Go BottomCan 50 HP tractor pull 3 blade moleboard
 | CharlieR
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 10 DFW, TX 
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2003-02-03 48634
I have a Long Longtrac 520 (52 HP) and I just came across a 3 blade moleboard. Is the tractor too little to pull this through heavy black Texas clay? I think I can take one of the blades off. I am not sure what blade to remove. The back blade has an angled wheel (behind the blade). What does that wheel do? Should I take off the front blade instead of the back blade. Or should I just try all thee blades?
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| kay
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2003-02-03 48637
Are you talking about a 3-bottom, moldboard plow? I doubt you can pull it through the TX clay, but then that could be debated, as it depends on how deep you try to plow. I will assume you want to plow standard 6-inch furrows.
IF you are going to remove one of the bottoms, then I suggest you take the rear one off, and move the furrow wheel up to the next one (or the "new" rear one). Setting a plow up right to plow is an art, that I suggest you find a local "volunteer" who has some experience and will help you to get it running. Otherwise, it could be a long, hard spring for you. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
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2003-02-04 48643
It may be here in the archives. Quite awhile ago a guy with the screen name Bird posted a good description about moldboard plow setup. As Kay says, it sounds like quite an art. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2003-02-04 48644
Charlie, Is a Longtrac a large frame compact or a more conventional small farm tractor? If your tractor is as heavy as an "M" Farmall or an "A" John Deere (they were about 4500 - 5000 lbs.) with about 45 horse power, you should be able to pull it especially if your plow is a 3 point hitch, that will put a lot more weight on the rear wheels of your tractor compared to a pull type plow but for safety's sake you'll probably need some front weithts on your tractor with the 3 pt.. I don't know much about Texas clay, but in heavy black Iowa soil an "M" would handle a 3/16 pull type plow in second gear, about 3 mph. As in the proir post some help from a neighbor with moldboard experience would help you a lot. Good luck. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2003-02-04 48651
I would say a 50 horsepower tractor should have no problem. pulling a three 14" or 16" plow. When working with clay I have found that ground speed often has to be reduced to four mph or less. Different soils work different and I've found you just can't move tight soil fast. Horsepower does make a difference but not much here in this case. To move up one mph might take 15 more horsepower and the only difference would be nominal. If the plow is an auto reset then you might have a ballasting problem even if you have a loader on while useing the plow as the auto resets normally double in weight. ....
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| kay
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2003-02-04 48671
From the Long Longtrac site, I quote the following:
""Also in 2 and 4 wheel drive, the 42 and 52 horsepower LongTracs 480 and 520 are great choices for brush mowing, tilling, baling hay, planting, or hauling. These machines are ready for any chore - add a front-end loader and backhoe and your trenching or stockpiling is a breeze.""
These appear to be heavy tractors (specs on a 320 show 2700 pounds) and I will take back my suspicion that the 520 will not pull the 3-bottom plow, but still don't know if it will through the black clay in TX. I grew up pulling plows through the black dirt in Iowa, as well as some experience in the red clay in WI. Whereas the Iowa black dirt was hard to get the plow through (plows had to be in superb condition or the black dirt would not "scour" off the moldboard), the WI clay would force one to drop a plow, and I thought much tougher to get through than the IA black dirt. Each presented their own problems. No experience with the TX clay.
Traction along with HP is also a serious consideration when pulling a plow. Semi-mounted and 3pt plows had some advantage over a pull-type plow simply because the draft control could be used to put a load on the rear wheels. Sometimes to the point that the front end would get light, and weights had to be added (or as Art said, plow with the FEL mounted) to the front end and the left side of the tractor.
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| CharlieR
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 10 DFW, TX
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2003-02-07 48862
Yes I think the correct term is 3-bottom moldboard.
Sounds like I need to start looking for some front weights (no FEL yet). Thank you all for the great advice. I let you know how it turns out.
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 | marklugo
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 281 Tifton, GA
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2003-02-19 49501
Eicher's 35 hp can pull 3 14's and its 51 hp can pull 4. Its 61 can pull 4 16's or 4 18's. (Yes in clay too.) All 2wd drive by the way. ....
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| MRETHICS
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 190 Star City, Indiana
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2003-02-19 49517
Soil types, depth of tillage, and ground speed all effect what size plow a given size of tractor can pull. Also, the tractor must be balasted properly.
Setting a plow is truely a fine art. As a lifelong farmer, I love this subject. It is a complex one. The books published on this subject can be proven right..or wrong. there are just too many variables to mention here.
My advice would be to give it a try, then remove the rear bottom and move thr trailing wheel forward if you have problems.
Plowing is fun, and it's also a slow process. But there is no greater feeling in the world, barring makeing love, than a freshly turned field with perfectly strieght furrows.
Have fun!!!!!!! ....
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| Todd-AgEquip
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2003-02-19 49534
This all sounds good. and there is a lot that goes into if it can or can't. Mrethics has it right try it and see what happens. You can always go in a lower gear and take your time move slow and easy don't try to dig to deep at first and if it can't pull it remove a blade and try again. Everything in farming is an art and all farmers have a different way of painting that picture. Just try it and see what happens you can always back up and try again. ....
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| loganWildman
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 27 Hoosier State
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2004-09-24 97166
If you walk up to a plow, how can you tell if it is a 14 or a 16? ....
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-09-25 97193
All plows are built different. There are some that when I walk up to them I measure the frame bolts and divide it in half and I have the width that the bottom cuts. More often then not the bulk of plows I measure the width from bottom to bottom of the cut they will take. ....
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 | earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2004-09-26 97233
I can pull an old JD 2-bottom with my 33HP New Holland 4x4 about 10" deep in brown Michigan clay---and 4-wheel-drive helps! ....
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| loganWildman
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 27 Hoosier State
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2004-09-27 97272
I remember my dad saying you need about 15 hp per bottom for a 16 ....
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