About 46 hp. I think you need to be on very light land for it to pull 3 x 14". It would probably be happier with 2 .
 
How did we pull 6-16s with 4020s? We pulled 5 or 6 16s with 1850 Olivers. Had a neighbor that pulled 6 16s with a 930 Case, he lugged that tractor down to 1500 rpms and plowed like that for years. Neighbor never carried a watch. He would come home for dinner based on the hours he put on the tach. He was always late as the tach put hours on at 1900 rpms not 1500.Most of these tractors were using a little over a horse power per inch on the plow.
 
(quoted from post at 07:24:31 07/22/14) How did we pull 6-16s with 4020s? We pulled 5 or 6 16s with 1850 Olivers. Had a neighbor that pulled 6 16s with a 930 Case, he lugged that tractor down to 1500 rpms and plowed like that for years. Neighbor never carried a watch. He would come home for dinner based on the hours he put on the tach. He was always late as the tach put hours on at 1900 rpms not 1500.Most of these tractors were using a little over a horse power per inch on the plow.

Try those combos on clay hills.Unless you are just skimming the surface.
Your buddy with the lugged down Oliver could have put done more work per hour running at peak HP instead of operating at peak torque.
 
(quoted from post at 08:24:31 07/22/14) How did we pull 6-16s with 4020s? We pulled 5 or 6 16s with 1850 Olivers. Had a neighbor that pulled 6 16s with a 930 Case, he lugged that tractor down to 1500 rpms and plowed like that for years. Neighbor never carried a watch. He would come home for dinner based on the hours he put on the tach. He was always late as the tach put hours on at 1900 rpms not 1500.Most of these tractors were using a little over a horse power per inch on the plow.

Depends where you plow. Up here a 4020 might swing 4-16's on some land, 3 of others especially in sod, 5 in what we call "sandy" ground or stubble. Neighbors 930 Case handles 3-18 Kvernlands nicely. 45 hp tractors here generally do okay with 2-12's or 2-14's on better ground.
 
How many bottoms a tractor will pull varies greatly depending on soil type. Look at what your neighbors or antique tractor club members are doing. That will give you the best idea.
 
looks like everyone is forgeting the other half of the equation. You have enough HP to pull 3-14 in MOST conditions But do you have enough weight to get that power to the ground. Traction is a big issue and if you are spinning your wheels your going nowhere.
 
I like that comment.I did buy a perfect F145 Deere 5 bottom 16 inch plow once at a sale that was bought new with a 3020.That 3020 did not have enough power to break or twist that plow.LOL The farmer did have all shale ground that plowed very easy.I collect old dealer sales brochures and the pics of 4020's and six bottoms always made me laugh as here in the midwest I could plow more with a four bottom on a 4020 than a five.
 
You guys who thump your chest and brag how you can pull eleventy-seven bottoms 12" deep with your Farmall M or JD 4020 in road gear make me laugh.

Either you're full of baloney or you've got some real easy-plowing ground.

I'll have to invite y'all up to my folks' place for a plow day next spring for a dose of reality... And they don't even have the toughest plowing conditions in the area.
 
Depends the brand of plow also, I have a 2-16 John Deere and it pulls harder than the IH 3-18. I don't know why but seems all the JD plows pull harder for some reason and they don't turn over the soil as well, more like a weed uprooter. Have a 4-14 JD but got parked when the IH came into the picture.
 
According to tractordata.com it is 38 pto horse power and about 3000 pounds. I think it is a little short on power and a lot short on weight.
 
If it's 38 HP and the same kind of 38 HP my 51 A has and if it was plowing in my neck of the woods 2X16's is a good match. I've had the A on 3X14's but 2X16's is better. That's only talking HP. Traction, drawbar location, how much power there is to the wheels and a lot of other factors come in too. Oh yes, back in the early 70's I drove a 1256 pulling A 6X16's IH plow but it was in light soil. 150 HP on 6X16's is a better match and a 150 HP from the factory tractor, not a 100HP tractor turned up to 150. Jim
 
How many acres do you need to plow and what does your tractor weigh? You might be on the very low end of PTO HP range to pull 3 bottoms, but does it have enough weight and drawbar HP?

If you have to add an extra 50% in weight to the tractor to pull three bottoms, you might get more done in a day pulling two bottoms faster. Try to plow at 5MPH or faster rather than straining the guts out of your tractor at an actual 3.5 MPH loosing 10+ percent of your ground speed to wheel slip. That also gives you a better chance to plow tough dry sod if you need to, or to pull a two times width spike tooth harrow behind the plow in the spring.

Used plows often have worn cutting edges and rusty moldbords that can pull harder than a plow in top condition. Can you borrow a plow to test what works best for you, or try a plow before you buy it? I'd try 2x16 or 2x14 to start.

Good luck and have fun.
 

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