plowing with moldboard plows

8/2/2019 Plowing With Moldboard Plows

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AGRICULTURE'' ' ' ' ' *^FARMERS' BULLETIN NdiaaO

PLOWING WITHMOLDBOARDP L O W S

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PLOWING WITH MOLDBOARD PLOWS'By W A L L A C E A S H B Y , Chief, Division of Stnicturc8, and A. H. G L A V K S , Junior

Agricultural Knifinecr, Division- of Mcvhaniinl Equipment, Bureau of Agricultural Entjinrcrin;/

C O N T E N T SP a g ePlowlnf? wiuipment 1Horse plows 1Tractor plows 2

Two-way plows - 2Plow bot toms 3Accessories for clejin plowing - 3QettinK ready for the field 6Plowshares 6Fit t ing aud se t t ing the a t t a c h m e n t s 8Fie ld adjus tments 12Horse plows 12Tractor plows 14

PageField practices 18Laying out fields _. 18Plowing speeds 18Clean plowing _ 19Choice of ecjuipment 19Cover ing a t t a chments - 19Prac t ices tha t promote c lean plowing 21Precaut ions to be taken after plowing 22

PL O W I N G U S E S m o r e p o w e r t h a n a n y o t h e r f a r m o p er a ti o n ando f t e n d e t e r m i n e s the size of t r a c t o r or n u m b e r of h o r s e s t h a tmus t be k e p t . C l e a n p l o w i n g , as i l h i s t r a t e d in F i g u r e 1, has p r o v e dto be one of the m ost e f fec tive w ay s of c o n t r o l l i n g the E u r o p e a ncorn bore r and ce r t a in o the r i n sec t s wh ich f ind win te r she l t e r in c r o prefuse lef t in the field. It is also an aid in c o n t r o l l i n g w e e d s andce r t a in p l an t d i sea se s .P l o w s m u s t be p r o p e r l y a d j u s t e d and in g o o d c o n d i t i o n or t h e ywas te power and do not do first-class work. The p u r p o s e of t h i sbul le t in is to p r e s e n t i n f o r m a t i o n w h i c h w i l l aid in k e e p i n g m o l d -b o a r d p l o w s in g o o d w o r k i n g o r d e r , in us ing them mos t e f fec t ive ly ,

and in s e l e c t i n g n e w e q u i p m e n t to r e p l a c e old.P L O W I N G E Q U I P M E N T

HORSE PLOWSH o r s e - d r a w n p l o w s are usual ly c lass i f ied as w a l k i n g , s u l k y , andg a n g p l o w s . S u l k i e s and g a n g s may be e i the r f r ame le s s (low l i f t )o r f r a m e d ( h i g h l i f t ) . For a sma l l a c reage the w a l k i n g p l o w isusua l ly chosen . If c o n s i d e r a b l e p l o w i n g is to be d o n e a s o m e w h a t

g r e a t e r i n v e s t m e n t is w a r r a n t e d and the s u l k y or g a n g p l o w maybe m ore su i t ab l e . W h e r e ea se of o p e r a t i o n is i m p o r t a n t the f r a m e dor h ig h- l i f t p low is o f t e n p r e f e r r e d to the l o w - l if t t y p e . O r d i n a r i l ythe re is l i t t le difference in d r a f t b e t w e e n w a l k i n g and whee led p lowsof the same s ize , s ince the a d v a n t a g e of c a r r y i n g the load , on wh ee lsis offset by the g r e a t e r w e i g h t of the whee led p low and the w e i g h tof the o p e r a t o r .1 This bulle t in is based on pxpprlmenta l s tudies of plowing made jointly by the Bureauof Agricultural EnKlneerinK and the Plant Quarant ine and Control Administra t ion. Incooperation with the Bureau of Bntomology. Use has been made of much informationobta ined f rom manufacturers and Sta te agr icu l tura l exper iment s ta t ions .


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2 F Al ; M i l l s ' B U L L E T I N 1 6 9 0T R A C T O R P L O W S

T}inM> t y p e s o f t r u c t o i - . l i a w n i n o h l b o a n l j)U , w s a r c iu r o i u m o nu s e , iiM n ic Iy , ;i-w htH 'h M l, - J - w h o e l n l , a n d w h e e l l e s s . T h r e e - w h e e l e dp l o w s a r c u s u a l l y b i. iU t o r l i c a v y . l u t y in 2 - b o t t o m , : M ) o t t o m , o r4 - l )o t t o in s i/A 's , o r l a r - c r . T h o w e i g h t i s c a r r i e d o n a l l t h r e e w h e e l sb o t h w h e n a t w o r k a n d w h e n t h e b o t t o m s a r e l i f t e d I n t h e2 - w h e e l e d p l o w s a i l t h e w e i g h t is c a r r i e d o n t w o w h e e l s w h e n t h eb o t t o m s a r e l i f t e d , t h o u g h s o m e oi ' t h e s e p lo w . , a r e e ( . n i p p e d w i t ha h x e d r e a r w h e< d, o r r o l l i n g l a n d s i d c , w h i c h c a r r i e s t h e l a n d - s i d e])rc >,su re w h e n [ . l o w i n g . T h e y a r e n i o s t l v l i g h t w e i g h t , 1 o r 2 b o t t o mj . h . w s . S o m e p l o w s (d" t h i ^ t y p ." h a v e a m p l e c l e a n m c e b e t w e e n t h eb o t t o m s . I.lit III o t l u ' i s t h e b e a m s h a v e b e e n s l i o r t e n e d a n d c l e a r a n c es u c r i h c e d t o r e d u c e t h e w e i * d i t .

FuiUiiE 1.Cornstalks plowed und er rlennly. The soil is heavy elay 1plowing is ea.M.T on lighter soils oam ; cleanA w h e e l le > s p l o w is m o u n t e d d i r e c t l y o n t h e t r a c t o r , t h e d r i v e -w h e e l s of w i n c h v e r v e i n s t e a d o f t h e u s i ia l p l o w w h e e l s t o s t e a d y t h ep l o w aiMJ t o a s si st in r e g u l a t i n g t h e d e p t h . B o t h h a n d a n d p o w e rJ i t t t y i x 's a r e a v a i l a b l e . W h i l e w h e e l l e s s t r a c t o r p l o w s h a v e b e e n i nu s e f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s , t li e y h a v e n o t b e e n a d o p t e d s o g e n e r a l l y a sm i g h t h a v e b e en e x p e c t e d c o n s i d e r i n g t h e i r l i g h t w e i g h t a n d a b i l i t y t o w o r k m c l o se | u a r t e r s . T h i s m a y b e b e c a u s e t h e y a r e n o tr e a d i l y a d a { ) te d t o d i f r e i v n t m a k e s o f t r a c t o r s a n d t h e v a r e n o t s oe a s i l y h i t c h e d a n d u n h i t c h e d a s t h e w h e e l e d t y p e o f p l o w ,

T W O - W A Y P L O W ST w ( . - w a y p lo w s, = f o r u s e o n h i l l s i d e s a n d u n d e r c o n d i t i o n s w h e r ed e a d f u r r o w s m u s t b e a v o i d e d , a s i n i r r i g a t e d fields, a r e m a d e f o r

thlV^IZ*\T^ for ndjiisfinp 2-way plows are plvon In Department Circular 1^2. Fiphtinj?t h e ( o r n B o r e r i t h M n c h i n e r y in t l w T w o C c n . r.i t i ., n A r . a . i iK"ii"f,


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PLOWING W ITH MOLDBOARD PLOWS 3e ithe r hoi-se o r t r a c t o r po w er . T h e bo t tom of a 2 -w ay wa lk in g p lowis h inged to t h e beam an d m ay be se t t o t u rn the so i l e i t h e r t o t her igh t o r t o t h e l e f t . O th e r 2 -way p low s fo r use w i th horse s o r t r a c tor have r i g h t an d l e f t han d bo t to m s w hich a re used a l t e rn a t e ly tothrow a l l fu r r ow s l ices in one d i r ec t ion . M os t of these a re wh ee ledplows , bu t some for u se w i th t r ac to rs a re s im i la r to th e w hee l lessp lows desc r ib ed abo ve .

PLOW BOTTOMSA grea t va r ie ty of bot toms i s ava i lab le for d i f fe rent so i l condi t ions and typ es o f w ork . A t one ex t rem e i s t he b r eak e r bo t tomfor t u rn in g s tif f sod . I t i s l on g an d low , w i th a g ra d u a l t u rn th a tinve rt s sod w i th ou t b re ak in g i t . A t t he o th e r ex t rem e i s t h e s tubb leb otto m w i t h a r a t h e r h i g h , a b r u p t m o l d b o a r d w h i c h t u r n s t h e

fu r row s l ic e qu ick ly to c ru m ble i t . B e tw een the se tw o a re a g r ea tv a r ie ty o f g e n e r a l - p u r p o s e b o t t o m s a n d a n u m b e r o f s p e c i a l - p u r p ose b o t t o m s t o m e e t c o r r e s p o n d i n g v a r i a t i o n s i n p l o w i n g c o n d i t i o n s .P lows for s t i f f so i l s and tame sods resemble the sod type , whi le p lowsfo r l i gh te r so i ls ap pr oa ch th e s tubb le t y pe . T h i s bu l l e t i n d ea l sp a r t i c u l a r l y w i t h t h e g e n e r a l - p u r p o s e a n d s tu b b l e t y p e s o f m o l d -boa rd p lows .Good p lowing requ i re s a bo t tom su i t ed to t he so i l and to t hep a r t i c u l a r w o r k t o b e d o n e . I t m u s t s c o u r , t u r n w e l l - la i d f u r r o wslices, l eave th e so i l in go od co nd i t io n to m ak e a seed bed , covert ra s h t h o r o u g h l y , r e s is t w e a r , a n d h a v e m i n i m u m d r a f t . U s u a l l ya typ e o f bo t tom th a t ha s been in use in a l oca l i t y fo r som e t im e wi l lbe found t o m ee t m os t o f t he se req u i re m en t s . U n t i l a new ty pe o fp low bo t tom ha s p rov ed i t s w or th in a l oca l i t y i t sho u ld be pu r chased on ly a f t e r t r i a l , p r e f e ra b l y on th e fa rm w he re i t i s t o beused . S inc e l a r ge p low bo t to m s cove r t r a sh be t t e r t h an sm a l l ones ,a n d a b u n d a n t p o w e r i s f u r n i s h e d b y t r a c t o r s o r b y s e v e r a l h o r s e s i nt andem t ea m h i t ch es , t h e r e i s a t end enc y in some sec t ions to use bo t toms 16 inches o r m ore in w id th . Th ese a re o f t en re fe r red to a s " b ig -b ase " p l o w s a n d a r e d e s i g n e d t o t u r n u n d e r h e a v y g r o w t h s of g r e e n -m a n u r e c r o p s , s t a l k s , a n d t r a s h . S o m e o f t h e se p l o w s a r e w e l ladap ted fo r such use an d l e ave o rd in a r y m e l low so i l i n good c ond i t ion lo be w ork ed in to a s eed bed . L a r g e p low bo t tom s do no ttu rn ha rd , d ry so i l so smooth ly a s do sma l l bo t toms , bu t t h i s i snot an objec t ion w hen the lan d is be ing p lo w ed in th e fa l l for sp r i n gseeding.W he re so i l con d i t i o ns on a f a rm d if fe r w ide ly , o r whe re d i f fe ren tc rops a re t o be p lowed unde rfor example , co rns t a lks i n one f i e ldand heavy sod in ano the ri t may pay to have two se t s o f bo t tomsfo r t h e p l o w . M o s t m a n u f a c t u r e r s c a n f u r n i s h s e v e r a l t y p e s w h i c hc an b e i n t e r c h a n g e d b y r e m o v i n g a f ew b o l t s .

ACCESSORIES FOR CLEAN PLOWINGA p l o w w i t h o u t a t t a c h m e n t s m a y t u r n o v e r c l ea n s t u b b l e l a n dq u it e s a t i s f a c t o r i l y ; b u t s o d l a n d , w e e d y l a n d , o r [ a n d o n w h i c ht h e r e i s a c o v e r i n g o f s t r a w , m a n u r e , c o r n s t a l k s , o r t h e h k e , m a y b ep lo w e d b e t t e r if t h e p l o w i s e q u i p p e d w i t h c e r t a i n a t t a c h m e n t s .

These sho u ld be se l ec t ed to su i t t he w ork an d to h t t he p low , i h ea t t a c h m e n t s s h o w n in F i g u r e 2 a r e s u i t a b l e f o r p l o w i n g u n d e r c o r n -


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* F A I tM K U S r . U L L K r i X IC H Qs ta lks or a hea vy cover c ro p such as swe(> tc lover . S in ce these a t t ac hm e n t s r e qu i r e spa c e in wh ic h to do t l i e i r wor k , p lows f o r c l e a n p lowing shou ld ha v e a m ple c l e a r a n c e un de r the be a m s , b r a c e s , a n d a x le sI n ga ng p low s the r e shou ld be suf fi ci en t spa c e be twe e n th e m old bo a r dof one bo t tom a nd the up r igh t pa r t o f the be a m a he a d to a l low thef u r r o w s l u e a n d t r a s h t o p a s s w i t h o u t c l o g g i n g . T h e m o r e c le a r -unce a t this [ )oi i i t the bet tor .

C O L T E K S

R ol l ing c o l t e r s a r e use d to c u t r oo t s a nd su r f a c e t r a sh wh ic hm igh t o th e iw ise c a use r a gg e d f u r r ow s o r c log the p low. T he v i in -

PiGiTBB 2.C overing att ac hm en ts help bury tra sh . Roll lnK colter, a, cuts cruMswisepieces; Jointer, 6. moves roll of soil and trash, r, toward ot ien furrow: cover inewires , c. KUide tra sh uiulec hiniinK furrow slice, apr ove the wor k in m os t c a se s a nd o f t e n r e duc e the d r a f t , bu t a r e no te n t i r e ly sa t i s f a c to r y in so i ls c o n t a in in g loose s tone s . C o l t e r s a s sm a l la s 12 inc he s in d ia m e te r m a y be sa t i s f a c to r y in p l ow in g sod , b u t a r eineffec t ive w he n used in coars e or loose t r a s h . A bl ad e a t least 15inc he s in d ia m e te r i s de s i r a b le if t he p low ha s r oom to a c c o m m od a tei t , be c a use l a r ge c o l t e r s do be t t e r wor k a nd we a r longe r in p r opor t ionto th e i r cos t th a n do sm al le r one s . I n hea vy t ra sh a 17 or 18 inchb la de i s be s t be c a use i t m a y be se t r e a sona b ly de e p a nd s t i l l m oun ta n d c u t t r a s h w h i c h a s m a l l e r b l a d e w o u l d p u s h a h e a d u n t i l c l o g g i n go c c u r r e d . R o l l e r b e a r i n g s m a i n t a i n p r o p e r a l i g n m e n t o f t h e b l a d ew i th le ss a t t e n t ion th a n is r e qu i r e d f o r the c he a pe r ty pe s o f b e a r i n g s . Direc t i t i i i s for se t t ing the ro l l ing co l te r a re g iven on page 8 .


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PLOWING W ITH MOLDBOARD PLOWS 5T he fin co l te r i s of ten used on the w al k in g 'p low in pre f e ren ceto the ro l l ing col te r because i t i s l ighte r and does not t end to l i f tthe f ro nt of the p l ow . T h is ty p e of co l te r cons is t s of a f la t kni feb lade r ive t ed to t h e s ide o f t h e sh a re in an u p r i g h t pos i t i on jus t

behind th e po in t . I t cu ts roo ts sa t i s fa c to r i ly b u t i s no t so e ffec tivea s t he ro l l i ng co l t e r fo r ha nd l in g t r a sh . T he fin co l t e r needs l i t t l ea t t e n t i o n o t h e r t h a n o c c as i o n a l s h a r p e n i n g .The de f l ec t ing co l t e r , a combina t ion o f j o in t e r and f in co l t e r , ha sb ee n f o u n d v e r y s a t i s f a c t o r y f o r b r e a k i n g n e w g r o u n d . S e v e r a lo the r t ypes o f co l t e r s a re made fo r spec i a l cond i t i ons .JOINTERS

The jo in t e r , . some t imes ca l l ed the sk immer , i s a mos t impor t an t a idto c lean p low ing . I t cu t s a sha l lo w fu r row 3 inches to 5 i nches wid e ,above the po in t o f t he p low bo t tom, tu rn ing a r i bbon o f sod o r so i land t r a s h to w ard th e open fu r ro w . A s the new fu r ro w s li ce i s t u rn ed

Fiia UE . '.. - W alk i i i - plow etjulpped wit h depth gaRe wh ee l , joi nt er, and ch ain . A 6-foot l en gth of N o. U wire fa sten ed t o the loop of the chain drags u nder the new lytu r n e d so i l . T h i s c o m b i n a t i o n i s su i ta b l e fo r tu r n i n g u n d e r m o d e r a te l y h e a v yg r o w th s o f w e e d s , c o r n s ta l k s , o r c o v e r c r o p son edg e by th e m old bo a rd , m uch o f t he t r a s h mov ed by the jo in t e rro l l s to th e bot to m of the fur row an d i s covered by c lean so i l .(F ig . 2 . ) I f t he jo i n t e r is no t used , con s ide rab le t r a sh p r o t r ud esf ro m t h e s e a m s b e t w e e n f u r r o w s .The moldboa rd type o f j o in t e r r e semble s a sma l l p low and i s he ldin p o s i t io n b y a s h a n k c l a m p e d t o t h e p l o w b e a m ( i n d e p e n d e n tjo in te r , f ig . 3) , o r i t may be he ld by a shank c lamped to the yokeof t he ro l l i n g co l t e r . (C om bin a t ion co l t e r - jo in t e r , fig . 6 .) T h eind ep end en t t y pe is m ore r ig id an d can be used un de r m ore ad ve rsec o n d i t i o n s t h a n t h e c o m b i n a t i o n . U n d e r o r d i n a r y s oi l c o n d i t i o n se i the r t y pe i s ve ry he lp fu l i n p lo w ing c l ean , p rq v id ed the p low h assuff ic ien t c lea rance to a l low t rash to pass wi thout c logging .D i sk jo in t e r s m ay be sub s t i t u t e d fo r bo th co l t e r and m oldb oa rdjo in te r . U su a l ly th ey do no t tu rn so w ide a r ibbon of so il a s do la rg em old bo a rd jo in t e r s , bu t i t i s poss ib l e t o use d i sk jo in t e r s un de r somec o n d i t i o n s w h e r e m o l d b o a r d j o i n t e r s w i l l n o t s c o u r . O n p a g e 9 a r eg iven d i rec t ions fo r s e t t i ng jo in t e r s .


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6 FARMERS* BULLETIN 1690C H A I N S AM) COVERIXO WIRES

C h a i n s are use d c h ie f ly w i th wa lk ing p lows , and are effective inc ove r ing bo th we e ds and l oose t r a sh . (Fig. 3.) C o v e r i n g w i r e s arep r e f e i a b l e for w lie el p l o w s u n d e r m o s t c o n d i t i o n s . T h e y i m p r o v e(overage cons ide rably wi th ve ry l i t t le co . s t or t r o u b l e . D i r e c t i o n s fora t t a c h i n g c h a i n s and wir e s are g i v e n on p a g e 10.

t W H E B A C C E S S O R I E SW e e d h o o k s are usefu l for c o v e r i n g s m a l l g r o w t h a t t a c h e d to theg r o u n d , but are not so effective in l oose t r a sh . S h ie ld s for def lec t ingt r a s h to the b o t t o m of the f u r r o w are a v a i l a b l e . S o m e t y p e s h a v ebeen used sa t i s fac tor i ly in a n u m b e r of l o c a l i ti e s . F l a t s p r i n g ssh ap ed lik(> sled ru n n er s and k n o w n as b r o o m c o r n s p r i n g s are some-

tiiius usevent proper scour ing and caus e o th er dif ficul ties .A x l e s , c o l t e r b e a r i n g s , and o t h e r w o r k i n g p a r t s s h o u l d , of c o u r s e , bel u b r i c a t e d r e g u l a r l y .PLOWSHARES

T h e s h a r e d o e s the h a r d e s t p a r t of the w o r k and r e q u i r e s a b o u th a l f the p o w e r u s e d by the p l o w . I t s h o u l d be k e p t in g o o d c o n d i t ion , because a b a d l y w o r n s h a r e i n c r e a s e s d r a f t and i n t e r f e r e s w i t hp r o p e r o p e r a t i o n .W h e n a new w a l k i n g - p l o w b o t t o m is set on a f lat table top or floor,t h e w e i g h t r e s t s on the t h r e e p o i n t s i n d i c a t e d by s h a d i n g in F i g u r e 4.T h e s e are the c u t t i n g e d g e at the p o i n t of the s h a r e , the sm a l l be a r i n g a r e a at the w i n g of the s h a r e , and the hee l of the l a n d s id e . W h e nthe p low is at w o r k in h a r d g r o u n d , m o s t of the d o w n w a r d p r e s s u r ei s c a r r i e d on the u n d e r s i d e of the p o i n t , w h i l e the w i n g b e a r i n g andt he l a nds ide he e l a s s i s t in h o l d i n g the ]>low bottcmi level. All o t h e r


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PLOW ING W ITH MOLDBOARD PLOWS 7parts back of the cutting edge must clear the bottom of the furrowso that the plow will enter the gro un d freely and hold its d ep th.Long experience has developed the plowshare with a point shapedabout as show n in F ig u re 5. T hi s siiape ha s been found best forpenetrating ord ina ry soil and for stan din g rough wear. Th e clearance at a is usually refeiTed to as "down suck," and the amountvaries w ith different m ake s an d typ es of plow s. Sim ilar clearanceat the side is called " land suck." M an ufa ctu rers ' instruc tion booksgive m easurem ents of suck for th eir shares. Deep-suck shares, whichturn down a l i t t le more than regular shares, may be obtained forplowing hard dry ground, but points which turn down too muchmay ma ke the plow gouge and ru n unevenly. On the other ha nd ,when a share wears as shown by the dotted line in 2>, Figure 5, it willnot enter ha rd g round prop erly. The remedy is to replace or reshapethe share, depending on the kind of material from which it is made.The wing oearing of a walking-plow share (Fig. 4) acts like arudde r in kee ping the plow level. Too little flatness at the w ingbearing will cause the plow to lean toward the open furrow, or" wing do w n." Too much w ill cause it to " w ing up ." One rule isthat the wing bearing for a 14-inch walking plow should be II/4inches wide measured toward the landside fromthe corner of the share.However , the proper wingbearing and proper downsuck of walking plowsdepend chiefly on th e con- _d i ti o n S u n d e r w h i c h t h e ^xt^y-y^^ 5.side view of walking plow. Solld linesn l o w i s t o b e u s e d . F o r show bottom tltted with full length landside;p i u w lb t u u c uB C|i . A wi ( jaghp^ i ,es show how shor t landside would bei n s t a n c e , s o m e l a n d , i t b e - get if rear wheel wer> used. Clearance, a, is usu-ii^


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8 F A R M E R S ' B U L L E T I N 1690p o i n t s a n d c u t t i n g e d g e s s h o u l d b e r e s h a p e d b y f o r g i n g , b u t i t i s i m p o s s i b l e f o r t h e b l a c k s m i t h t o r e t a i n a l l o f t h e o r i g i n a l w e a r i n g q u a l i t i es . T h e f o l l o w i n g i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r s h a r p e n i n g s t e e l s h a r e s a r ef u r n is h e d b y a p l o w - m a n u f a c t u r i n g c o m p a n y .

B uild a fi re on th e forge sui tab le for t l i i s pa r t ic ul ar w ork. Tl i i s i s don e bybanking t l ie f ire, al lowing only a small opening in the side for the blaze andhe at to escape. Com mence w i th th e po int of the sh are . In se r t this into th e firejus t f a r enough to hea t the par t you wish to draw, never i ) e rmi t t ing the hea tto extend far th er buck on the sh ar e t l iun is absolutely nece ssary. D ra w t i ll sdown to the proper shape and th ickness , which should be as near the or ig ina lbevel as possible. Afte r th e po int h as been f inished, wor k back to w ar d the heelor wing of the share , never hea t ing more than 1% inches f rom the edge and21/^ inches wide . I t i s imp or tan t to keep ham m er ing af t e r the st ee l ha s changedfrom a red heat to a black as this makes the edge tough and hard, giving awear ing surface tbat wi l l lus t much longer .I f once down the share i s not suf f icient , reheat ; but conf ine the heated par t tothe above m easu rem ents . In wo rking a long the cu t t ing edge , keep i t s t r a ig h tIn so doing you wi l l avoid having to go back and reset the edge.F o r o r d i n a r y p l o w i n g c o n d i t i o n s t h e p o i n t m a y b e r e h e a t e d a n dc h i l l e d a f t e r t h e w h o l e s h a r e h a s b e e n r e s h a p e d , t o g i v e a d d i t i o n a lh a r d n e s s a n d w e a r i n g q u a l i t i e s . T o d o t h i s , h e a t a b o u t 3 i n c h e s o ft h e p o i n t t o a d u l l c h e r r y r e d , t h e n q u e n c h i n w a t e r u n t i l c o l d . T h i st r e a t m e n t is n o t r e c o m m e n d e d f o r t h e w h o l e s h a r e o n a c c o u n t of t h ed i ff ic u lty o f s e c u r in g a n e ve n he a t a n d th e da ng e r o f w a r p in g . I fso l id s tone s a r e l ike ly to be s t r uc k i t i s be s t no t to c h i l l t h e po in t ,b u t t o d e p e n d o n h a m m e r i n g u n t i l t h e s h a r e i s c o l d t o g i v e h a r d n e s sa n d t o u g h n e s s .S o m e t i m e s a t h i n l a y e r o f o n e o f t h e n e w v e r y h a r d a l l o y m e t a l s i sw e l d e d o n t o t h e p o i n t a n d c u t t i n g e d g e o f a s t e e l s h a r e w i t h a n a c e t y l e n e t o r c h . T h i s i n c r ea s e s t h e w e a r i n g q u a l i t i e s g r e a t l y , b u t d o e s n o tm a te r i a l ly le s se n b r e a k a g e . I t sho u ld be done be f o r e th e sh a r e i sb a d l y w o r n ,

SPECIAL BHABESI n s tony l a nd o r in d r y , ha r d g r ound^ whe r e pe ne t r a t ion i s d i f f i c u l t ," c o b b l e s t o n e " s h a r e s w i t h n a r r o w w m g s w h i c h c u t le ss t h a n t h e

f u l l w id th of th e f u r r ow m a v be use d on a wh e e le d p low . T h e p low ,h o w e v e r , s h o u l d s t i l l t u r n t h e s a m e w i d t h a s a s t a n d a r d s h a r e c u t s .T h e " a l fa l fa " sh a re for a l fa l fa sod i s w id er an d fla tte r a t th e w in gt h a n s t a n d a r d , a n d is s e t a t a b l u n t e r a n g l e t o t h e l a n d s i d e t o r e d u c et h e t e n d e n c y o f t h e p l o w t o s l id e a r o u n d l a r g e r o o t s . " N o t c h e d -e d g e d " s h a r e s a r e a ls o a v a i l a b l e f o r s u c h p u r p o s e s . I m p l e m e n tde a le r s can furn ish fu l l in fo rm at i on abo ut sjM'cial sh a re s for th ep l o w s t h e y h a n d l e .F I T T I N G A N D S E T T I N G T H E A T T A C H M E N T S

T h e f o l l o w i n g s u g g e s t i o n s a r e f o r t h e c a r e a n d a p p r o x i m a t e s e t t i n gof tho a t t a c hm e n t s . S inc e so il c on d i t io ns l a r g e ly a ff ec t t h e op e r a t io nof bo th p low a nd a t t a c h m e n t s , final a d ju s tm e n t s sh ou ld be m a d e inthe field.T H E B O L U N O CX>L.TE2B

T h e c o l t e r sho u ld be sh a r p e n e d o c c a s iona l ly by f iling t he b la d e o rg r i n d i n g i t c a r e f u l l y so a s n o t t o d r a w t h e t e m p e r . B e a r i n g s s h o u l dbe ke p t g r e a se d a n d a d jus t e d snu g ly , o r r e p la c e d i f ne c e ssa r y , so th a tt h e b l a d e r u n s t r u e a n a v e r t i c a l . I f t h e s h a n k o r y o k e b e c o m e s b e n t


10/23

P L O W I N G W I T H M O L D B O A R D PLOWS 9i t shou ld be s t r a ig h t en ed o r r ep l a ced , un le s s t he b l ade can be b ro ug h tto co r rec t pos i t i on by sh im s un de r t h e co l t e r c l am p. A co l t e r t ha tle ans s idew ays o r does no t ru n s t r a i gh t fo r w a rd m ay c row d th e p lowtoward o r aw ay f rom th e fu r ro w so th a t i t f a i l s t o r e spon d to chan gesin the h i t c h . A co l t e r t h a t wobb le s m ay cause the se t roub le s a nda lso pe rm i t t r a s h to w edg e be tween th e jo in t e r po in t an d th e co l t e r .P rope r s e t t i ng o f t he co l t e r depends on f i e ld cond i t i ons and changesmus t be m ad e to su i t t he se con d i t i on s . O rd in a r i ly t he b l ade sh ou ldcut one -ha l f t o 1 i nch w ide r t h a n the sha re an d shou ld be th e w id t hof tw o f ingers abo ve i t . I n sof t or easy p l ow in g th e hu b of th e col te rmay be ahead o f t he po in t , wh i l e i n ha rd p lowing i t may be nece ssa ryto se t i t back of th e p oi n t . W h e re s tones a re com m on , the col te r of al ight p low i s somet imes se t ahead and as deep as poss ib le so tha t theedge o f t he co l t e r he lps t o p ro t ec t t he po in t o f t he sha re , ro l l i ng i tou t and ove r t he s tone wi th l e s s i n ju ry to t he p low than i f t he po in th a d s t r u c k . W h e n p lo w a n d c o l t e r a r e w o r k i n g p r o p e r l y a f u ll ,

FiouuE 0.Proper shape and setting of Jointer point against colter blades t r a i g h t f u r r o w w a l l i s f o r m e d a n d p r o v i d e s ^ o o d b e a r i n g f o r t h erea r whee l o r l an ds ide . A rag ge d fu r ro w w a l l i s u su a l ly due to na r row o r sha l low se t t i ng o f t he co l t e r , o r wrong se t t i ng o f t he p lowhi t ch . C on s ide rab le p re s su re i s needed to fo rce the ro l l i ng co lt e r i n tothe g round and to p rov ide th i s t he h i t ch shou ld be se t a l i t t l e h ighe ron the br id le of a horse p low than i f no col te r were used .

T H E M O L D l A B I ) . lO IN T EJ B

Th e jo i n t e r po i n t shou ld be shaped abou t a s show n in F ig ur e 6,so th a t w hen i t re s t s l ig ht ly ag a in s t th e col te r the r e w i l l be a V-shaped c l ea rance space back o f t he po in t . T h i s pe rm i t s b i t s o f t r a shtha t l odge aga ins t t he jo in t e r edge to work the i r way ou t , andp r o v i d e s f o r t a k i n g u p s l i g h t w e a r o n t h e p o i n t b y t w i s t i n g i t t o w a r dthe col te r . A s w ear inc rea .ses o t he r ad jus tm en ts m ust be m ade , h orth i s pu rpose some jo in t e r s a re p rov ided wi th a s lo t i n t he f rog to


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10 FARME RS' BULLE TIN 16 90

a l low the b l a d e to be s w u n g t o w a r d the c o l t e r . In o t h e r t y p e s theb la de ba c k of the p o i n t may be g r o u n d to g i v e c l e a r a n c e . S o m e t v n e so f j o i n t e r s h a v e c h e a p l y r e p l a c e a b l e p o i n t s . ^T h e j o i n t e r s h o u l d b'e set j u s t far e n o u g h b e h i n d the c o l t e r hubt o p r e v e n t d i r t and t r a s h w e d g i n g a g a i n s t it, and low e n o u g h toc u t a 3- c o r ne r e d r ibbon of d i r t a b o u t 4 i n c h e s w i d e and u s u a l l v notm o r e t h a n 21/2 i nc he s de e p at the p o i n t . The c u t t i n g e d g e of the]o in er shoii c not be c o m p l e t e l y b u r i e d , s i n c e in t ha t c a se the sliceo f d i r t wou ld not be cut f ree . In s e t t i n g an i n d e i ) e n d e n t j o i n t e rc a r e shou ld be t a k e n not to c r o w d the c o l t e r , as t h i s w i l l c a use ar a g g e d f u r r o w w a l l and may k e e p tl.c col te r f rom turn i i i . - o,- m i k ethe p low run u n s t e a d i l y . ""

W h e n a j o i n t e r is US(M1 w i t h o u t a r o l l i n g c o l t e r its p o i n t s h o u l d bes e t a p p r o x i m a t e l y o v e r the i)oinL of the s h a r e . (Fig. 3.) I t shou ldc u t t h r e e - e i g h t h s to t h r e e - f o u r t h s of an i n c h w i d e r t h a n the p lowan d 11/^ inc he s to 2 /4 i n c h e s d e e p .S o m e t i m e s the j o i n t e r f a i l s to sc our , or t h r o w s t r a s h a g a i n s t then e x t b e a m of a g a n g p l o w . T h i s mav be p r e v e n t e d by t w i s t i n g thej o i n t e r or by t i l t i n i ; it f o r w a r d or b a c k w a r d . M o s t j o i n t e r s h a v ea d j u s t m e n t s w h i c h p e r m i t t h e s e c h a n g e s .THE DISK JOINTE31

T h e c e n t e r of the d i s k j o i n t e r s h o u l d be a p p r o x i m a t e l y o v e r thep o i n t of the s h a r e . U s u a l l y it s h o u l d cut 2 or 3 i nc he s de e p , and thea n g l e of the d i s k t o w a r d the f u r r o w s h o u l d be so set t h a t its slicejus t c l e a r s the n e x t b o t t o m or the f u r r o w w h e e l .

C H A I N S AND COVEBINO WIRESA log c ha in is a v a l u a b l e aid in c o v e r i n g t r a s h w i t h w a l k i n g p l o w s .O n e end is f a s t e ne d to the d o u b l e t r e e b a c k of the f u r r o w h o r s e andt he o t l i e r to the p l o w b e a m . (Fig. 3.) The c h a i n is a l l o w e d tod r a g b a c k a l m o s t to the p l o w s h a r e , f o r m i n g a l o o p t h a t w i l l d r a g

t h e t r a s h u n d e r the t u r n i n g f u r r o w s li ce w i t h o u t the c ha in i t s e l fb e i n g c a u g h t . A s h o r t l e n g t h of h e a v y w i r e f a s t e n e d to the l oop andd r a g g i n g b a c k u n d e r the f u r r o w h e l p s to h o l d the c h a i n in p o s i t i o n .S o m e e x i ) e r i m e n t i n g may be ne c e ssa r y in o r d e r to a d j u s t the c h a i np r o p e r l y .O n wl ie e le d p low s , c ov e r ing wi r e s in s t e a d of c h a i n s are g e n e r a l l yV S- J-'^^^^ ^^^ pieces of h e a v y s o f t - i r o n w i r e 10 to 12 fee t long .1^' I? ^^^ c o v e r i n g w i r e is u s u a l l y t i e d to the l o w e r end of eachc o l t e r s h a n k (Fig. 8) , the w i r e r u n n i n g b a c k o v e r the l o w e r p a r t oft he f u r r o w s li ce and u n d e r the t u r n e d s o i l. S o m e t i m e s it is a d v a n t a g e o u s to p a s s t h i s w i r e t h r o u g h the c o l t e r yoke to r e g u l a t e itsh e i g h t . A n o t h e r w i r e is f a s t e ne d to the a x l e or h i t c h to d r a g j u s to y e r the f u r r o w w a l l , and a d d i t i o n a l w i r e s are of te n f a s t e ne d to thep l o w f r a m e or a x l e s . E a c h w i r e s h o u l d d r a g far e n o u g h u n d e r thef u r r ow s l i c e to g i v e it sufficient tension to h o l d t r a s h d o w n and tobe nd ove r long p ie c e s tha t wou ld o the r wise not be c ove r e d . All w i r e ss h o u l d be f a s t e n e d r i g i d l y to r e d u c e s w i n g i n g so t h e y w i l l not d r a gu n d e r the p l o w b o t t o m s w h e n m a k i n g t u r n s w i t h the p l o w l i f t e d .( F i g s . 8 and 9.) K i n k s may cause the w i r e s to t a n g l e and d r a g t r a s ho r to b r e a k . It is a good ide a to k e e p a few e x t r a w i r e s on h a n d .


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P L O W I N G W I T H M O L D B O A R D P L O W S II

KiciUKK 7.I ' losv equip ped for c l e i in p lo w ing . No te am pl e c l ea ra nc e , l a rg e ro l l in gc o l t e r s , J o i n t e r s , a u d c o v e r i n g w i r e s

K i i auK S . M ct lux l n i j i ii i ich i i iK ( ( iVf i ii iK wi r e to co l t e r s l i auk and p low axle


13/23

12 F A R M E R S ' B U L L E T I N 1 69 0FIELD ADJUSTMENTS'

A p low, to do i t s be s t wor k , m us t be a d jus t e d to su i t so i l c ond i t ions .Ad jus tm e n t s shou ld be m a de f r om t im e to t im e be c a use the r e a r eva r ia t io ns in the so i l on d i f fe ren t p a r t s of th e fa rm , and f ro m seasonto season as ra in s occur an d c ro ps a r e ro ta te d . T h e nec essa ry fie lda d j us t m e n t s m a y be m a d e qu ic k ly a nd e a s i ly , a n d th e be ha v io r o f thep l o w i s t h e b es t g u i d e t o a d j u s t m e n t s t h a t s h o u l d b e m a d e .S inc e the e n t i r e pow e r o f the t e a m o r t r a c t o r i s a p p l i e d to th e p lowt h r o u g h t h e h i t c h , n o o t h e r a d j u s t m e n t c a n e n t i r e l y r e m e d y t h e f a u l tif t he h i t c h is w r on g . P o or w or k , e xc e ss ive w e a r on the sh a r e s , a ndwa s te d po we r a r e l ike ly to r e su l t . T h e h i t c h shou ld be so se t t ha tthe p low r uns l e ve l a t t he de s i r e d de p th a nd wid th o f c u t , w i thou tm u c h gu ida nc e f r om th e whe e l s , o r f r om th e ha nd le s in th e c a se o f aw a l k i n g p l o w .

H O R S E P L O W SDEPTH

T h e de p th c u t by a w a l k i ng p lo w in good c on d i t io n i s a ff ec te d byth e he igh t o f the t e a m , the l e ng th o f th e t r a c e s , t h e he ig h t o f thec ross c lev is above the fur row so le .CovHn| wir

CFiocBB 9.Methods of fastening wires rigidly to plow axles in order to avoidswinging wtien naalcing turns

a n d t h e w e i g h t o f t h e e v e n e r s .W h e n p l o w i n g , a h o r s e w o r k sm o s t c o m f o r t a b l y i f t h e t r a c e sa r e m o d e r a t e l y l o n g . T h e t h e o r yt h a t a s h o r t h i t c h s a v e s p o w e rdoe s no t ne c e ssa r i ly a pp ly to thep l o w . W h a t t h e s h o r t h i t c h a c tu a l ly doe s i s t o r a i se th e f r on tend of the p low and cause i t tor u n s h a l l o w e r u n l e s s t h e h e i g h tof the c ross c lev is i s changed toc o m p e n s a t e .m a de by m ov ing the c r oss c l e v i s(Beam clevis f ig . 10, b.)De pth a d jus tm e n t s shou ld I x(fig. 10, a) up or do w n on th e p lo w br id le . ^ ^ . ^ .., . .. ,T h e h i g h e r t h e c l e v i s p i n p i s a bove the bo t tom l ine o f the sha r e thede e p e r the p low wi l l r un . S inc e the se a d jus tm e n t s o f th e w a lk in gp l o w a r e s i m p l e a n d g e n e r a l l y u n d e r s t o o d t h e y g i v e l i t t l e t r o u b l em or< i inarv gr ou nd as lon g as th e sh ar e i s in goo d co nd i t io n . I f th esh a r e be com e s ba d ly wor n the p low m a y f a i l t o pe ne t r a t e w he n th eh i t c h i s in the o r d i na r y pos i t ion , e spe c ia l ly in h a r d g r o un d . T heonh^ sa t i s f a c t o r y r e m e dy i s to p u t on a sh a r e w i th a goo d p o i n t .The h i t c h o f a su lky o r ga ng p low , o r o f a wa lk ing p low wi th

l>earn w he el , sh ou ld be adju.s ted t o r de p th ju st as th a t of a p la inw al k in g p low . T he whe^^ls sho uld l>e se t to s te ad y th e p low an dho ld i t a t un i f o r m de p th a c r oss so f t p l a c e s . W l ie n the h i t c h o f awhe e le d p low is p r op e r l y a d ju s t e d , t h e r e a r whe e l sho u ld c a r r ya bo u t the sa m e we igh t a s e i th e r o f the o the r s . O ne wa y to t e s the ig h t o f h i t c h i s to ho ld the l a nd- w he e l l e ve r un la t c he d f o r a sh o r td i s t a nc e . I f t he h i t c h is p r op e r ly a d ju s t e d the op e r a to r sho u ldbe able to IK.M t lie p low a t th e des i red dep th wi th l i t t le e f for t. I f A mo re com plete dlsciiHslon of plow nd jns tm en ts is given in Ohio S ta te TIniveraityliXtension B ullet in 80, Plow s and Oood Plowing, w ith special reference to Eu ropea n corn-borer control .


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PLOWING W ITH MOLDBOARD PLOWS 1 3the h i tch i s too h ig h on t h e br id le , th e r e wi l l be too m uch w eig ht onthe f ront w hee ls and t he p low w i l l t en d to ru n deep as soon as thelever is un la tc he d. O n th e o th er h an d , if th e h i tc h i s too low on th ebr id le the p low w i l l no t ru n dee p e no ug h.

WIDTHThe nu m be r of ho rse s h i t ch ed a b rea s t , t he l en g th o f t he evene rs ,and the way th e horses a re re in ed , a ffec t the r u n n in g of a p lo w .

FiODKB 10. Dep th of p lowin g d epends chiefly on heigh t of clevis pin p above lineof furrow sole: a. Cross clevis; b, beam clevis; o, twisted clevisFor bes t op er a t i on t h e ma in ev ener c lev is sho uld be ne ar a l inecentered on th e p lo w beam s ( l in e of d ra f t of bo t tom s , f ig . 11) an dthe horse s sh ou ld be re ined to wa lk s t r a i g h t ahea d .When a 14- inch p low i s h i tched behind a 2-horse team, and a 38or 40 inch even er is used , the wid th ad jus tm en t i s ve ry s im ple . I fthe p low i s no t cu t t in g wid e eno ug h, th e tw is te d c levis ( f ig . 10 , c)should l)e m o v e dneare r to the openfurrow on cross c levisa. I f i t i s cu t t in g to owide , c levis c s h o u l dbe sh i f ted aw ay f romthe open f u r r o w .There i s ve r^ l i t t l es ide d ra f t m th i scase, because the cente r of the double t reeis a lmost in l in e w iththe p low beam . T h esame p r inc ip l e ap pl ies to sul ky an dg an g p l o w s , b u twhere four horses a reused abreast on agang p low , s ide d ra f twil l cause more orless t ro u b le . T h i sd i f f i c u l t y is i ll u s - . , , , nt r a t ed in F ig u re 11 . I n o rd e r t h a t t he 2 -bo t tom , 14-inch p low sha l lpu l l s t r a igh t ahead wi th l e a s t d ra f t , c l ev i s c should be se t on the l ineof d ra f t o f t he bo t to m s , abo u t ha l fw ay be tween the p low beam s , p ro bably 19 inches f rom the fu r ro w w al l . B u t th i s i s no t pos.s ib le w i ththree horses on the land, because the center of the evener wil l be 28 or

FIOUBB 1 1 . -Hitching four horses abreastplow results in side draft 2-bottom


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14 F A R M E R S ' B U L L E T I N 16 9030 inc he s f r om the iu r r o u wa l l e ve n tho ug h sh or t s ing le t r e e s a r o us e dI he r e f o r e , t o l i i n i t t he p low to i t s p r ope r w id th o f c u t i t i s ne c e ssa r vto h i t c h se ve r a l m c be s off c e n te r , a s sh ow n . H i t c h in g to th e c o r ne rof the p low 111 t h i s wa y t e nd s to pu l l i t c o r n e r w ise in s t e a d of s t r a ig h ta he a d , ju s t as if the t e a m w e r e . h i t c he d to th e c o r ne r o f a ha r r o wins tead of a t i\w c e n te r . T h e f r o n t - f u r r o w wh e e l m a y be se t a t a na ng le a s show n in F ig u r e 11 to he lp ove r c om e th i s t e n de nc y , bu tpo w e r i s wa s te d a nd the ho r se s a r e c r ow de d a nd w or r i e d . Thed if fi cu lty m a y be ove r c om e by us in g a t a n de m h i t c h ; th a t i s , w i thtwo or th ree horses on the rea r ev(ner and two ahead .

S K T O F W H K K L S

P r o p e r ly a d ju .s te d whe e l s ho ld a p lo w s t e a dy w i th l i t t l e a t t e n t ionf rom the op e r a to r . T he y he lp to ove r c om e th e e ff ec ts o f s ide d r a f ta n d to l i g h t e n t h e l o a d o n t h e t e a m o r t r a c t o r . Q u a l i t y o f p l o w i n g ,e s p e c i a ll y w i t h g a n g p l o w s , m a y b e g r e a t l y i m p r o v e d b y u s i n g t h elevers co nt ro l l in g th e wh ee ls to keei ) the p low level an d the fu r ro wc r ow ns un i f o r m . T h e f r o n t - f u r r ow whe e l o f a ho r se p low se rve sus a w id th ga g e . O n som e typ e s i t m a y be m ov e d in o r ou t to c ha ngethe w id th of c u t . I f s ide d r a f t c a use s the p lo w to pu l l t o w a r d theo p e n f u r r o w t h i s w h e el m a y b e s e t t o l e a d t o t h e " l a n d " a s i nF i j^ure 11 .T w o typ e s o f r e a r - f u r r o w whe e ls a r e use d . E i t h e r sho u ld be set

b e l o w a n d o u t s i d e t h e l a n d s i d e e n o u g h t o c a r r y p r a c t i c a l l y a l l o fthe s ide a nd ve r t i c a l j ) r e s su r e a t t he r e a r o f the p low , a nd shou ldb e a n g l e d s l i g h t l y a w a y f i o m t h e f u r r o w w a l l . O n e t y p e , k n o w na s r o l l ing l a nd s id e , i s he ld in a fixed po s i t ion b y a s t r o ng b r a c k e t .T h e o t h e r t y p e i s a d j u s t a b l e a n d i t s p r o p e r s e t t i n g d e p e n d s o n s o i lc o n d i t i o n s a n d o n t h e d e s i g n o f t h e p l o w . O r d i n a r i l y t h e r e s h o u l dbe rooni to s l ip th e fingers u n d e r th e hee l of th e la nd s id e . I nw;axy so i l s i t may be advisable to g ive le ss c lea rance under the land-s i d e , w h i l e i n h a r d g r o u n d s l i g h t l y g r e a t e r c l e a ra n c e m a y i m p r o v epe ne t r a t ion . P r o p e r se t t ing o f a n a d jus t a b le r e a r whe e l i s o f t e nne g le c te d , w i th c onse que n t lo ss o f e ffic ie nc y. M a n uf a c tu r e r s ' i n s t r uc t ion books g ive c o r r e c t s e t t ings f o r the i r p lows .

TRACTOR PLOWSW h e n a t r a c t o r p l o w i s r u n n i n g i) i( )p e rl y t h e w e i g h t i s d i s t r i b u t e da lm os t eve nly on each front whee l an d on th e rea r w hee l or la nd s id e .T he p low doe s the be s t wor k a nd p u l l s e a si e s t whe n se t t h i s w a y .P r o p e r s e t t i n g o f t h e p lo w h it c h a n d t h e t r a c t o r d r a w b a r a r e e x p l a i n e d in th


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P L O W I N G W I T H M O LD BO AR D P LO W S 15If the plow runs unevenly or fails to hold the depth for which thewheels are set, the shares should be examined to determine whetherthe points are in good condition. If the po ints are good, th e trac tordrawbar m ay be lowered. If th is does not remedy the trouble th e

hitch may be raised sligh tly on the end of the plow beam s. (F ig . 12,p.) To secure penetration i t is better to set the tractor drawbarlow than t o hitch h igh on the plow , as raisin g the plow h itch toohigh in an effort to make dull sna res pe ne trate m ay result in " nosing " as shown in F ig u re 13, A . On the other han d, if the plow tendsto run too deep and the front wheels are car ry ing too great a load ,the levers m ay be ha rd to shift. I n th a t case the hitch at p shouldbe lowered; the n, if n ecessary, the tra cto r dra w ba r sho uld be raiseduntil all three wheels ca rry about the same load. Ra ising the tra cto rdrawbar too high will make the tractor difficult to steer.The full-floating typ e of hitch (fig. 12, D ) allows the plow to becarried on all th ree whe els when lifted. H itch es like th a t shown at Chave a chain o r rod w hich holds the fro nt end of the plow dow n an d

FiODBH 12 . Fo ur h i feb es com mo nly used on trac tor p low s. Th e he ig ht of the bol tp a b o v e th e b o t to m o f th e sh a r e s , a n d th e h e i g h t o f th e t r a c to r d r a w b a r c o n tr o lthe dep th to wh ich the p low te nd s to run. I f the f loat ing l ink I is .short as inA and B the bol t p m ay be set h igh er but the f lexibil ity wi l l be les s th an i f along l inlc i s used a s in C an d Dthe rear end up when the plow is lifted, so that all the weight iscarried on the two fron t wheels. H itch es like A and B act in thesame way as that at C because the link I is short. Plow s with hitchesof this type are usually referred to as 2-wheeled plows though, aspreviously mentioned, .such a plow frequently has a rear wheelmounted on a rigid brack et and known as a rolling landside. W henplowing it ca rrie s the load at the rea r of the plow. Th e hitch settin gshould be the chief means of controlling depth, and levers should beused only to accommodate the plow to soil differences in the field andto hold the plow level crosswise.

DIVIDING SIDE DRAFTHitching off center on either the plow or the tractor causes sidedraft. T h e am oun t of side d ra ft and the trouble it may cause depend on the draft of the plow and the distance that the hitch is offcenter. (See F ig u re 11 and th e discussion of the side d ra ft in horseplows, p. 13.)


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16 FA R M E R S ' B U L L E T I N 1690The line of draft of the bottoms (line B, figs. 14 and 15) is approximately midway between the beams in the case of a gang plowor in line with the beam of a single-bo ttom plow . If th is line ofdra ft is almost directly behind the center of the trac tor ( l ine A

fi^. 14), as when a 2-bottom, 16-inch plow is drawn by a standard-w idth trac to r, side dr af t will cause little troub le. I t is mo re likelyto cause difficulty when a wide-tread, general-purpose tractor is usedwith a relatively narrow plow (fig. 15), especially when the groundis hard and the draft is heavy.

FiouRB 13.Good shares and proper h i tch adjus tments are necessary for goodwork: A, Share with worn point fails to pen et ra te g round p roper ly . H i tch inghigh on beams to force plow deeper throws ft "on i ts nose," with landsidf> ridingup. B, A correctly pointed share draws the plow Into the ground. The hi tchshould be set low enou gh at beam>i to liold plow level a nd in ba lan ce at de pthdesiredIf the plow is relieved of side draft by hitching the clevis on thedr aw ba r nea r l ine B the tracto r m ay be pulled sidewise. On theother hand, if the tractor is relieved of all side draft by hitchingthe clevis in the middle hole of the drawbar, the plow will probablypu ll cornerw ise and ru n po orly . Th e best rem edy for these difficulties, if much plowing is to be done, is to set the tractor drive-wheels closer together, to bring the center line of the tractor as closeas possible to the line of dr aft of the plow bo ttom s. T h is can bedone on the newer general-purpose tractors in several ways, as byreversing wheels with offset hubs, by sliding wheels on the axle, byusing extension rims or overtires on the inside edges of the drive-

wheels, or by means of telescoping axles.


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P L O W I N G W I T H M O L D B O A R D P L O W S 17If it is not possible to narrow the tractor tread, the plow clevismay be hitched m idw ay between the center dra w ba r position andthe line of dra ft of bottom s, as indicated in Fi g ur e 15, and an adjustment m ade for w idth of cut. If the plow tends to pu ll corner-

wise, the clevis on the drawbar may be shifted nearer to the line ofdraft of bottoms, thus putt ing more of the side draft on the tractor,then read justing for width of cut. On the othe r ha nd , if the front

FIOURH 14 . Th er e Is l i t t l e s ide dr aft wh en a 2 or 3 bot tom plow i s dra wn behind as ta n d a r d -w i d th t r a c to r . F o r b e s t r e su l t s , h i t c h p o i n t o n t r a c to r sh o u l d b e m i d way between l ines A and B, as . '


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18 F AR M E R S * B U L L E T I N 1 6 9 0SETTING WHEELS AND LEVERS

T h e i n f o r m a t i o n o n p a g e 14 c o n c e r n i n g p r o p e r s e t t i n g o f w h e elsan d leve r s fo r ho r s e p lows app l i e s a l s o t o t r ac to r p low s , ex cep t t h a tthe f ron t fu r ro w wheel o f a t r a c to r p lo w i s no t in te nd ed to runagains t the fu r row wal l to gage (he wid th o f cu t , nor can i t be se ta t an ang l e . I t ma y be r ep ea t e d t h a t cl os e a t t e n t i on t o t h e leve r si m p r o v e s t h e u n i f o r m i t y a n d a p p e a r a n c e of t h e w o r k .

.sAKi


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P L O W I N G W I T H M O L D BO A R D P L O W S 1 9s t r ike so l id objec ts , i t i s usua l ly advisable to avoid h igh speeds andwhen p lo w ing w i th a t r ac to r to use a sa f e ty re lease in the h i tc h .

C L E A N P L O W I N GThe fo l low ing p age s a re devo ted to t h e spec i a l p re cau t ion s th a tshou ld be obse rved wh en se l ec t ing and op e ra t in g p lo w ing e qu ip men t whe re c l ean p lowing i s e spec i a l ly de s i rab le , a s whe re the Euro pean corn bore r or ce r ta in o ther insec t pes t s a re present .

CHOICE OF EQUIPMENTFie ld tes t s show g re a t d i f fe rences in the co ver ing ab i l i ty of p low s .There fore , when a new plow i s be ing purchased , i t s ab i l i ty to p lowcleanly sh ou ld be co ns ide red w ith s})ecia l referen ce to th e fea tur es

d iscussed in t h e fo l low ing pa ra g ra p h s . C lean p lo w ing dep ends a smuch upon th e op e ra to r a s up on t he p low , and g ood w ork can bedone w i th m ost o i th e p low s now in use pr ov ide d the y a re e qu ipp edwith su i t ab l e co ve r ing a t t a c hm en t s and a re ad jus t ed a s ha s beendescribed.The cho ice be tw een t r a c to r po w er o r ho rse pow er fo r p lo w ingdepends more on o the r f a c to r s t han on requ i remen t s fo r c l e an p lowing . T h e op er a t or of a ho rse p low i s in an exce l len t pos i t ion to w a tc hits work and to keep i t op e r a t in g un i fo rm ly . W he n the re i s a t end ency to c log he can see i t an d dis lod;e th e obs tru ct io n a t once . O nthe o the r han d , t r a c to r p low s usu a l ly have g r ea t e r c l e a rance , a reequ ipped wi th more e f fec t ive cove r ing a t t a chment s , and ope ra t e a th igher speed s th an h or se p lo w s . A l l of these qu a l i t i e s ten d toimprove coverage .S ing le -bo t tom p lo w s a re sa t i s fac to r y fo r sm a l l a c reages . M an yp lows ha v i ng m ore th an one bo t tom , e spec i a l ly i n the sm a l l e r s i ze s ,lack c l ea rance and a re imp ed ed co ns ide rab ly by c logg ing , o r do no thave room eno ug h fo r t h e p ro pe r a t t a c hm en t and op e ra t ion o f co l t er san d j o i n t e r s . P l o w s h a v i n g m o r e t h a n t w o b o t t o m s d o n o t t u r nuni form f ur ro w s w he re th e fie ld ha s been r id ge d by cu l t iva t ion unlessthe r idg es a re f irst leve led by d i sk ing . T hi s fac t favor s tw o la rg eins tead of three . smal l bot toms of equiva lent width .On mel low soi l s th e la r ge r bot tom s , such as 16- inch and 18- inch ,usua l ly do c l eane r p lowing than sma l l e r bo t toms ; bu t on heavy o rwaxy so il s some l a rge bo t tom s le ave the g r ou nd ve ry ro ug h , w i thbreaks in t h e fu r row s l ic e . U n d e r such cond i t i on s , w he re sm a l l bo t toms must be used to turn the so i l smoothly , i t i s of ten bes t to d i sposeof t ra .sh befo re p lo w in g .Shap e o f p low bo t to m s i s j u s t a s im po r t a n t a s s iz e . T he b o t tomshould m ake a w ide , open fu r ro w to ho ld the t r a s h tu rn ed b y thefo l lowing bo t tom or a t t he nex t round , and shou ld tu rn the fu r rowshce over com ple te ly an d un i fo rm ly . Sm al l d i ffe rences in p lowshapes are diff icult to di s t in g ui sh . A go od wa y to se lec t a sui ta bletype of bo t tom is to see i t in ope ra t io n o r , be t te r , to g ive i t a th or o ug htr ia l in the soi l where i t i s to be used.

COVERING ATTACHMENTSTo do c l ean p low ing in co rns t a lks o r o th e r c rop re fuse , p low s m us t

be e q u i p p e d w i t h a u x i l i a r y c o v e r i n g a t t a c h m e n t s . ( P p . 3 t o 6.)These devices work in f ront of the turn ing fur row s l ice to move


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2 0 I'VKMKl; >' lar LLE TIN KiDO

cornslMlks or o l h e r t r a s h t o w a r d the o p e n f u n o w . It is, t h e r e f o r ev e r y i m p o r t a n t to h a v e e n o u g h c l e a r a n c e at the poin t s where c lo ( r 'g i i ig occurs , as s h o w n in F i g u r e 1 6 , to p e r m i t t h e s e d e v i c e s to do theTrw o r k and p e r m i t t r a s h to p a s s t h r o u g h w i t h o u t i n t e rf e r e n c e It \[des i r ab l e to h a v e a m i n i m u m h o r i z o n t a l d i s t a n c e of 21 i nches orm o r e m e a s u r e d d i a g o n a l l y f r o m the top of the m o l d b o a r d at' thes h in to the back of the b e a m a h e a d , or to the t i r e of the fu r row whee lI h e a x l e s and b r a c e s s h o u l d be so p l a c e d t h a t t h e r e is r o o m for the*use ot co l t e r s as l a r g e as 18 i nches in d i a m e t e r . B o t h p l o w and hi tchs h o u l d be f r e e f r o m p r o j e c t i n g p a r t s w h i c h m i g h t d r a g t r a s h . Pro-^lslon should be m a d e for e a s y a d j u s t m e n t s .

The iiecc'ssity for c o v e r i n g a t t a c h m e n t s in o r d e r to do a g o o d jobo t c l ean p lowing m whole co rns t a lk s or a l m o s t any k i n d of t r a s h

Flut fKu i t i .cioK K iuK ca us ed by i n m i f l l c i e n t e l e a i a u c e b e t w e e n the J o i n t e r and thebo t tom i i l lc :n l of itw a s d e m o n s t r a t e d by an expe r i ence w i th a 2-bo t tom 14- inch p low ina he ld of s t a n d i n g s t a lk s . A f t e r p l o w i n g , 25 b u s h e l s of t r a s h perac re were p i cked up f rom the l a n d w h e r e no c o v e r i n g a t t a c h m e n t sh a d been used w hi le onl y 21/3 bu sh els per acre were l e f t where ro l l i n g c o l t e r s , m o l d b o a r d j o i n t e r s , and c o v e r i n g w i r e s (fig. 7) had beenu s ^ d . T h e s e a t t a c h m e n t s may be u s e d t o g e t h e r s a t i s f a c t o r i l y onwh eeled p low s un de r m os t so il co nd i t io ns , a l th ou gh som e d if fi cu l ti esare encou111ered wi th moldboard jo in te rs in s o i l s t ha t do not scourweU.

S o m e of the t r o u b l e e x p e r i e n c e d is due to w o r n j o i n t e r p o i n t s andm a y be avoi t l ed by k e e p i n g the p o i n t s in g o o d r e p a i r and p r o p e r l yndjusted Mgainst the co l t e r . (Fig. 6.) S m a l l or dul l co l t e rs whichl a i l to cut the s t a lk s , e s pec i a l l y wh en t he y are d a m p and t o u g h orwlieii the soi l IS .sof t, a lso i n t er fe re w i t h the o p e r a t i o n of the j o i n t e r s .J varge, s h a rp co l te r s r em edy t h i s f au l t . La ck of prope r c l ea ranc ; -be tween the p l o w b o t t o m s is l ike ly to caus e s t a l k s to c l o g a g a i n s t the


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P L O W I N G W I T H M O L D B O A R D P L O W S 21jo in te rs . T h is d i ff icu lty is se ldom found w i th p lo w s h av in g 21 inchesor mo re of c lea ra nce be twee n the top of the m old bo ard an d th e beamahead . D i sk jo i n t e r s an d cov e r ing wi re s m ay be used tog e th e r s at is facto ri ly i n p lo w ing un de r co r ns t a lks w i th whee led p low s . I t isl i ke ly tha t t hey can be used unde r more adve rse so i l cond i t i ons thanmoldboa rd jo in t e r s . T yp es o f t r a s h sh i e lds w hich a re f ree f romc logg ing m ay be used sa t i s fa c to r i l y w i th e i the r t y pe o f j o in t e r .Ro l l ing co l t e r s and cove r ing wi re s o r t r a sh sh i e lds may be usedtoge the r wi thou t j o in t e r s , bu t t he work wi l l no t be so c l ean a s whenjo in t e rs a re used a l so . Co ve r ing wi re s o r cha ins a re som e t imes usedalone b u t are n ot suff ic ient to do c lean w or k.The jo in t e r and cha in may be used sa t i s fac to r i l y on wa lk ing p lows(f ig . 3) wi thout the ro l l ing col te r , because the opera tor can eas i lyfree the p low of s t a lk s w hich m ay ca t ch on the jo in t e r shan k . T h i sa r ran gem ent o f a t t a ch m en t s is o f t en used wh e re th e so il con ta inssma ll rocks w hich m ig h t c a t ch be tween the co l te r and p lo ws ha re o rforce the p low out o t the ground i f a s tandard ro l l ing col te r wereused.

PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE CLEAN PLOWINGDispos ing o f c rop re fuse may be made ea s i e r by s imple p recaut ions in o th e r field ope r a t ion s . F o r exa m ple , cu l t i va t ion th a t doesno t r i dge the so i l pe rmi t s be t t e r p lowing fo r t he fo l lowing c rop anda lso i s he lp fu l i f o th e r me th od s o f t r a sh d i sposa l a re used . R id g i ng

i s mo re l i ke ly to r e su l t whe n co rn i s d r i l l ed th an w hen i t is p l an t edin checkrows , bu t t he roo t c lumps o f s ing le s t a lks a re l e s s t roub le someth an those of s ta lk s g ro w in g in a h i l l . I t is us ua l ly eas ie r to do c leanp l o w i n g w h e r e t h e c o m h a s b ee n d r i l l e d , p r o v i d e d t h e r i d g e s a r e l o w .Disk ing be fo re p lowing may be ha rmfu l i f done when the so i l i sin cond i t i on to pack . H ow ev e r , when the field is d r y , d i sk ing w i tha sha rp , we igh ted d i sk b reaks up the c rus t , r educes r idges , and cu t su p s t a l k s . I J n d e r t h e s e c o n d u t i o n s , t h e p l o w i n g m a y be i m p r o v e d , a n dthe nu m ber o f s t a lks unco ve red in cu l t i va t ion w i l l u su a l ly be reduced .Pas tu r ing co rns t a lk f i e lds r educes the quan t i t y o f t r a sh to betu rne d und e r , bu t t h e so i l m ay become packed by l i ve stock t r a m p in gover i t when wet , and th i s makes good p lowing d i f f icu l t .Stu bb le fie lds to be plo w ed w ith a w al k in g plo w are often f irstro l led o r d r ag ge d w i th a we igh ted d ra g . I f one op e ra t io n i s no tenough to b reak the s tubb le down , i t shou ld be repea t ed in t he oppos it e d i rec t io n . L an d s to be d r ag ge d shou ld be l a id ou t t he same a sp l o w l a n d s , a n d i n g o i n g o v e r t h e m t h e l a s t t i m e t h e i m p l e m e n tshould t r av e l in th e same d i rec t ion as th e p lo w in or de r to leave thes tubb le p o i n t in g fo r w a rd . I f a t r a c to r i s u sed , an ex tens ion r im on

the l and whee l wi l l b reak down s t a lks and s tubb le .Mechan ica l co rn p i cke rs usua l ly l e ave the s t a lks i n good cond i t i onto be tu rn ed un de r if t he p low ing can be done in t he same d i rec t ionth a t the p ic ke r t ra ve led a nd i f th e s ta lks a re no t pu l led loose . I t i sra the r d i f f icu l t to p low in the oppos i te d i rec t ion unt i l the s ta lks haveb e e n w e a k e n e d b y b e i n g w e a t h e r e d t h r o u g h t h e w i n t e r , o r c u t u pwi th a d i sk ha r row or s t a lk cu t t e r .Some t imes i t i s imposs ib l e t o do c l ean p lowing in who le co rns t a lks ,e i the r because of so i l condi t ions or on account of us ing a poor lyequ ipped p low . I n such ca se s , i f t he con t ro l o f t h e E ur op ea n co rn


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22 F AR x M E R S ' B U L L E T I N 1 6 9 0bo rer is an object, remo val of stalks may be necessary.* T h is shouldbe done before plowing, for picking up uncovered stalks by handafter plowing is a back-breaking job.Where surface drains are not needed it is good practice to placeback furrow s in the old dead fu rrow s t o keep the field level or toplow around the entire field, thus reducing the number of backfurrows and dead furrows.I t is best to remove cornstalks from hea dlan ds before plow ingStalks standing where backfurrows are to be placed may be cut andthrown aside or raked up and burned, preferably before the weatherIS suitable for plo w ing , so th a t n o time is lost.If crop refuse has not been removed, the backfurrows may be prepared for plowing by running the disk harrow on each line, thenret ur nin g in the same pa th . If a tand em d isk is used, the rear g ang sshould be set straight to avoid filling up the depression made by thefront g ang s. Th is depression is needed to hold tra sh tur ne d by theplow at the first round and also helps to keep the backfurrow levelSom etimes tra sh on the line of th e backf urro w is m ashed dow n bythe tra cto r drivewheel before m ak ing the first rou nd . Th is imp rovesthe looks of the backfurrow, but disking or harrowing after plowin g m ay uncov er m uch of th e tra sh . In finishing clead furrow s,the w ork should be so ma naged th at if the land has been rid ge d bycultivation the last furrow thrown each way will be cut frombetween the ridges.

It is usually necessary to plow at least 6 inches deep in order toplace trash so far under the surface that i t will not be dragged outby the op eration s of fit ting, seeding, or cu ltiva ting the gro un d. F orthe purpose of covering trash, it is better to plow 7 to 8 inches deepif possible. P lo w in g deep er th an 8 inches usu ally results in littleor no improvement in coverage, except perhaps in sandy soils.W here rock ledges pre ven t the plow ru nn in g 6 inches deep, tras hover the ledges should be removed before plo w ing . I t ma y be scattered over the adjoining land and plowed under, or i t may be burned.PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN AFTER PLOWING

W he n mellow soil.s are prcjperly p low ed, th e tras h is well bu riedand the furrows form a continuous granular surface which mayeasily be worked in to a seed bed. O n th e oth er ha nd , heav y soilsare often turned up by the plow in large clods or lumps with openspaces between. Tra sh ma y be so poo rly covered by these clods tha tthe operation of fitting the seed bed will drag pieces to the surfaceor leave them pa rtly exposed. U nd er these conditions a corru gatedroller , a packer, a spike-tooth harrow, or a plank drag may be pulledin the direction of plowing to break up the clods and fill the holesbefore the ground is worked with other implements.The disk harrow should be used with care in preparing a seed bedwhere trash has been plowed under, since disks set at too great anangle tu rn u p much buried m ate rial . Th e disks ma y be set at aslight angle and weighted to secure pen etratio n. If a sprin g-too thor a sprke^ooth harrow is used i t should be run shallow.lAnnml-^llw-^-fnl? ^'J^U^^^*'*''.''^' Low-Cutting Devices for Harvegting Corn, and Mlgccl-i?:^" 2 ! ^"4"i^*'^." *'*2, Construction of Slcd -Tjp e Cornstalk Shav ers, de scr ib es equipmentlor.OBe In stalk disposal

U. S. SOVERNHENT miN TI Ne OFriCE: l *S t

plowing with moldboard plows

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