# of Plow Bottoms / hp of tractor?

Ron..

The Case would go a 6-18 or 6-20.

Many people can add a bottom over what my soils require - I have heavy wet clays.

I prefer going a bit faster, & shifting down for the hard spots, over going slower with a too big plow, & then stopping when the going gets hard...

I'm using a 4-18 on a 135 hp tractor, & there are times I really know it is there. Most times I could drag a 5-18 tho.

--->Paul

I'm using a 3x18 AC 2000 Monobeam on my 4020. Most of my ground I can plow in 5th gear at 5.5 mph. The spots that are a bit wetter, I have to go down a gear. I'm plowing about 7" deep. I started out plowing with 4x 18 on the same plow, with no weights on the front running at 3.5 mph in 3rd gear. In alfalfa and damp, I couldn't keep the front wheels close to the ground. Could have been that the hitch was too high. Before I went back to plowing I lowered the hitch, took off a bottom, added all the weights I had (some 380 pounds) to the front and with 3x 18 at 5.5 mph I cover more acres per day than I did with 4x18 at 3.5 mph. Since then I've added loader for front weight too.

I don't hear great histories of the Case '70 series rear axles when worked hard. They get expensive to fix, I've heard. But if the 1570 would stay together with a plow on back it ought to move at least 7 x 18, compared to the 4020, if it also has traction enough. Case and IH have made some nice plows with lots of stalk clearance. My AC isn't bad but I can plug it with corn stalks.

Going fast the ground gets pulverized as its tossed down and the field is fairly smooth except at the dead furrows. Parts of it generally don't show ridges to show its been plowed, its that smooth.

Oh, my AC bottoms are 392, odd and shins were expensive to find.

Gerald J.

I always figured 25 PTO horse per bottom; just makes for a nicer finished lay to the soil.

Allan