If its going to be like spring on Christmas..then

One might as well turn some dirt. Well I just want to make sure I'm better prepared for early planting, potatoes and onions this year. First time with a plow on this tractor, 2 bottom 101 Ford, with new shares, shins and landsides. Greased the coulters, tailwheel and manual trip standards, then found an appropriate block of wood, adjusted it level. I'm sure I can fine tune the adjustments a bit more, but this was the first time I did get both moldboards of this plow working evenly together, but depending on how much I steered into the furrow wall, I did see the rear mold board not take as much. Its set to take the maximum cut, and the sway bars are set max right, so I may have to fool with center of draft. This is some loam/clay topsoil, its deep too, part of the remainder of this old field that is adjacent to the house. It tripped a few times on rocks, so that works well, I did get stuck once, on the steepest part of the patch, made some adjustments to make it pull easier, over all it worked well, and it does work nice behind this tractor. I thought I would have an issue with the rear wheels and where they are set, but it aligned close to where it should be, not bad for a first time outing with it on this new to me tractor. We've had a good amount of rain, soil was a little sticky, but not bad. I thought it would be noteworthy to remember mold board plowing on Christmas, given this weather, which is unreal.

We've had warm winters here in Wisconsin before this. It looks like your plowing deeper than the mold boards. Do you need to plow that deep?

It was warmer in 1955 - what did you do then?

I saw that, and a few other things I need to adjust. I blocked it up on the flat pavement making the left side 8" higher, then leveled it both ways, then started in the old dead furrow of the patch. The 2nd moldboard did not take much of a cut, and it wanted to suck in deeper than it should, I was using draft control, but I am not sure if it was working. I took some video actually and both were working equally, I should have checked the depth on that furrow, check the beams for being level again. The lower side of this small patch is steeper so between the lean, travel speed and looking back, I was trying to monitor its performance to see where or what needed to be done, but there was a lot of looking back and forth. I'd rather have someone on the tractor and walk along to see better.

I noted the position on the draft control lever, raised the depth up. Kind of a trial/error thing plowing this patch. The top soil is deep here, but I don't want to turn up any of the lighter soil that is all clay and rocks, so it should be 8" for depth, 2-16's. I'll have to measure the furrow wall on the last pass. My single bottom when set up on my 850 ford, plows very nice, depth is correct, it glides along and rarely did I shear a bolt, only in areas I did not work before. SO I had hoped to get this one to work like that, not too far off. The beams look tilted up in the one photo, I'll fool with it some more and am open to comments for sure. The back coulter was ok on depth, the front was a little deep, though they were set from the last time I used it, in '11 or '12, its been 3-4 years now. It does need trash boards too, the old crab grass was loading up.

You might have to adjust draft control some, but looks like it is working, otherwise it will suck clear into the ground.

Your welcome to come plow our 10" of snow we got last night in SE SD.

That's the trouble with a garden, by the time you get the plow working, you're done.

Looks to me like just a couple inches too deep and not enough speed. It's just "pushing" dirt instead of throwing it. Otherwise ok.

At first, the 2nd moldboard was not doing much, then it stood up the sod, made an adjustment on cut, shortly after both were cutting evenly, and rolling it over. I took a short video of that, funny because on cue it was working as it should for that furrow LOL !. Speed was slow, I know better until its adjusted 100%m, rocks and such. I was adjusting the depth as I went, there is a sweet spot on that. It seemed I had the top link adjusted so it was not on its nose and it was level, but at times it still seemed it was like that. Short patch, I have a bunch of other plots to try this some more and see what I can do once its set properly. I know what you are saying when pushing, that happens when trash plugs it, then it will come up out of the furrow and glide on the top. I did get some trash build up on the standards, its hiding the front coulter and making it look deeper than it its, but it never plugged, overall, trash coverage was better than I expected too.

We had it last winter, that jet stream, changes we'll get the same again when it cools off and what has been rain turns to snow.

True, but I have some plots to do as well, more seat time LOL !

I was not here yet LOL !

It's easy to over think these mounted plows. It looks to me that you have the top link set too long. When you hook a mounted plow to a tractor the only adjustment you need to make is to level the beams when you get your rear wheel in the furrow. Does the Ford have a draft control? If not you'll need a gauge wheel on the plow so it doesn't pull into the ground down to the beams.

That's a fine looking job of plowing.

Looks good Billy, I did this a few years ago for my friend, dear borne 10-1 plow I thinks is the right number. I dident fuss with it much, hooked up and went. I'm no expert on plows. I did break a shear and old Lj hand had an AC share that fit it. I wouldent be able to plow today as the clay is pretty stickey!

Hi Jay, looks like it did ok, the turned furrows have gaps. I have some photos of I think this plow that did about the same thing, before all the new wear parts were on. I could not figure out what it was, but it disc'd fine and grew a nice patch of oats at least. I'm no expert myself, know what its supposed to do, getting that in the field is another thing LOL !

I would agree, there's the center of draft dimension, level both ways while in the furrow, that's about it. I did block up one side and set the plow level. It has draft control, not sure if its working, though, but some more seat time should help determine that, the soil conditions I worked in today in another plot were not desirable, but one side of it had ruts from 30 years back, I did get those turned over. My 110 single bottom has a gauge wheel on it, I have used it on my 850, but the draft control did not work or so I believe. I actually took it off, as I can do it by hand, or most times it pulls very nicely, really adjusts well to that tractor.