Re: plow btm info.

Posted by AG in IN on July 19, 2013 at 22:02:52 from (67.237.26.112):

In Reply to: plow btm info. posted by Earl-IL on July 17, 2013 at 18:18:31:

IHCPloughman said: AG, do you have experience working with the Terra-Flo bottom? I picked up a 540 with those bottoms on it last year because of the stories I have heard about the Terra-Flo bottom doing so well in the Large Plow class at the National Plowing Contest when it started in 1965 or 1966.

I have no real hands-on experience with the TF bottom and I can't say I've ever had a plow equipped with TF bottoms (but I do have a stack of new aftermarket shins in my parts stash). The only plow I've ever found for sale locally equipped with TF bottoms was a 550 plow an hour west of me at an auction last summer. At least 2 guys looking at it said if you wanted a plow to stay away from "those oddball bottoms" as they really weren't any better or worse than Super Chief bottoms, but you'd wait on the dealer to order parts if you needed anything, and it always cost more than the Super Chief, which were usually stocked at the dealer. The wear parts were nearly see-through and the plow had other issues, so I passed on it.

In the 50's IH started heavily promoting their Plow Chief bottoms as replacements for the old "blacksmith" bottoms. In literature they made derogatory comments about those (I assume Ford and Oliver) who would dare use thin, flimsy throw-away blade shares on their plows when, at the same time, IH was developing their own. By the mid-50's with plenty of advertising, they introduced the new Super Chief bottoms with throw-away shares. They had some issues with some thin, flimsy throw-away blade shares of their own that according to service updates took several attempts to get some to stop bending and breaking and some alterations were needed to correct/alter how/where parts wore. By the early-mid 60's, with the bugs were worked out, IH continued promoting the variety pack of Super Chief bottom options, Plow Chief was still readily available, but took a back seat, and most of the older "blacksmith" bottoms were being retired as complete units. I can't see where the Terra-Flo bottom ever seemed to get anywhere near the advertising/promotion/publicity push at all from IH that Super Chief bottoms got in their first few years, and the Plow Chief before that. Maybe it was more of a specialty bottom at the time that was never intended to be much more than that.

I've personally never seen a plow equipped with TF bottoms in use, and I'm fairly certain they were never at all popular locally. One local retired dealer once told me he never sold a single part for them in the decade or so he was in business after they became available and never ordered a plow equipped with them.

They were probably decent bottoms when used where intended. Maybe for competition plowing with a larger tractor at higher speeds to do a good job in a timed situation, TF's would be the perfect fit. Somebody somewhere is still plowing with some plows equipped with TF bottoms, as aftermarket wear parts were still available not all that long ago.

AG

This post was edited by AG in IN at 06:12:34 07/20/13 2 times.

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