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gwstang 02-13-2013 10:41:42 12.230.229.182 Report to Moderator	Morning fellows, I have a question for the brain-trust on here. I picked up a middle buster yesterday for my '52 8N and I am wondering if when I start to plow with it, should the draft lever be on or off for this use? I just have a fairly small garden (1/2 acre or so) so I did not see the $$ for a bottom plow. This is some pasture land (kept cut) that I am needing to break up and then take my handy dandy tiller (Sears 5 hp, I have had forever and still works great) to work it in several times before spring. I'm adding more corn/potatoes this year. Right now we just had about 9" of rain over several days and it is pretty soft out there...lol When it dries out some I'll have at it. Thanks, Gary [Reply]   [No Email]
Kenster 02-23-2013 19:01:04 166.137.156.160 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see I bought a Ferguson two bottom plow about five years ago for $250. No coulters but it has the land slide/tail wheel. It did a great job. A middle buster just wouldn't cut it for what I was doing. Turning over a little over 2.5 acres of weedy ground so I could plant grass. I turned it over three times, alternating directions, over a two month period. Then borrowed a neighbors disc and broke everything up. Then built a heavy drag to smooth things out before planting. I don't know how much middle busters cost but that Ferguson 14" inch two bottom was cheap enough. I can probably sell it now for at least what I paid for it.   [Reply]  [No Email]
gwstang 02-13-2013 18:49:12 12.230.229.182 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   Thanks to everyone for the wisdom/knowledge this forum offers. I do have a 5' box blade and usually drop the tines down to dig/scrape the grass away before tilling a new area. I thought I would get the middle buster first and then look for a good used 1 bottom plow as every now and then a 1 or 2 comes available on craigslist etc. I just got back from an appt with the neurosurgeon as my neck has been bothering me again and getting a bad head ache every day and feels like someone is jabbing a dang ice pick under my left shoulder blade. I already have a titanium plate in neck from the blessed F4 April 27th tornado a couple of years ago ( on my b-day of all things). Looks like I may end up with another one. I'm gonna be setting off metal detectors soon...lol. I can durn sure tell you when its gonna rain..lol   [Reply]  [No Email]
Kirk-NJ 02-13-2013 13:53:07 67.237.5.66 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   I've never used a middlebuster for plowing but you'll like making furrows and harvesting potatos with it. Don't know where your located but a guy I know in Ga turn over his garden on Jan 13. Kirk   [Reply]  [No Email]
Bill M(OH) 02-13-2013 12:56:02 173.81.81.180 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   I have a regular plow (2-14) and a middle buster, but have always used the plow for the garden. I suppose a middlebuster would work somewhat, especially if you used straight rows first followed by an across pattern the second and later times through. I follow the plowing with a spring tooth harrow set all the way down - both rows and across until everything is pretty well broken up, and then use the rototiller to make the planting rows as the 8N does compact the clay soil when using it. And yes, I would use draft control on the middle buster.   [Reply]  [No Email]
tn8n 02-13-2013 12:00:00 166.214.119.108 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   i agree with Colin here. i've plowed a large garden spot for a few years with a middlebuster because when i bought it didn't know it wasn't truly for plowing, and couldn't afford a turning plow anyhow. after you go over your garden with it, you will have large hills and deep furrows in between. the problem is, under each large hill has not been busted up, and it's practically impossible to run the buster blade exactly along them to plow every bit. after i did mine i disced it and it broke up nicely, but a few inches under the top the were always long rows of unbroken soil. if you are going to run a manual rototiller on it, it will HAVE to be spread around first.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Colin King 02-13-2013 11:02:55 71.49.82.117 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   I agree, play around with it, but draft control is probably going to be your best bet. You're going to want something use as a drag before you till. Trying to till with large furrows will be killer on your back, and not good for the tiller. If the middle buster is all you have available, I'd get it "plowed" as soon as it dries out a bit. Let it sit a couple of weeks, then do it again. Sit a couple of weeks and hope for dry weather. Then "plow" again until the soil is pretty broken up. Then drag it with a large timber to level off the furrows good before tilling. HTH Colin, MN   [Reply]  [No Email]
HCooke 02-13-2013 10:49:37 70.195.66.130 Report to Moderator	Re: Plowing question in reply to gwstang, 02-13-2013 10:41:42   I would start off with draft control. You will be able to control the depth better that way. Experiment - try both ways and report back.   [Reply]  [No Email]