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Franklin Roosevelt tried to teach us not to plow on hillsides because of the big chances or soil erosion when it rains on hillsides that have been plowed. Here in Alabama we still have thousands of miles of terraces that the CCCs made back in the thirties. The terraces all go around the hills on a level plane so that the run off does not have a chance to make gullies on the hillsides. They are still working where they have been left alone. Ford made a hillside plow. It was actually two plows with one on top of the other. When you got to the end of the row you turned the plow over and it plowed the other way on the way back to the other side of the field on a hillside. You always plow so that the sod is turned down the hill. That way in a hundred years you won't have a hill at all. Plowing with an 8N Ford tractor Posted by ZANE on January 01, 1999 at 06:48:44: In Reply to: plowing with an 8n posted by john alexander on December 31, 1998 at 20:00:53: Attach the plow to the 3 point hitch. Drive the tractor's left rear wheel up on a 6 inch block. use the right hand leveling crank and the top link screw adjustment to level the plow share and the land slide with the ground. Do this on a good level spot or on a level slab of concrete. Pull a string from the back of the land slide to the front of the tractor or farther out in front of the tractor and make a straight line beside the land slide to the front of the tractor.The line should angle slightly to the right front wheel of the tractor about 6 inches more than the left. This is to assure that the plow doesn't try to turn the tractor right when the plow comes in contact with the earth. Think of the plow acting as a rudder would on a boat. The way to adjust the angle of the landslide to the left is to loosen the bolts that hold the drawbar that goes across the plow and attaches to the two lower links and twist it in it's cradle untill the plow is pointing in the right direction.(string pointing to the right at the front of tractor) The plow will have to be raised to let it more easily be moved. Some plows have adjusting bolts that help in turning the plow and in securing it in position. This is just a preliminary adjustment and when in the field it may be necessary to tilt the plow slightly forward by shortening the top link etc. Good luck and let me know how you do. Zane. To prevent the plow from trying to turn the tractor you need to adjust the draw bar. Think of the plow as the rudder on a boat. If you want the boat to turn left you turn the rudder left. The same is true of the plow. The drawbar has an offset on the right side with the offset turned down. To turn the plow as a rudder to the left to make the tractor stop turning right when the plow is engaged, loosen the bolt that secure the drawbar to the plow. Turn the drawbar counterclockwise looking at the right end(offset).in order to make the tail of the plow turn to the left. It only takes little to turn the plow tail a lot but do it so that the tail of the plow is moved about 6" to the left. Retighten the bolts that secure the drawbar to the plow.
Put the little lever that is under the seat in the down (draft control position) Move the lift lever till the plow drops to the ground.advance the tractor and gradually move the lever more down till the plow is at the depth you wish to plow and then set the lever at this point with the stop to make it stay there. The little lever under the seat is the mode selector lever. It us moved from position mode when up to draft when it is down. Position lets you hold the lift arms at a given or selected height. Draft control allows you to have the ground engaging implement (plow etc) to automatically raise or lower itself according to the texture or hardness of the ground it is ingaging. If you want the plow to go deeper you gradually move the touch control handle down just a little and then set the quadrant stop so that the touch control handle will not go down any farther than it is set. This will allow you to return to the same load on the tractor when the plow is raised to turn around etc. Draft control was the brain child of Harry Ferguson back in the mid thirties and his invention is still used today on every modern farm tractor the world over. Draft is the amoung of pull an implement has on the tractor or the depth of the implement. The draft of a boat is how deep the bottom goes in the water. If when you try to use the draft mode on the tractor and it will not raise the implement when the touch control handle is raised all the way then the lift is in need of repair and or adjustment. Also if the lift will not hold the implement at a selected height it in need of repair and or adjustment. I sell a jig and instruction booklet with illustrations that is for adjusting the lift on the 8N tractor. A flat bottom plow should be set so that when the plow opens the furrow the bottom of the furrow will be flat. Hence, flat bottom plow" !If the plow will not go in the ground with the plow set flat, get new plow points.
When using a 14" flat bottom plow the distance from the inside edge of the right rear wheel should be 14" from the most forward point of the first plow. Or 14" from the landside of the first plow to the inside of the RR tire.
The tires of the tractor should have water in them or either wheel weights.
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