chris Jones · Feb 20, 2014

If you could do away with the men on the plow it'd be a great way to clear a minefield.

JD Seller · Feb 20, 2014

The reason they used winches and cables is the traction drive on the old steam engines was not good enough to pull a plow reliably. They did not have precision bearings or gears then. The old open gears did not transmit power to the wheels very well.

They are pulling a five bottom plow pretty fast. It was many years later before there where many five plow tractors.

There is a setup at the Dearborn Museum. The last time I was there they had not restored the setup.

jerrybigrig · Feb 20, 2014

My dad told me that there was also an elect motor setup it was powered by 480 wow what a blast you would get when it was wet out .

Interesting way to plow

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