Tractors Without Draft Control

Enjoying some window shopping with respect to a couple of tractors. On the front burner at the moment is a Farmall 400 and in as much as they are so similar, the 450 too.

Looking at the 400, there appears to be no draft control. The 450 looks like it has it via a big cylinder running beneath the tractor? That cylinder looks like something to be high centered or worse - knocked off on a rock!

I've plowed some with my old MF50 and the draft control works great. You can almost see the plow moving up and down a tad as you plow.

My Wife's father grandfather farmed with a Farmall H and later a Super H - which I gather, neither had draft control.

Question - when you're plowing with a tractor without draft control, are you simply muscling through the ground, hit a tough spot the tractor pulls down, spins or worse flips over backwards!

Or were there provisions on these tractors and/or plows to account for draft?

Thanks!
Bill

I only know from plowing with an H and an F-20 and a No. 8 Genius plow many years ago. There was nothing automatic about the whole outfit. A tough spot was dealt with by downshifting or adjusting the manual depth lever on the plow.

Draft control uses the amount of pulling force and "suction" of the plow in the ground to control the depth of the plow in the ground. The early 400 had a second cylinder on the front of the hitch attachment point, under the transmission. This cylinder could be used to tilt the fast hitch (over quite a range) and was a fair attempt at a manually controlled (seat of the pants) system. (I like it best of all the 400/450 series hitches. Later 400 and 450 tractors had a draft control with a "D" handle on the left side of the platform that was a next generation fixed amount draft control. It worked OK but was not as sensitive as an internal hydraulic draft control. It worked OK on Farmalls, not so much on Utility style. There is no chance of flipping over backwards with a fast hitch plow because the plow cannot go past its full up position. it could do a wheelie, but not flip. Draft control does not work on trailer type plows on any tractor. Flipping over backwards is very unusual and takes real wrong procedure to do if hooked to a standard drawbar. If hooked to a fast hitch loop drawbar, or 3 point drawbar, in the full up position, a tractor could flip. Jim

Hooked up right, that is: pulling point below the axle centerline, a tractor will never flip over backwards, the implement pull just pulls the front wheels down. With a three point it is not always obvious where the implement is pulling but with drag equipment it is obvious. Had a neighbor lose his arm (not his life) trying to pull stumps with an 8N flipping it over backwards, don't know how he had it hitched but you can bet the line of pull went at the axle centerline or above it. Worst you can do is hook a chain around the axle. That being said, I never try to pull stumps because I don't like fixing broken castings and gears. I might try to push with a front loader but never get rough with them.

Draft control is manually set on a drag plow.

Dad had a350 with a 3-16 fast hitch plow. He did not like the way the draft control worked, so he just left the draft handle in the lower position (locked out). We just used the hyd control lever to control depth and vary it for different soil conditions. Like was said, you could not flip over backwards with the plow on, and it seems we spent 1/2 the time with the front end in the air in tough going. If you let out the clutch too fast in 4th with the plow raised up, you would throw dirt with the plow. I was plowing in some sticky soil one day, and got to the end of the field, and the plow was raided clear up and still 8 inches in the ground. Had to back up to get it out!

You need to use plow with tailwheel if no draft control.

David is correct about the trailer wheel. As time went on ih 2 point fast hitch plows generally had a gauge wheel and trailer wheel. The ih draft control not really being that effective we would set it to heavy then level the plow using the drawbar height adjustment.

I find it amazing how long it took others for follow ferguson on the 3 point with draft control.

patents! and NIH (Not Invented Here) fast hitch can have a good Draft control, but was out of style first. If IH had sold the FH rites to others it would have been on tractors today. Jim

To be honest I don't know anyone who used draft control. Was an extra lever on some tractors no one ever used.

Mid 70s Fords had the setup, with a special cyclinder, to run a semi mount plow with draft control and pick up both ends of the plow.

When the dealer sold dad the tractor, he said I can come out and show you how that works, but 80% don't ever bother with it.

We had wheel trip plows, not much chance for draft control on those, you just match your tractor to the ground. Drive in a higher gear if the going is good, drop down if it goes tough.

Typically where the plow would pull up in my varriable clay soils is where I would need the tillage and compaction busting the most - why would I want the plow to go shallow whee up I need the tillage the most?

Guess we never really understood the wonders of draft control around here.

Paul

(quoted from post at 20:54:37 11/07/15) I find it amazing how long it took others for follow ferguson on the 3 point with draft control.

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I disagree as one need a gauge wheel not tail wheel not tail wheel for non draft control tractors.

You may have to look for a newer tractor to get decent draft control. By the early 1960's most rowcrop tractors had good working draft control, and catagory 1 or 2 three point hitches. That made semi-mount plows practical and popular.

A 706 in good condition will not cost much more than a 450 in similar condition, but a 706 will have many more modern features and improved operator comfort.

I use draft control on my Ford when plowing, works great.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the replies!

Bill