3 bottom plow- I have 2 questions!

My Ford 4000 isn't heavy enough to pull this 3 bottom plow. Does it make sense to remove one of the plows and run it as a 2 bottom rig? Also, can anyone tell me who the manufacturer is? It was given to me by the family of a deceased friend, and he ran it on an old AC. Thanks!
47255.jpg
47256.jpg
 
This is my first post on the Forums, by the way. Maybe I should introduce myself- I live in eastern NC, where I keep/ride horses and tend a little 6 acre patch : ) My farming consists of a vegetable garden and pastures.
 

It looks like barely ten inches. Depending on the soil and depth a 4000 should pull it just fine. A very big factor is the rust on the shares and mold boards. Cleaning it up could make a big difference. What is your soil and how deep are you sinking it? Why not add some weight?
 
Oliver of about 1960 age. It is an adjustable frame model that can be set for 12", 14" or 16" cut. I had one set on the 16" setting and 14" bottoms on it. Pulled it with a 65 Ford 4000 (4100) without problems, also put it on the 68 5000 when did not feel like setting everything up for the 4 bottom semi mount plow. Your plow is set for either 14" or 12" cut, cannot quite make out for sure the setting.
 
(quoted from post at 22:17:26 03/30/17)
It looks like barely ten inches. Depending on the soil and depth a 4000 should pull it just fine. A very big factor is the rust on the shares and mold boards. Cleaning it up could make a big difference. What is your soil and how deep are you sinking it? Why not add some weight?

Thanks- the tractor will pull it with no problem, I just don't have enough weight to get traction. My soil is heavy, not sandy. Not a lot of topsoil, red clay down about 12".

I thought about adding weight, but I'm hesitant to fill the tires.
 
(quoted from post at 23:21:27 03/30/17) Oliver of about 1960 age. It is an adjustable frame model that can be set for 12", 14" or 16" cut. I had one set on the 16" setting and 14" bottoms on it. Pulled it with a 65 Ford 4000 (4100) without problems, also put it on the 68 5000 when did not feel like setting everything up for the 4 bottom semi mount plow. Your plow is set for either 14" or 12" cut, cannot quite make out for sure the setting.

Thanks- very helpful.
 
You could make a 2 bottom easy enough. It would be nice if you didn't cut anything up to do it, be able to put it all back to 3 bottom. Stuff like
that isn't made any more, be a shame to mess it up.

Paul
 
From the look of plow it could easily be made into a 2 bottom. It
might be a trip plow. If so you could be remove the whole middle
bottom and replace with the bottom with the longer landside and
tail wheel. You might not need the gauge wheel. I would suggest
that if it is a trip plow and you are in rocky soil that you take
the shear pins,might have bolt replacements, out and make sure the
bottoms trip as they should. Most time's they are rusted in place.
Plow set up is key to good plowing. I see by the drawbar
(crossbar) that it was move to different location. So you will
have to set it up for your tractor.

Kirk
 
One other thing to think about is the condition of the soil that you are wanting to
plough . If the ground very dry , wait until you receive some moisture . Has the
ground been pack or traveled on while very wet ? If so , you will have a tough time
getting any thing done. There is a time to plough , it is not really a job that you
can just say , "I am going to go and Plough that field tomorrow ". If your ground is
heavy , stay off it when it is really wet , sand is much more forgiving . Plan ahead
on heavy clay ground , you can't plough it when it is too dry , and you need to stay
off of it when it is too wet . Worked at the right time , heavy ground will produce
good crops , and work down smooth. worked wet it will pack and turn into little round
bricks , and grow very little. Your tractor and plough are a reasonable match, I am
just willing to guess your ground conditions are not right .
 
A tractor can Not put full horsepower to
the ground without added ballast.
Your 4000 will most likely pull that plow
in any soil conditions if you weight it.
I would add the weight before I modified a
nice old plow.
 
(quoted from post at 20:27:37 03/30/17)
(quoted from post at 22:17:26 03/30/17)
It looks like barely ten inches. Depending on the soil and depth a 4000 should pull it just fine. A very big factor is the rust on the shares and mold boards. Cleaning it up could make a big difference. What is your soil and how deep are you sinking it? Why not add some weight?

Thanks- the tractor will pull it with no problem, I just don't have enough weight to get traction. My soil is heavy, not sandy. Not a lot of topsoil, red clay down about 12".

I thought about adding weight, but I'm hesitant to fill the tires.

You acknowledged my post but not my main point. You could easily clean it up with a flap wheel on your grinder, since your soil will not scour it well. It will then pull with much less traction. When you are done with it, before dismounting, put a protective coating on the shares and moldboards with grease or paint. I just pull up to my shop and grab a can of leftover rattle can paint.
 
Perfect answer. On my Houston Black Clay you have to do it when IT's ready. When I was working that was a real bummer as you can't work the field when it's ready, it was when you could do it. Now I can pick and choose. Right now I have my hay patch ground prepared, fertilizer worked in and waiting for a few dry days so I can drill my crop. Timing has been perfect so far this year for an early spring planting and according to the OFAlmanac, weather will be dry enough come harvest time to get at the crop and get it up properly.

Funny, yesterday I saw a pair of bass chasing perch away from their nest. Going to be a good year.
 

I'll clean it up and give it a try, for sure. All these replies are very helpful to me. I've done a ton of disking and mowing, but using a turn plow of this size "new ground" to me... so this is certainly due to my inexperience.
 
(quoted from post at 06:53:32 03/31/17) A tractor can Not put full horsepower to
the ground without added ballast.
Your 4000 will most likely pull that plow
in any soil conditions if you weight it.
I would add the weight before I modified a
nice old plow.

I'd prefer to not cut it up- I like the old stuff!
 
your 4000 should pull that easy enough, even with rusty bottoms. They will scour off soon enough. find some cast iron wheel weights or have the tires pumped full of fluid.
 
That plow you do not have to cut anything to make a 2 bottom out of a 3 bottom, just need a wrench. Those holes in the cross hitch bar are not for adjustment for wheel tread but for use when you change the cutting width from 12" per bottom to 14" or 16". You can tell if it is set in the correct position for the width of cut as it will not bolt up anyway but correct for plow width. Same for where the top link bracket bolts to is to place the top link in correct straight pull for the different cutting width you have chosen. If you have 1 14" bottom it can be set and work on any of the 3 width settings, 12" bottom will also work on all settings but not good on 16" setting, 16" bottom will work on 14" setting but not on 12" setting. And correct plowing depth for the bottom if 1/2 the with for depth or 6" for a 12" bottom, 7" for a 14" bottom and 8" for a 16" bottom. Remember you are turning over a slice of soil about twice the size with a 16" bottom as a 12" bottom so it will take quite a bit more power to turn that slice of soil. That tractor is rated at 52 max pto horsepower so you should have enough power. Now depending on the model of the 4000 is where traction will come into play. The model with the 28" rear wheels will not have the traction of the model with 38" rear wheels. And that is what I had. But my tractor was putting out 60 horse due to having been overbored quite a bit due to a bad block. Never put the plow on the other tractor that was factory orignal for power. And you do need to get the moldboards mirror shiney to work. Also if the hitch is working on that tractor you do not need a depth wheel, that is only for tractors that do not have the depth control that your Ford had and do not put into position control.
 
I think everybody's got you covered. Appears to be an Oliver. Just unbolt the whole frame for the rear bottom and move the tail wheel and depth wheel.
 
I have a 4600 - essentially the same as your tractor, but a generation newer. It would be helpless for much of what I do with it if
the tires weren't loaded. Fluid (calcium chloride) will rust the rims, but ONLY if it leaks out of the tube. Even then, if the leak
is fixed and the rims are thoroughly cleaned, they will be OK. If you still don't want to risk rusty rims, there is Rim Guard - a
non-corrosive alternative to CaCl. It's more expensive though. Or cast iron weights. Again, more expensive, and harder to add as
much weight as fluid.
 
Scot, you might want to check with the previous owners family, and see if the coulters are laying around somewhere. If you are trying to
cut through virgin sod or alfalfa, may make a big difference. Best of luck.

Mike
 

The WD-45 was rated at about 43 HP...maybe less...BUT, boy were they BIG Ponies...!!

WD-45 has 14.9x28" rear tires and we always pulled 4x14"... your F-O-R-D should have all it will take..IF the tread is decent and you get the plow adjusted correctly..

NOW...:
To CLEAN up those Moldboards well, use a 4 1/2" Angle Grinder, with a THIN Cut-Off Disc on it ( wear a dust mask and safety glasses).
Hold the Cut-Off Disc at about a 30 degree angle to the Steel and move it sort of like a Putty Knife blade..
The RUST WILL be removed and NO damage will be done to the moldboard steel...you will see that a Black layer of Iron Oxide is left on the steel and that WILL scour off very nicely..
If you prefer, go over the finished Moldboards with a "Fine Flapper wheel" ( 240 gr) to smooth anything off you may have missed..

This done, you will NOT end up scraping stuck soil off the moldboards for the 1st day of plowing..!!

THEN...NEVER allow the plow to get rusty again..!!
 
I plowed an acre of Oklahoma clay with a 3000 pulling a 14 3 bottom. I didn't have wheel weights or loaded tires. I had to time it right a couple days after a good rain or it would not have worked at all.

original plan was to wait till the last chance of a freeze then just fill the rear tires with water. Also thought about turning it into a 2 bottom which would have been a pain with old rusted bolts. When the ground seemed like it might work I tried it as is and was pleasantly surprised how well it worked.
 
Depending on how the rear plow is made, you will want to keep the rear trail wheel or furrow wheel
Some three + plows units the only plow that has the proper connection for the furrow wheel is the rear plow

So normally folks will take the center plow off and move the trailing plow up to second place

However, my friend bought a Ford 3x14" trip plow, he just torched off the rear plow frame and all, it works good, but the second plow had a long
furrow slide,

Works much better than my MF 3x12" plow in good condition
 
Get out your op manual and adjust your 3pt to draft control rather than depth control on the 3pt so the hitch transfers weight to your rear tires.
Loren
 
Never knew model no for the one I had. Sold it after quit farming and got mashed when barn fell on it.
 
(quoted from post at 19:24:45 03/31/17) Never knew model no for the one I had. Sold it after quit farming and got mashed when barn fell on it.

Too bad about your barn, but on the other hand it was probably not 300 years old like our barns here in NH. What happened to it? I have been putting a lot of work into my old post and beam barn to keep it up. Jacking, straightening with chain, come-a-long and cables, new roof a few years ago, replace some foundation. I do some work on it just about every year.
 
(quoted from post at 19:24:45 03/31/17) Never knew model no for the one I had. Sold it after quit farming and got mashed when barn fell on it.

Too bad about your barn, but on the other hand it was probably not 300 years old like our barns here in NH. What happened to it? I have been putting a lot of work into my old post and beam barn to keep it up. Jacking, straightening with chain, come-a-long and cables, new roof a few years ago, replace some foundation. I do some work on it just about every year.
 
Showcrop, who are you addressing this too? If you ate thinking about the barn I wrote about colapsing on the plow I sold I never saw the barn, only what the person I sold it to told me. And I think he said it was a rented barn.
 
(quoted from post at 05:11:32 04/01/17) Showcrop, who are you addressing this too? If you ate thinking about the barn I wrote about colapsing on the plow I sold I never saw the barn, only what the person I sold it to told me. And I think he said it was a rented barn.

Leroy, you must be on classic view. yes I assumed that it was your barn.
 
This might make it a bit clearer on what others have told you. To make it a 2 bottom you move the whole outside assembly over.
a156119.jpg
 
But you still have the backbone of the frame sticking out the same as if it was still the 3 bottom.
 
(quoted from post at 18:17:34 04/02/17) But you still have the backbone of the frame sticking out the same as if it was still the 3 bottom.

But Leroy, I would think that without the bottom the backbone would pull a lot easier wouldn't it?
 
Yes but you better watch where you are walling when around the plow or you might find yourself in a big hurt.
 
Wow, thanks guys! I've had a real education on this plow and some ideas for how to make it work better going forward.

I picked a day when the soil was moist and tried it again. As you've said, I spent some time scraping soil off the moldboards, but once it got scoured it pulled easier. In any case, I was able to do what I needed to do! I'll take the advice given and keep it clean from now on. Someone mentioned contacting a museum for an owner's manual for this plow. Is there an address for this place?

The land I was plowing hadn't been broken deep in years, so that was part of the issue too.

I'm trying to stay away from adding unnecessary weight to the tractor.

Again, many thanks!!
 
(quoted from post at 20:22:43 04/02/17) Yes but you better watch where you are walling when around the plow or you might find yourself in a big hurt.

I don't walk around mine I back it right up to the fence, LOL.
 

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