[Stone Horse Farm]

You might try this guy,

http://www.mrbtractors.com

He’s also on ebay at

http://www.ebay.com/sch/2cylfan/m.html?item=162087427608&hash=item25bd29de18%3Ag%3AIq4AAOSw0e9UstZ7&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[Stone Horse Farm]

Hi Keith,

I wanted to share what we do here on Stone Horse Farm, just north of San Francisco. I have been farming with a team of big Percherons for 17 years. I set up our fields, like Erika, in 1/4 acre chunks. It fits the farm well, and is relatively easy in the rotation I have developed. We too leave about a 20′ grassed headland, and our rows are about 100 feet long. A square quarter acre is 104 by 104. I drip irrigate as much as possible, for water conservation and much reduced weed pressure. Since my drip tubing is my irrigation system I need to make the size of my fields the same, another reason for the quarter acre increments.

My row spacings are at 42″, mostly because I need to fit my horses down the rows easily without stepping on plants. The straddle row cultivators are adjustable to that width, and the one horse walking cultivators also work well to that width when plant height gets too tall for the straddle row. I double that width to 84″ or 7 feet for things like tomatoes, melons and winter squash, those crops that like to sprawl. Once these deeper rooted crops are established, they are on their own for moisture, and I must say they are delicious for it.

My horses are probably too big to be efficient in my small fields, but I also use them in the woods where their size is very handy. And for the wagon and carriage work in public, their size has the wow factor.

Fit your field layout to the tools you have. Once your rows are established they will act as a guide for the horses, too.

Stu

[Stone Horse Farm]

Great advice from the previous posts. Having another person with horse-sense along to observe is a huge help.

My advice would be to revisit the team a few times. Be a detective, and look for clues. I like to watch the owner handle and drive his or her horses for clues as to their relationship. If the owner is quiet and calm chances are the horses are too. Maybe you could arrange to watch them work at one of the owner’s jobs. Watch him load the horses into a trailer. Is his hitch gear and harness in good condition? Dental and vaccination records?

As to their their current ages, a seasoned team that stands quietly while you make a plow adjustment, or choke another log is priceless. Getting horses physically fit for harder work is a lot easier than conditioning minds for work. An older team that has good consistent work habits is worth a lot. In my experience most work horses do well in the soil or the woods, and it is the exceptional ones that also work quietly in the craziness of the carriage trade.

And if/when you find the team you really want, pay for a vet check.

Good Luck!

Stu

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Stone Horse Farm.

[Stone Horse Farm]

Maybe standard replacement shanks from AgriSupply? You would want to be sure your clamps would work.

http://www.agrisupply.com/cultivator-shank/p/38854/&sid=&eid=/

Stu

[Stone Horse Farm]

Ed, it is a Planet Jr. No. 76 Pivot Wheel Riding Cultivator. The lever you refer to is for leveling the cultivator frame once the team is hitched so that all shovels penetrate equally. I have the two row version.

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[Stone Horse Farm]

I’ve done it. I had to pull the gears out to get to the shaft and the seal. Seemed worth it, and wasn’t too difficult. Didn’t have to pull the axle. With the gears out you can really clean out the bottom of the box too. If you put a lighter grade of oil, it will run out of the old seal. The lighter grade will help the horses, though.

Stu

[Stone Horse Farm]

Hey Walt, have you given the two bottom a try? I saw you at Lynn’s sale with the Pioneer eqpt you got.

[Stone Horse Farm]

Looks to me like you need to polish that thing. Soil will stick to the rusty surface and give you no end of trouble. Clean it up with a wire wheel and then use a red brick and scrape it till it shines. Be careful not to scratch it.

[Stone Horse Farm]

I would put a coat of boiled linseed and turpentine 3:1 on the wood. It will really make the wood and old paint come alive. The fact that it still has some paint on it is a great indicator of its condition. Also check the drive chains. Many times they are worn or stretched and they will jump the sprockets causing wear. There are “detachable chain” specs on the internet, usually given as number of links per 10 feet. Sometimes the size of the link is stamped on each one, otherwise you’ve got to figure it out. Nice addition to your collection…Stu

[Stone Horse Farm]

I’ve seen one similar to this in Lynn Miller’s Tillage Tools book described as a celery hiller. A bull tongue shovel or similar would seem a likely candidate for the point. Nice looking tool. Good luck.

[Stone Horse Farm]

I have replaced the seal on the clutch shaft. You need to pull all the gears out of the box to get to it, which I assume is why every #9 mower I’ve seen leaks there!! It wasn’t too bad of a job, if you like to take things apart.

[Stone Horse Farm]

My manuals for the McD #7 and #9 both say to use SAE 20 wt motor oil, and specifically says DO NOT use heavy transmission oil.

As for replacing those pesky worn pitman bushings, D.A. Hochstetler & Sons in Topeka, Indiana 574-642-1144 has a simple tool to drive the bushing out/in without damage. I have carefully split the bushing using a hacksaw blade, too, in difficult cases.

[Stone Horse Farm]

Neal,

I hope you found the scans of the manual helpful. For anybody else who needs a scanned version of this plow email me at info@stonehorse.biz

Stuart

[Stone Horse Farm]

Erika,

I have one! Email me at info@stonehorse.biz with an address and I will make a copy and send it.

Stuart

[Stone Horse Farm]

Hey guys,

Stewart, it sounds to me like your beams are “landed” (set toward the unplowed land) or set for three horses. I, too, have a 23B. I got a manual for it from Farmer Brown a few years ago. I have enjoyed many days plowing on that machine. Mine have 14 inch bottoms with the jointers and the beams are set for three horses, though I have the clevises adjusted for pair use. I found Lynn Miller’s Plow book to be invaluable for setting the clevises properly. If the beams are parallel to the landside they are set for two horses.

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