Re: Re: Re: Need help with set up 2pt fast hitch p

Posted by Hugh MacKay on April 06, 2004 at 03:24:09 from (216.208.58.142):

In Reply to: Re: Re: Need help with set up 2pt fast hitch plow. posted by Kelly C on April 05, 2004 at 20:15:06:

Kelly: First off I doubt you will ever be very happy with that 2 bottom plow. For center line of draft on a 2 bottom plow your wheel tread must be close to 60" center to center on tractor. 3 bottom is close to 68" and 4 bottom 76". You are not going to run those high Farmalls that narrow, especially with a loader. If that were a trailer plow it would be just a matter of shifting your drawbar hitch point to the right thus making your right furrow same size as left furrow. With a tractor the size of a 400 and 2 bottom trailer plow the side draft would never bother you. My dad plowed for a number of years with 2x14 No.8 plow and 300 set on 72" centers. You could notice the side draft on 300 but it was not severe enough to hinder plowing. The problem with a fast hitch plow, is you can't move the hitch to the right to compensate for the wider tread setting, so rear wheels must be moved in.

Secondly as near as I can see your tractor has the original 400 fast hitch and the lift cylinder must be in float positon. You can not plow using down pressure, at some point it will lift the rear wheels of tractor taking away traction. Just ahead of your right rear axle carrier on hitch is provission for second implement 8" stroke hydraulic cylinder. That cylinder is a must for plowing as it is your depth control. This in my opinion made the fast hitch on 100, 200, 300, 400 and 130 the Cadalac of plowing machines, being able to hydraulically change your depth setting, on the go while plowing. This was a great feature if you had various soil type or conditions within a field. When you came to that certain hard spot in field you could adjust depth accordingly.

You do not have draft control, that came later with the 230, 350 and 450. In my opinion you can count yourself lucky you don't have the newer hitch as the draft control never worked well on those tractors and you lost the ability to change depth on the go. IH really never had a great draft control until the 04 and 06 tractors and by then both 2 point and 3 point hitches.

This would be my advice. You are not going to change wheels on 300 or 400 every time you plow. I've been there and done that, people that loosen rear wheels regularly always have loose wheels and are always tightening wheels, and sheared of a few keys in cast hub of rear wheel. If I were you with spring auction season on I would look for a 3 bottom plow. 3x16 will work well with rear tractor tires on 72" centers. I judge your 400 to be on 72" centers with out side of wheels flush with ends of axle. If you go 3x14, 72" will be a shade wide. My guess is you can probably switch plows for close to nothing in actual cash outlay. Home gardening folks really like the 2 bottom plows and you can set a 300 Utility at 60" centers quite easily Now I supose you could buy a 300 Utility just for plowing. But then 300 Utility outlay could be saved for that 656 or 706.

I seriously would look at 3x16, either fast hitch mounted, semi-mounted or trailer and come into the newer plows with trip bottoms. They will save you a lot of grief plowing with that 400 or larger tractor.

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