Another plowing problem

I am plowing some hay ground with the same Ford 4610 and unknown 3 bottom plow I discussed in this thread last year.
http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1124810&highlight=

I have the loader off. I seem to have plenty of traction and power, but in the toughest clay, I can't keep the tractor going straight. It wants to turn right, and I had to use the left steering brake sometimes. I did a generally poor job plowing, my furrows were not straight. I was only plowing 6" deep. The sod was flipping well enough.

A few change I made since last year. I took off the loader. I added a stabilizer bar to push the plow a few inches to the right, so I don't have to hug the right side of the furrow. I took the rest of the hardware from the fourth bottom off.
I still only have two coulters on this plow, on the first two bottoms. I think I might move one from the second to the third.

This plow has no tail wheel.

What makes the plow turn the tractor to the right? This ground has been cow pasture or hay for 30 years, and is quite compacted. It is not too dry, I thought it might be too wet, but I didn't have any mud, and the rolled over dirt was fracturing and crumbling.

Here is a pic from last year of the setup, maybe.

I think I might have to remove a bottom to get through this field.

The answer to why it pulls tractor to the right is simple. Side draft on the plow due to pull point. The problem may be correcting it as on any mounted or semi mounted in furrow plow there is just so much adjusting you can do to the plow hitching point. You never move a hitch point to get clearance on the furrow wheel, you move the wheel on the tractor. If that is not possible you have more problems. A tail wheel's purpose is to support the rear of the plow two fold. One is to hold rear of landslide of rear bottom up off the furrow bottom like half inch or so. Other is to provide some support to keep landslide from edge of furrow wall as well. Theoreticaly, if that plow is hitched correctly you should be able to let go of the steering wheel and the tractor will go straight. That will never happen 100 per cent but with a three bottom plow it should be pretty close . The larger plows that use in furrow hitch always have some side draft. If you google moldboard plowing it shows you what I am talking about.

I have been out on a 7 bottom plow with on land hitch that the tractor was pulling side ways. It took considerable amount of wrenching that heavy hitch but we got her to pull straight and level. A steerable in furrow hitch plow can be made to run straight also but it changes more with soil conditions. Normally the biggest problem is to get the customer to move his wheels for proper width as he has a set point in his mind where he likes his wheels to be spaced. Also, wheels on both sides need to be same width.

Do you think removing my stabilizer and letting the plow swing where it wants is enough of a difference?

I wish I had tried that today, its only two pins. I didn't have this problem last year, on softer ground a without the stabilizer. I blamed the harder ground today.

I will eventually get around to moving the tires in, but I am too scared of dropping one on me. There is a tractor tire guy in the neighborhood. I'll probably have him help me the first time.

I have the same problem pulling my trail plows. Instead of setting the right wheel in, I move the draw bar to the right. I wants to pull to the right because the load is not centered.

I have been looking trough My manuals to set My own plow and on a three bottom plow it states- Set the middle bottom point to be in line with the hitch tongue point. (Even if it is a three point configuration) I did so and it worked alright but I couldn't get the dirt/sod to roll completely over. I think if I were to set the plow over one more notch to the right on the drawbar and set the depth at half or a little less than the height of the lay the dirt should roll over. Am I right on this?

Check how level you're plow is if one side is digging deeper then the other
this well also create side Draft so make sure the first and last bottom are at
the same depth .If it's pulling to the right it might mean the first bottom is
running deeper than the last. It's tough to get them straight and it doesn't
mean they will always stay there I had 4 x 14 and on even a slight side hill
with the narrow front she would always swing to the downhill side on the level
it would be straight

I grew up plowing from sun up to sun down an i found that in heavy clay if i did not have
enoigh weight on the front of the tractor it was harder to control. Also the 3pt plows were not
my favorite because any slop in the 3pt on the tractor makes the plow move an usualy end up
with a curve in the field. Me personaly i would get a semi mount plow . Not many people
plow anymore and they are fairley cheap an trail much better an pull better.

I'm no expert but take the stabilizer off! The hitch needs to be able to move or you won't be able to steer. If the line of draft is off it will just force your tractor to turn as it loads
the stabilizer.

There is a lever to adjust the line of pull, it can't do magic but it can be set so the plow isn't hitting the sway chains/blocks. Some plows you can slide the drawbar/hitch side to
side to adjust the first furrow cut but this plow doesn't appear to have that feature. Thats ok though.

If the landslides are too worn it will try to over cut to the left but it doesn't look to be the problem or you'd be having trouble with it the furrow wall getting damaged as well.

If your tractor is running with the inside of the Rt tire near the Furrow wall, the width of the slice of the front bottom should be correct (14 or 16")..

IF the tractor is dragging the front toward the Rt, the "Line of Draft" is incorrect no matter if it is a Pull-Type plow or a Mounted Plow..

On your plow, you should have used the Long Rear Landslide on the rear bottom, to keep the plow from pushing the rear toward the Left..

On a Pull-Type plow, the Hitch (Nearly always) is made with plenty adjustment to "Off-Hitch" it, to move the plow over and KEEP the Drawbar Straight..

If anything, the Front of the tractor will tend to pull to the Left when the Left tire looses traction and otherwise should stay straight even when pulling hard enough to lift the front of the tractor..

6" is plenty deep, when the top soil is shallow, you don't want to turn up sub-soil if you don't need to..

Old John Deere plows with the "A" shaped hitches are easy to set up for "Off-Hitching"..

My JD #44 (2-14") plow is correct with the tractor rear tires set at 29" to the inside of the tire from the center, which is where they need to be for the cultivators and it also matches the narrowest you can set the rear wheels with them reversed for the mounted Corn Picker and that width is a stable platform when using the Loader..

Saves a lot of time, not sliding the wheels in and out on the JD "B"..!!

A Manual will explain the concept of "Line-of-Draft (Drought)" and what to look for as a Line-of-Sight from the drawbar hitch point, down to the Middle Bottom,..

I think the point you want to look for is at the Top of the middle (on a 3-bottom plow) where the Share meets the Moldboard and 1/3rd of that bottom width away from the next bottom in front of that one (if that makes any sense..!!!)...

If the drawbar (for Pull-Type) is too Low, you will have excessive wheel slippage and if too high, the front of the tractor will be too light..

FWIW..!
Ron.

By the way, in case you didn't know, it's a Ford 101 owners manual is easy to find online in PDC file

It's hard to tell without actually being there to see it but the picture from the rear looks like the plow is out of adjustment. Take that lever that's on the cross shaft and move it front or back to point the plow more to the right side tire. The picture of the plowed ground doesn't look to bad, so if you adjust that front crossbar where the plow hooks to the tractor it may take care of it. If your tires are 7 ft. outside to outside, that probably means the center of the tire is 6'center to center which is probably close enough. The plow, when it's in the ground plowing must be parallel to the ground front to back and side to side. Is your plow 16" or 14"?

From what I can see in the picture you don't have the right landside on the rear of the plow, it should be a longer one. Also when the plow is in the ground check that it is level from side to side and front to back. Just lay a level across the top of the frame.

When I get back to the farm tomorrow, I'll look to see if he bottom I removed had a longer landslide. I'll also remove the stabilizer.
Its going to be too wet for a few days.

Thanks.

Lose the stabilizer. Plows have to float so they find their center of pull. I suspect you'll also need to move the right rear wheel of the tractor out wide by a few inches if you can't bring the plow under control otherwise.

Rod

Others have already said it but your biggest problem is your rear long landslide isn't there. It counteracts the tendency of the plow to pull to the left and trying to pull your tractor to the right.