Cant get trip plow to drop

got home tonight and since the weather was so nice I wanted to
plow under my food plot that just came up in rag weed last
summer. I have always used my fast hitch plow on the super C
but I busted a point off of it last time and it needs some welding
done on it. Thought well I'll just use my old trip plow that has
been yard art for the last 8 or 10 years. Got it all hooked up and
greased it but much to my surprise when I pulled the string the
leaver came forward but the plow did not drop. Tried it many
times till it got to dark to mess with it. I know it used to drop
cause I took it to a show one time and tripped it on accident and
left about a 4' furrow on the parade ground. Didn't make any
friends doing that.Am I doing something wrong ? Where should I
start to figure out whats going on? Would like to be able to use
it.
Thanks,Paul

I am no expert on this and I am sure you will get better information from others.

I believe its probably best to either try to spray a 50/50 mixture of acetone and ATF in the mechinism and let work or take the trip mechinism apart and clean. Those get old dried up grease, dirt, etc. and if not used for awhile will freeze up.

As the other poster said,that trip mechanism needs to be cleaned or oiled..I have jacked the plow up and turn the lift wheel by hand until the notch comes around to the top and then get the trip arm in the notch where it belongs..from that point you should be able to pull the plow slowly and trip it with your trip rope,as the notched wheel comes around it should drop the plow into the ground..there is a little spring inside that hub as well..there should be a spring on your trip to keep it from tripping unnecessarily

Yes, take it and part clean it. You may be

surprised what you find in there.

Paul,

You are dealing with a machine that has not been used for years (yard art). The grease squeezed into that rig thru the years is now the consistency of concrete. Looks like you have an IH #8...they are real easy to take apart and even easier to clean up. There is a pin thru the axle after you get that hub off, push it out and the wheel and lifting hub should slide off the axle.
(Someone on this site smarter than I am might be able to show the details as per the operator's manual.)

Lay the open hub on your workbench and dig, scrape and wipe out all the old grease and dirt. Check the lone interior spring for tension; if ok then give the moving parts a little oil coating.

Then check the return spring on the trip lever for tension (looks intact in 3rd pic). Take apart, clean and grease the clamp that serves as a fulcrum for the trip lever (it shows in 3rd pic).

While you own the plow do not grease those hubs very often...people did that years ago figuring more grease is better.

The only proper place for lots of grease on a plow is on the moldboards during non-use.

After putting it all back together you should be able to hook it up and start plowing!

If you can plow some real sandy soil (no rocks) that will help shine up the moldboards. Seeing how rusty they are you might need to plow several hours (I plowed for a total of 6 hours with moldboards like on your plow and now they shine like a mirror). Take a good strong putty knife with you and clean off the moldboards every time you lift the plow...yes, that's a lot of bother, but if you want a fun time plowing then you have to do "what needs to be done".

While you are at it, an easy way to put a sharp edge on those coulters is using a flapper sandpaper wheel in a high speed drill....if the coulters turn easily you can sharpen as they turn due to the pull of the flapper wheel. (Coulters do not really need to shine, if sharp they should do just fine).

Do you have an operator's manual? A manual is a great help in properly aligning the plow to your tractor. "Binder's Books" have good manuals.



Tie the trip rope to your tractor with something that will break or a clip that will slip off easily...hitting a rock and having the plow stop and the tractor keep moving is for more excitement (and pain?) than you will want if you are using a stout rope.

Properly aligning a plow is for another day, another chapter. Properly aligned, a #8 is a great plow to get 'er done.

LA in WI

To help the process of getting the moldboards, a bit shinny, start with a belt sander, that will take off a lot of the rust. The IHC dealer use to sell a spray called till-coat, that worked good, lasted 3-4 yrs, [to be applied after plowing] but my IHC dealer doesn't have it anymore!

From the last picture, it started to trip and then stuck.

The trip mechanism is REALLY simple. Just pull the wheel and outer bell. There's not much underneath. Nothing is going to SPRIONG out at you.

Hi Michael, I tried that 5 or six times. The jacking it up and putting it back into the notch. When I would pull the rope it would release and the notch would only move about an inch or so. Like you see in the photo. But that’s as far as it will turn. Sounds like I will be taking it apart. I hope there its just needing cleaned up real good, I would imagine parts may be hard to come by. If I can ever get it to drop and funtion right then I will turn my attention to shineing it up a bit.

(quoted from post at 08:02:52 11/21/14) From the last picture, it started to trip and then stuck.

Click to expand...

Which means the only thing holding it up is the sticking of the mechanism. Be very careful working around it as it could crash to the ground at any moment.

(quoted from post at 10:10:06 11/21/14)

(quoted from post at 08:02:52 11/21/14) From the last picture, it started to trip and then stuck.

Click to expand...

Which means the only thing holding it up is the sticking of the mechanism. Be very careful working around it as it could crash to the ground at any moment.

Click to expand...

tick your foot under it, I guarantee it will drop then. :roll: Lost then end of a shoe to a little Genius number 8 that was pretty worn and dropped while stationary one time. The latch had not caught completely, and all it took was a slight bump.

Paul, I don't know how cold it is in your area, but could it be full of ice? Ellis