How much power does a 4 bottom plow need?

I was wondering how much horse power it takes to pull a 4 bottom plow in heavy ground.

I'm 65 years old, have plowed thousands of acres in my day. When I meet someone who tells me he's plowing at 6-8 mph, I realize I'm talking with someone not playing with a full deck. When I meet someone who tells me he's plowing at 8-10 mph, I realize I'm talking to an idiot.

Rod

There is a farm near me here in Ontario, his shortest field is a mile and he has several fields 2 miles. He pulls an 8 bottom Kevernland semi-mount roll over plow with one of two big New Hollands. Never been close enough to get the model numbers, however they are conventional tractors, duals on both ends, one has triples on rear. It think he drops those triples while plowing. I expect those tractors are well over 200 hp.

I drove the road alongside his fields one day about 2 years checked those sizes with my odometer. I forget my exact calculations on what he plowed between morning and evening, but I figured at the time he was making 10 to 14 acres per hour on those big fields. I checked him 3 different times got different results each time. The big figure came from the 2 mile field. He wasn't driving fast, I could comfortably walk the highway alongside him.

He doesn't hire much help, basically he, his wife and his dad. I know his wife's sister, and had to let her in on this one. The husband and wife were combining one day two years ago. He combining and she pulling two big grain wagons hooked together with a Gemini. They had 4 sets of two wagons placed stratigically around field. She apparently went the wrong way on a soft grade and the grain wagons went down. When I came along, all wagons plus the combine were full. I could see one wagon by itself with quite vicious ruts and chewing in front of it. He and she were at the grainery with tractor and one wagon. We can only assume they were just having a little romatic get together. Well, at least I'll give the benefit of any doubt to matrimonial harmony.

Rod

I don't have the figures close at hand, however I did a lot of comparison back in the 70s between pulling my 5x16 semi-mount with 1066 and 656. Bought the plow initially to use behind 1066, it was really no load for 1066, however it was a plow that had been at the dealers some time and even in 1975, $2,000. was a good buy for that plow. The main reason I switched to plowing with 656 was taking duals off 1066, then moving inside right rear wheel out to match the plow, plus I had bought a big manure spreader and wanted to plow same weeks as spreading manure. Initially we looked at taking one bottom off, hitched it to 656 one day, backed it in to remove the back bottom, got the manual out surveying what had to be changed, also looking at all those bolts nicely set and all with two years rust. Finally I said, "Mike take that up on the big clay hill behind the house and if the 656 will plow that clay hill in 2nd gear on a Nova Scotia April day, we never need worry about being able to pull 5 bottoms with 656." Well, he did and 656 did pull the plow in 2nd gear on the upgrade.

What I noticed initially was reduced cost per acre on wear parts, close to 40%. Also breakage went to nil. We had broken a plow trip beam behind 1066 even though it did trip. But hitting that rock at 6-8 mph with 1066 was a far cry from hitting a rock at 4-6 mph with 656. Trip beams are nice, but it's also nice to have a tire that slips a bit as well.

Rod

I find this hard to believe, 50 years ago WI was full of Farmall H, M, SH, SM, 300, 400, 350 and 450. and it was also full of 2 and 3 bottom trailer plows.

I know what you guys are doing, and I suspect you will go through just as many clutches and TA on a 1256. Same clutch and same TA, just more engine.

Dad used to run a 3-16 trailer plow behind the Oliver 88. For breaking alfalfa mom would drive the H in front, with a chain & tire in between.

Now I have 135 hp on 4-20 plow, that pulls pretty nice. I guess I could put a 5 bottom plow on it, but traction would be a problem I think, & would need to keep the 4 bottom for tough years.

We have some real good hard yellow clay soil. ;)

--->Paul

We pulled 4-16's with a 560D, about 4 mph on 200 acres a year.

We replaced the shares every other year.

Dad got a 856 (about 30 more HP) and wore out a set of shares in one year moving about 6.5 mph.

Next year we got 5-16 and slowed her down to 5 mph. Shares lasted about 2 years again on 200 acres a year.

I now plow about 80 acres a year pulling 6-16 with a 160 hp MX200 at 7mph and wear the shares out after 240 acres again. (:~{)

Gary

Forget about these guys pulling a plow of 40s to 80s vintage at 6-8 mph. These plow bottoms were engineered for 3-5 mph and anyone trying to pull them faster knows little about plowing. He is an expert on mess, probably quite good on plow repairs as well.

Remember this, a 4 bottom plow at 3 mph will plow the same land per hour as 3 bottom at 4 mph, probably a bit more as you will have less turning time.

In 1975, I bought a new 5x16 IH semi-mounted plow to use behind a new 1066. My hired cowboys pulled it at 6-7 mph. I cured their problem, we hitched that plow behind 656 and they were forced to plow at 3-4 mph and I sent 1066 off to do some real heavy work. That move reduced the cost of plow wear parts by 40% per acre. When your doing enough plowing that a new set of shares-points go on daily cost is a factor. Even if your not doing big acreage, this is about money in your pocket at years end.

You can use the same criteria with larger plows or more speed, all I'm figuring is distance traveled times width of cut. My point is you can add one more bottom, slow down and plow just as much land. You will burn less fuel, and have less cost per acre on plow wear parts. Most of the plows these guys are talking about were engineered for speeds of 3 to 5 mph, pulling them faster just adds extra cost.

I suspect the new plows being turned out today are not engineered for more speed. I've never used one, however we have a lot of good plowmen in this area and they are still running 4 to 5 mph. I've walked behind more than one of them.

I also did custom work with 1066 and a Dika root windrower, just a large version of a rock rake. The drum was 20' long and 42" diameter. The drum had 12" long teeth made of 1-1/4 x 4 solid steel bar with a gusset behind them. The drum was driven by a Staffa 5 cylinder hydraulic motor powered by a hydraulic pump mounted on 1000 rpm PTO shaft. This machine had the ability to kill a 1066 engine cranking out 150+ hp. It would send a 1066 to the fuel supply every 3 to 5 hours depending on conditions. On something over 2,000 acres it cost $21. per hour to rebuild and hard surface the teeth on this machine. The manufacturer of this machine out of Alberta Canada, said he had never seen soil so abrasive on one of these machines. He was acustomed to tooth wear under $15. per hour. The sand in these soils was a mix of sand stone and shale. About 500 acres per bottom and moldboards had holes in them, and that was keeping speed below 5 mph.

Rod

These continental folks think their hard clay are difficult to plow, and it is, I wont argue with them, however to we easterners plow points last forever. I just moved out of the heavy clay this summer, and what I'm in now is very sandy loam. I've plowed a bit of it did some disking, but I don't think this sandy loam is near as abrasive as the NS-PEI sand. I'll be able to compare better by this time next year.

Allan

hope it helps some

Do disk plows use less power to pull it?

Rod