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2fordsmike
04-20-2002 09:43:01
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Boys: Some old Ford and Ferguson plows are too far gone! That's my impression of many or the old plows I see on scalpers' lots. I see some plows robbed of parts. And, almost universally, equipped with worn and dull and sometimes broken forged bottoms. Forged plow bottoms are not being made and are not available except as rare New old stock. They virtually impossible to find, to my knowledge. And, there are very few blacksmiths, even here in Iowa, who will repoint and sharpen these old forged bottoms. You may have to drive 100 miles to find such a blacksmith. I think I can safely say that for every 1,000 acres plowed here in Iowa, about 999.9 are plowed with plows that DO NOT have forged bottoms. Second: Virtually all scalper plows have extremely rusty moldboards. If you are going to use the plow on a garden plot of clay soil, it may take you several years to get the moldboards land polished to work as they are supposed to. I urge my amateur farmer friends to buy only those later model plows that take the so-called razor blade or throw-away plow bottoms. You can buy these replacement plow "lays" at most any farm supply store. If you have never plowed, buy a new set of plow lays (or bottoms) before you attempt to plow your garden. And buy an owners manual! When you finish plowing, grease or paint the bottoms, moldboards, coulters and tailwheel to prevent rust from forming on these parts. I've been thinking about writing this bit of advice for a year or two. I do this with the best of intentions, but there will be other opinions, I suspect. For one example, Zane has a low-cost method of repairing the old forged bottoms and I hope he will tell us once again how he does it. But I am not a blacksmith. Good luck and good plow
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