blacksmith plow share questions

I have a few questions on plow bottoms and "blacksmith" shares:
I have "EP" Sod Bottoms on my 44 plow and want to stay with them. my shares are in pretty good shape for now but when they start to loose suck, is there a good place to ship them to be rebuilt that knows how to build them up? I travel through ND, SD, western MN and NW IA too so I could drop them off. What is a reasonable price to have this done? I'm afraid that no one really has the knowledge to do it locally and when they see me pull up in a "town car" they adjust their price accordingly. I included some pictures of my shares. do I just remove the two bolts on the moldboard side of the frog or is there another to get them off? Is the plow bolt hardware really NLA If I have to cut the bolts with the grinder to get them off when its time? If I do change my mind and need to go to NU bottoms, do I need a different frog?

Tyler 'the plow guy' will chime in and set this matter straight.

I have EP sod bottoms on my #44 too. They are somewhat far gone though and Tyler was very detailed how to convert them and I believe you need different frogs yes. The competition plow guys buy up any used EP plow parts as that's what they like I guess.

When I do mine I am getting rid of the EP's and going to something else when I tackle that project.

Steve Rea in Salem Ohio has the Crescent Forge dies to manufacture new ones. I have the first 217 share he made, looks super good. Has listing in Green Magazine.

Earl

you wouldn't happen to have a scan of that add would you? Do you know how much they are asking for the new ones?

This is Steve's Ph. number 330-277- 7634.

Loosen the two nuts in the red circles to remove the share. You're going to want to save the eye-bolt for sure. It should come with enough heat. Tyler "the plow guy" has the bucket-tooth plow bolt available now.

ndaircapt, I am near SF, SD. I'll give you a lesson for FREE on how to sharpen and heaten the share to keep it sharp, as a matter of regular maintenance. That will keep you plowing for a long time until you've plain worn the share down to the point where you can't do that anymore. Then, you have to start welding on it, or get it properly rebuilt. My #44 with EP's has been everywhere plowing: PA, OH, MN, IA, IL, SD, and Ontario. I hit the shares with a grinder before every contest just to make sure they're sharp.

Yes, you've got to change the frog and all when you install newer bottoms. I would think anybody would be happier with HS bottoms over NU bottoms on an antique plow. First off, any NU bottom you're going to find is going to be 16" or larger. Second, the NU was designed to go much deeper and faster than you will plow with an antique plow. If you get the correct size HS bottom on there, you've at least got a chance at doing nice job of plowing. Unless NU parts are cheaper and more readily available?

Earl IL, if Steve decides to make 347/372 shares, he'll have customers. Every contest guy in every state needs them. Probably not the volume of a 217 share, but there's still a need.

Those EP shares look pretty darned good for now. If you have to get them sharpened, Jim White from Kansas (ph. 817-329-5297) still does them and knows what he's doing. A fair sharpening job is between $30-$40 per share. If they have to be rebuilt or re-pointed expect double that amount. Good original used EP shares run in the $75 range with new ones (if it's even possible to still find some new) pushing $150 a piece. The competition guys prefer these bottoms as they will do a really nice job at both super slow speeds (1mph or even slower) due to their long and low moldboards which enables the competition guys to keep an eye on things and keep the furrow arrow straight.

In regard to converting to something newer, HS would be recommended unless you can find 14" NU which were able to plow as slow as 2.5mph (16" NU were recommended at least 4-4-1/2 mph). I've got a set of 14" NU bottoms on my 44H and they work really well with my late model B.

HS bottoms would be far easier to locate and still have all new parts available in either 14 or 16's. The HS bottoms were designed to plow best between 2 and 4-1/2 mph and will do a pretty nice job of turning the soil. JD used the HS bottom from 1953-1967. Deere called the 14" NU bottom their "SOD" bottom, but they're not common as many guys in 1968-newer tractors had tractors with tires too wide to work with narrow bottoms.

The frog must be changed when converting between 99% of JD bottoms. Some guys think that you can simply take the old blacksmith shares off and bolt on a throw-away share...that's not even close to being accurate. It would be like taking the shoes off a ballerina and trying to make them fit on my 13D foot.

In regard to bolts...just heat them with a torch until they're cherry red and let cool. They will come loose quite easily from what the photo shows. If you break them, I have some good used to get you by. I also have a handfull of new No. 7 3/8" diameter plow bolts (used a steep tapered head with a single 'tab' to hold them in place from spinning).

Hope I wasn't confusing to you
Tyler in IL
Tylers Plow Bottom information