Started plowing down my corn field yesterday with our 5-18 IH 720 plow, and having trouble with the corn stock trash plugging up between the coulters and bottoms. Seems to happen mostly on the back three bottoms, worst on the second to the back. I disked the stalks after I finished picking, when it was still very dry, then disked again last week after it rained.
I"m plowing about 6" deep, and the coulters look to be in the ground about 2". Heavy black dirt, running in 2nd gear with the MF1100. The tractor is pulling it fairly well, running in multi-power low mostly, but can speed up into high sometimes. The plow sat for several years in the shed, but the moldboards were a little rusty. It seems to be rolling the soil over pretty well and buring the trash pretty good. But then it will start dragging trash on the 3rd or 4th bottom, eventually building up enough to start lifting the back of the plow. When I drive out of the furrow and clean it off, it looks like there is some dirt sticking on the 4th bottom. I"ll get a pass down the field that runs fine, next pass plugs half way down the field.
You think it"s just a matter of the moldboards not being shined up enough yet? I only have 4 acres to plow, so I suppose it will start working good about the time I"m done. So what should I coat them with when I"m done, to keep them shiny for next time? Will be plowing down alfalfa next Fall, so I"d like to shorten the learning curve if possible.
I"m plowing about 6" deep, and the coulters look to be in the ground about 2". Heavy black dirt, running in 2nd gear with the MF1100. The tractor is pulling it fairly well, running in multi-power low mostly, but can speed up into high sometimes. The plow sat for several years in the shed, but the moldboards were a little rusty. It seems to be rolling the soil over pretty well and buring the trash pretty good. But then it will start dragging trash on the 3rd or 4th bottom, eventually building up enough to start lifting the back of the plow. When I drive out of the furrow and clean it off, it looks like there is some dirt sticking on the 4th bottom. I"ll get a pass down the field that runs fine, next pass plugs half way down the field.
You think it"s just a matter of the moldboards not being shined up enough yet? I only have 4 acres to plow, so I suppose it will start working good about the time I"m done. So what should I coat them with when I"m done, to keep them shiny for next time? Will be plowing down alfalfa next Fall, so I"d like to shorten the learning curve if possible.