1928 Little Genius 2 bottom plow

Guys, I got a 1928 Little Genius plow with the Regular I bought from an estate 2 years ago. The plow was purchased with the tractor. On steel wheels. I am thinking about starting the restoration. The plow bottoms are bolted on with square head bolts instead of the normal flush, flathead plow bolts. I have seen a few old photo's of other Little genius plows of the same vintage with the same bolts on them.

Are the square head bolts correct? Is this a farmer "field fix"? While they won't add significant drag to the bottoms, they surely are not flush either. I haven't gotten around to removing one to see if they have the recessed square to hold a regular plow bolt or not.

Thought I would post and ask.

If you're talking about where the beam and frog mount, yes I
believe they all had square headed bolts. I have a later little
genius (50's) and it had square headed bolts as well. I don't
think there was any kind of recess in the holes either.

Tom,
The #8 Little Genius plow was not built yet in the 1920s. I think you probably have a #2 or #4 Little Wonder plow.

With the Little Wonder, the tail wheel does not swivel on turns, and the whole rear end of the plow raises off the ground when lifted out of the soil. Either way, you have a nice plow to enjoy!

You could grind off the bolts so that they are flush. New moldboard bolts are available at some farm stores or at machinery dealers. I have not seen square bolts on old moldboards, but I hear that some people used them. Everything should be flush on a moldboard. If you do take them off, save them as square bolts and nuts were the type that were used everywhere on those old plows.

Be sure to take apart the lifting hub and clean it out to avoid frustration in the field...grease in there will be like steel after all these years. It is a simple hub and is easy to clean.

Send us a picture of your plow if you can. It is fun thing to own.

LA in WI

If you're talking about the bolts that retain the frog to the beam on the early tractor plow bottoms...

Frog mounting bolts could be square headed or carraige bolts or both. See if the frog has square holes in it. Carraige bolts were needed for some top bolts because the brace had a square or slotted hole in it. Bottom frog mounting bolts could be a #7 or #3 head plow bolt that went through the landside as well as the frog and beam, or a square headed bolt that only went through the frog and beam.

If you're talking about the plow bolts used to retain wear parts to the frog...

IH used a constantly changing variety-pack of plow bolts for mounting wear parts through the years. #3, #4, #6, #7, patent, and clipped head were the most common found on plows.

Some people cram whatever they can find in the hole with the thread size they need, regardless of the original head style. The #7 head plow bolts commonly used years ago by many manufacturers haven't been an easy find at dealers or hardware stores for 30+ years.

Some older bottoms used a #4 head. It uses a four-cornered neck that tapers and has an outward looking square head. #3 with a square neck won't interchange with the #4. #6 and #7 look somewhat similar, but the "keys" are different, and do not interchange, either.

Some aftermarket wear parts used a now common #3 head plow bolt with the square neck while IH was still using #7 head plow bolts with the "reverse key" protrusion for their version of the same part.

Originally steel wear parts were usually "finished" or "polished" with the bolts installed so the bolt head would be flush with the wear part. Chilled parts weren't finished, so the bolts usually didn't come with them and had to be ordered seperately. "Repair" head bolts were available to use in worn parts to somewhat compensate for wear, but still usually protruded some.

A #8 plow that early would be hard to find, as I think they started making them in 1927 or 28.

AG

Well, pictures are worth 1000 words. I was wrong, they are hex head. Also, the estate that I bought the regular off of, said that their grandpa had bought the tractor new in the winter of 1928. The story they told was that the dealer closed the deal by throwing in the plow for free, IF he bought the tractor with cash. I can't say it is true or not, but it is the story the family shared. Take a look:

I'd say that those are just plain wrong. They would certainly interfere with a quality plowing job some, if not all of the time. Odds are those originally used #7 head plow bolts. See if you can find a part number on the back of the moldboard.

If it's destined to be a yard ornament, leave them be, but if you're going to (try to) use it, take at least one out and look at the hole. Whatever they should be, they should be flush with, or very close to flush with the moldboard, and these bolts don't appear to be close.

Some suppliers sold a universal replacement moldboard in a variety of sizes that could be fitted to most any plow. The holes had to be punched out to match the frog, some grinding/finish might neeed to be done to the edges, etc.. If nobody recessed the holes for a plow bolt with a tapered neck and simply punched the holes out, a bolt like these would be the only way to hold the moldboard on.

Strange things also happened during WWII. I've heard of people rebuilding ignition points, rebuilding leather oil seals, and alot of other creative repairs done because parts/supplies simply weren't readily available at the time. Hex head bolts weren't really popular then, but it could be possible these were the only bolts someone could get their hands on at the time. I would guess this was done later, though.


AG

The first Little Genius where built in 1927 till 1961. Steve (plowman) Smith

So, I now know that the bolts are wrong (good), I can replace those. I thought this was a little Genius from all the reference pics I have seen.

Is that correct?

#7 Bucket tooth bolt

Mark or others, are those bolts still available? If so, where?

(quoted from post at 03:01:54 08/17/13) Mark or others, are those bolts still available? If so, where?

Click to expand...

See this earlier post.

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1037733&highlight=

It's possible that Grainger or Fastenal would order from Trinity.

AG

The Little Genius plows were originally built by Parlin & Orendorff which International Harvester bought out in 1919.

The #5 Little Genius was produced from 1916 to 1929. It was commonly referred to as a chain lift plow as the plow lift mechanism was mounted on the side of a beam and operated by a chain drive from the land wheel.

I have an early model of one of these plows with the front beam having the " P&O " logo stamped on it. I restored it and use it every year at plowing days.

The mould boards and shares are secured to the beams by standard counter sunk head plow bolts.

The square head bolts on your plow must have been used as a temporary fix.

Sid.

Thanks everyone for the replies. This is in overall pretty good condition, except for where the wheels were sitting for years in the dirt. Which is why I have the replacement set of wheels for it.

My plan is to restore this over the winter, and use it at plow days. I'll start the dis-assembly soon, and figure out what parts I'll need to replace, hence the question on the bolts.

The bottoms are 14" and this was pulled behind the Regular here is Pa. Looking forward to see how the old girl does after I clean her up and make everything right. Probably too much for the F-12, but the Regular and the F-20 should do just fine.

Your plow is indeed a #8 Little Genius. If it is a 1928 it will have unique wheel and clutch equipment that sets it apart from later #8's. If your replacement wheels came from a later plow, they may not work. However, the levers look like later levers, so I question the year of the plow. Part numbers from the "bell" of the clutch that's integrated with the land wheel and the sand bands from the furrow and tail wheels would confirm the age of your plow.