Setting up a JD#52 plow??? Long

I have been reading John Deere # 52 plow instructions and John Deere Pocket ledger about setting up a plow and have lots of questions. Is the difference between say a 16" and 12" the width of cut or depth? How do you find out what size is on your plow, measure from the same part to same part on the other bottom?
Once I know what size bottom I have, I have to find the center of draft. The book says 17 1/2" measured from the inside of the furrow wheel for 14" bottoms. If I did the math right, I come up with 15" for 12" bottoms and 20" for 16" bottom. Does that seem right?
I am not sure where to make adjustments . I am thinking that once I find the center of draft, that should be set on my plow, the tractor drawbar should be in the center and the inside of the tractor furrow tire and the inside of the plow furrow wheel should be inline. I don't think I will be able to have all 3 settings work together so my question is which adjustment should I leave be and which one should I change? Thanks!!

12", 14", 16", all refer to width of cut and is across from beam to beam. What makes you think plow is not already set? The only way to tell(in my opinion) is to set up the tractor, go to the field and try it. All three measurements should/will work out. Its been quite a while but I learn to adjust an IH # 16 by the book and than was able to adjust a JD pull plow by "feel/ eyeball" in the field. All final adjustments need th be made in the field and will work out. Also field conditions will play a part in the final outcome. Good luck and preserverance, persistance, and patience will pay off! Armand

First off that center of draft information will not work for any plow of less than a 3-12"and then only with certain models of tractors as to follow it for a 2-12" plow you would have to be able to set the tractor tread to the width of a 42" cut lawnmower. If you are ysing a small standard tread tractor that has a 48" center to center of tire wheel tread then it will come close but not right on. Now if you are using a tractor like the wide tread F20 farmall with an 80" tread you will be way off even for a 4 bottom plow. You have to just set it to pull straight with the plow hitched to the center of the tractor and for the tilt of tractor with right wheel in furrow if any hills and a rowcrop tractor you need at least a 66" tread width to avoid a roll over. We had 2 of the No 52 plows in 2-12" sizes and used a 66" wheel tread behind a Farmal H, US A John Deere, late John Deere B, Mid series John Deere B and I also pulled it with my Ferguson TO 30 on that tractors 52" tread but it was a low tractor and the risk of roll over was minimal and most was on flater ground. That plow was made in 2-12"; 2-14" & 2-16" size bottoms but have never seen one with 16" bottoms and most were 12" in my area. If you wanted the wider bottom you bought the heavier frame 4B plow. Set your wheel tread acording to what you feel comfortable with and go from there but set the hitch for the center of tractor.

Didn't address the depth question but a 12" bottom is designed to cut 6" deep oe 1/2 width of cut, a 16" bottom 8" deep on a standard bottom and on those plows they did not make a deep tillage bottom avaible like they did on later model plows, the 16" deep bottom was for up to 12" deep at the most. If your plow is 12" then keep the depth to less than 7", for the 14" bottom keep the depth to less than 8".

Thanks for replying. I want to pull it with my Farmall H. I have 68" center to center for the rear tires. I now figure leave the tire spacing alone, drawbar in the center and line up the inside of the furrow wheel with the inside of the rear right tractor tire as a starting point. Do you have your hitch set high or low?

It has been too many years since we had the tractor to remember that detail, got rid of the Farmall in 1981 but I do remember it was higher than the John Deeres. You are on the right track in hooking it up