Bolt Grade Question

Tall T

Well-known Member
I'm about to graduate to some plowing at my neighbors of 1/3 of an acre in his sheep fields that he want to turn into orchard.
It's really a job for a 2 bottom and weighted tires I think, but anyway he asked me with the single bottom Ford 110.

I took a 5 bent bolt out of the plow and replaced it with a grade 2. At least I THINK it is a grade two.

I have a dynamite box full of old square headed bolts with no markings at all on the heads and I'm wondering if those are also considered grade 2 of at least significantly easier to break than a grade 5. (?)

Thanks,
Terry
 
Who knows...depending how old they are
could be almost anything. It wasn't
until the 50s that they started to mark
bolts with grades.
 
Look at the head markings,usually no mark at all is grade 2,3 slashes on head grade 5,5 slashes on head grade 8. Used to be 5 slashes grade 5 and 8
slashes grade 8,but that varies.Hope this helps.
 

Market,

My thoughts exactly!
Being bolts from way back when they could be harder than a Grade 2.

Maybe i should put one in my big blacksmith vise and beat on it and then try the same thing with a Grade 5.

Thanks,
Terry
 

Mike,

I know how the grading system works but as I said in my first post, these square headed bolts have no markings at all.

Thanks,
Terry

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41573.jpg
 
Wild guess:

Maybe those three rings on one of them indicates an early Grade 5. (?)
 

Take a known grade 2, 5, 8 and one of your unknown grade bolts and drop them on a cement floor one at a time. You should here a difference on each. Then match your to the closest sound. Usually the bigger the bolt the better sound.
 
(quoted from post at 08:57:37 10/18/16) so why guess? just stop by your local Western Auto hardware store and pick up a handful of Grade 2 bolts or better yet, some shear pins...

Tim,

Sounds sensible. :)
Actually I live on a small island with no hardware store per se, but I will check to see what they do have in terms of grades. I always prefer to make do with what I have whenever possible; keeps my pile of stuff from getting any bigger too.

Thanks,
T
 

Jim,

Interesting idea!
I'll try that but the bolts should be of identical length to make for the easiest sound comparison. Maybe I can hang them up, tap them and compare the frequencies with an electronic guitar tuner. :)

Thanks,
Terry
 
The 110 properly adjusted ought to do a really nice job of plowing. I've not yet mastered my ford 101 2 bottom, close but I have gotten better results with the 110.

I use grade 2 in mine, but have used grade 5 and been very careful with it. Reason I did so was to cut tree roots encroaching on the edge of one of my plots. I just went slowly, and could easily react if it caught something substantial.

I've done upwards of 2 acres with it, new rock shares on and shins as a well just takes a bit longer, but is worth it as this plow just seems to adjust perfectly on my old 850.

The ironic thing is that I plowed a section of one of our fields, near one side that is loaded with glacial till type round rocks if that is what they are called. Some are close to basket ball size. It was adjusted properly, and it glides through the soil easily, turning over the furrow completely even at lower speeds. It never sheared a bolt in there, but other times just one decent tree root or catching on shale would shear it every time. Its less prevalent with more of a dull or worn share, but I was amazed at how it did in the rocky area.

The results are something to appreciate, furrows turned over completely,nothing green showing and when you disc harrow it, the seed bed comes out very nice.
 
Hi Billy,

Good to hear from you!

You wrote:
[color=darkblue:779d327a40]The 110 properly adjusted ought to do a really nice job of plowing. I've not yet mastered my ford 101 2 bottom, close but I have gotten better results with the 110.

I use grade 2 in mine, but have used grade 5 and been very careful with it. Reason I did so was to cut tree roots encroaching on the edge of one of my plots. I just went slowly, and could easily react if it caught something substantial. [/color:779d327a40]

I also found that when I came to a dead stop when plowing that I could react quickly enough to lift is as well. The wheels will probably spin before the plow breaks unless one catches something immovable at a fast clip. Interesting that you go to grade 5 for smallish root cutting

[color=darkblue:779d327a40]
I've done upwards of 2 acres with it, new rock shares on and shins as a well just takes a bit longer, but is worth it as this plow just seems to adjust perfectly on my old 850. [/color:779d327a40]

You've stumped me there. Is a [i:779d327a40]rock share[/i:779d327a40] a unique type of share? Are you talking about doing 2 acres with the single or the double? Also you said "shins" Is there more than one shin on a ford 110. Seems I don't even know what a shin is . . . or a frog for that matter.

[color=darkblue:779d327a40]The results are something to appreciate, furrows turned over completely,nothing green showing and when you disc harrow it, the seed bed comes out very nice.[/color:779d327a40]

My neighbor plans to get a tiller for his compact Kubota, but I suggested a spring shank Harrow or cultivator to follow the plowing . .. then the tiller. Now that you mention it a Disc Harrow would be better because the shank cultivators would probably just pull up the turned-under green from the plowing. Am I right?

Thanks,
Terry
 
Hi Terry.

Yes, I took a chance with the grade 5, but with care, I saw it was no issue for what I was doing, however I did change it back to a grade 2 so as not to forget. I now have a much more powerful tractor, a 4630 Ford-New Holland. I've also got an early 600, a '54 640, the latter being more suited for that single bottom.

I stand to be corrected, but the Rock Share is a heavier/thicker plow share then the usual throw away share.I have those on the 110 and the regular ones on the 101, you can see the difference at the points of each. The plow share is the removable/replaceable bottom wear piece that engages the ground. The shin is another removable/replaceable piece ahead of the mold board, the leading edge of the moldboard but replaceable when worn down. You want to monitor these parts to insure they are replaced before the standard or frog which they are mounted on become the wear surface. My 101 was used with worn parts by the previous owner and the frog/standard needs to be built up by the leading plow bolt hole. The standard or frog is what all the wear pieces attach to, shin, share, mold board, and landside( rectangle piece opposite the share that rides along the furrow wall, kind of a wear strip for the side and as I see it the bottom too as they project out a bit on the bottom.

I think the 110 came with either Adams or Star MFG wear parts, my replacement parts seem to make wider gaps between the share/shin and mold board. If you have original wear parts on that 110, monitor for excessive wear and get all the part numbers off what you take off as it will make it easier to cross reference to a currently available part. I can get wear parts for both the 110 and the 101 at the local Temco dealer.


Well, you could use a spring tooth harrow or similar, but you'll have to run diagonal with the way the furrow was rolled over if that makes sense to you, to not pull the furrow back over. Thats my theory and I've used a cultivator over freshly plowed sod, I prefer the disc harrow over a cultivator or spring tooth harrow. That's the thing, if the area is plowed poorly, you'll have clods and clumps of sod on the surface, which is not desirable for a seed bed and may just re-grow whatever it was. When the furrows are turned over completely, you can run a disc harrow across it, and prepare the seed bed. You may want to firm up the seed bed with a cultipacker, plant and then roll it again with same. You may also want to run some kind of drags across it before either of the previous to level the disc harrow furrows before firming and planting, depending on the seed size being planted. Larger seed can go deeper into the soil, smaller seed not as deep or just below the surface. There is no doubt the old Massey Ferguson #25 disc harrow I have is one of the best mounted disc harrows there are. It leaves a nice seed bed at a certain speed in the soils here after mold board plowing. Soil needs to be dry enough as well, or you may have clods to be broken up. Spring tooth harrow may also bring up rocks as I have seen in fields I used to plant with a long time friend and farmer. Sure as heck hated seeing that type of implement used in some areas where rocks are plentiful.
 
Billy,

You wrote:
[color=darkblue:d3dda59465]Yes, I took a chance with the grade 5, but with care, I saw it was no issue for what I was doing, however I did change it back to a grade 2 so as not to forget. I now have a much more powerful tractor, a 4630 Ford-New Holland. I've also got an early 600, a '54 640, the latter being more suited for that single bottom.[/color:d3dda59465]

Can you post a photo of your 4630 and others?
I used New Holland Red paint by Valspar to paint the A-frame on my MF Cutter. The store gave me a free sample to try. I think I like it even better than the old version of IHC red.


[color=darkblue:d3dda59465]I stand to be corrected, but the Rock Share is a heavier/thicker plow share then the usual throw away share.I have those on the 110 and the regular ones on the 101, you can see the difference at the points of each. The plow share is the removable/replaceable bottom wear piece that engages the ground. The shin is another removable/replaceable piece ahead of the mold board, [b:d3dda59465]the leading edge of the moldboard[/b:d3dda59465] but replaceable when worn down. You want to monitor these parts to insure they are replaced before the standard or frog which they are mounted on become the wear surface. My 101 was used with worn parts by the previous owner and the frog/standard needs to be built up by the leading plow bolt hole. The standard or frog is what all the wear pieces attach to, shin, share, mold board, and landside( rectangle piece opposite the share that rides along the furrow wall, kind of a wear strip for the side and as I see it the bottom too as they project out a bit on the bottom.[/color:d3dda59465]

Excellent! Thanks for filling in all the gaps in my understanding!

[color=darkblue:d3dda59465]I think the 110 came with either Adams or Star MFG wear parts, my replacement parts seem to make wider gaps between the share/shin and mold board. If you have original wear parts on that 110, monitor for excessive wear and get all the part numbers off what you take off as it will make it easier to cross reference to a currently available part. I can get wear parts for both the 110 and the 101 at the local Temco dealer.[/color:d3dda59465]

Great! So the parts [b:d3dda59465]are[/b:d3dda59465] still available.

[color=darkblue:d3dda59465]Well, you could use a spring tooth harrow or similar, but you'll have to run diagonal with the way the furrow was rolled over if that makes sense to you, to not pull the furrow back over.[/color:d3dda59465]

Great to know; something else not to have to learn the hard way.

[color=darkblue:d3dda59465]Thats my theory and I've used a cultivator over freshly plowed sod, I prefer the disc harrow over a cultivator or spring tooth harrow. That's the thing, if the area is plowed poorly, you'll have clods and clumps of sod on the surface, which is not desirable for a seed bed and may just re-grow whatever it was. When the furrows are turned over completely, you can run a disc harrow across it, and prepare the seed bed. You may want to firm up the seed bed with a cultipacker, plant and then roll it again with same. You may also want to run some kind of drags across it before either of the previous to level the disc harrow furrows before firming and planting, depending on the seed size being planted. Larger seed can go deeper into the soil, smaller seed not as deep or just below the surface. There is no doubt the old Massey Ferguson #25 disc harrow I have is one of the best mounted disc harrows there are. It leaves a nice seed bed at a certain speed in the soils here after mold board plowing.[/color:d3dda59465]

Deluxe know-how; thanks for passing on your experience!

[color=darkblue:d3dda59465]Soil needs to be dry enough as well, or you may have clods to be broken up. Spring tooth harrow may also bring up rocks as I have seen in fields I used to plant with a long time friend and farmer. Sure as heck hated seeing that type of implement used in some areas where rocks are plentiful.[/color:d3dda59465]

It's all a keeper!
Thanks for the farming tractorial! :)

Terry

New Holland Red
41727.jpg
 

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