Fast hitch plows with gauge wheel

Dean Olson

Well-known Member
Specifically as it pertains to the Super C,200, etc.

I understand that the gauge wheel on plows is to control depth? Is that the only reason to have one?

I control the depth on my C20 plow with the stop on the fast hitch cylinder. Also control pitch front to back with the touch control.

Seems redundant to have the gauge wheel.
 
One good "extra" reason is to keep the dang thing from tipping over. Use a concrete block (holes as they are in a wall) to set it on when releasing the plow from the tractor. Way easier to re hook. I adjusted ours to just turn on the ground when it was at depth. This let me see quickly if I was shallow in the clay knobs. Jim
 
When dad got his 400 he bought a 3-14 fast hitch plow. I guess the jump from pull type to mounted dad expected the same perfect job. Well a neighbor had a gauge wheel for his and took it off because he said it did no good. We put it on this plow and only used it a few times and it was taken off. I have the plow with bracket, but nobody knows what happened to gauge wheel. Ours was mounted up at front corner, was that the right place for it?
 
They (on those I have seen) were on the left front corner of the primary frame. The bracket was 3/4" thick plate bent into a U shape with the wheel mounted on an adjustable J shaped bar that could be slid in from the bottom.
Ours was set to depth, but not used as a primary support on the land. It was used as a visual cue as to the current depth, as was the cylinder lmit collar. With a handle operated psudo draft control, (D handle with slots in a bracket with a flat spring) the real attack angle was not easily delt with. Our 3-14s on a 350U and neighbors 350UD were used on fields which were radically variable from edge to edge/end to end. Depth adjustment was nearly a continuous project. (due to poor draft control)
A 400 (early) with an angle of implement control was way more adjustable and had no draft control named as such. Later 400s and 450s did and they were not much help, as they were the D handled style, and sensed very little, and made little difference whether in full up or full down position on the lever.
Using it to keep it from tipping over when the plow was removed from the tractor was the wheels main function for us. Jim
 
Did that act as a draft control?

I can maintain depth real easy with my set up. Of course I'm on very flat ground.
 
My dad wore out a set of plow chief wings with a 200 and an mounted plow. We never used a gage wheel. I still have the plow with a hardly used set of Super Chief wings.
 
I don't think the wheel has anything to do with draft control. I suppose on uniform ground it is not needed.
 
Here is a picture of my 311 fast-hitch plow mounted on my 450-D. When my dad bought it, we used it on a 400. It works much better on the 400s with the extra cylinder to tilt the plow. I normally plowed with the fast-hitch some what floating and the gauge wheel controling the depth. But at times you still had to adjust the plow with the fast-hitch hydraulic controls when going through ditches etc. to keep the plow from pulling out of the ground. Al
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