Plow Advice

[Does’ Leap]

In our attempt to balance our high protein perennial grass pastures, we experimented last year with some forage turnips. These turnips have a relative feed value of well over 200 and are excellent high energy feed. Our goats ate them well on first grazing and pretty much rejected them on the second time through which was mid to late October. This year we plan to plant a mixture of forage oats and field peas followed by millet and a hybrid forage brassica (T-Raptor).

This all necessitates field preparation, of course, and I am wondering about folks’ plowing experience / advice. Last year my wife Kristan and I experimented with a walking plow borrowed from a friend – on of us on the plow, one driving the horses. This was not a one person job at our experience level. We zigzagged our way across the field, but got the job done. After disk harrowing, you would never know how bad it looked. I also took a couple passes on a Pioneer sulky plow with a team of suffolks. It seemed to work really well. Here are some questions regarding plows:

• Do you recommend walking or sulky plow?
• One teamster in our area recommended the former b/c he said the old sulky plows are very difficult to adjust correctly. True in others’ experience?
• Are the old plows, if found in good condition, serviceable or would you go with a new Pioneer or White Horse? Is there a certain older model that I might look for? I checked the price of a Pioneer Footlift Sulky yesterday. At $2200, it is well over my budget. The regular sulky for around $1100 is still a stretch, but more doable.
• Are the two-way plows the way to go, or just a regular sulky?
• Anyone have a used plow that they want to sell?

Any input on the aforementioned would be much appreciated.

George

[goodcompanion]

Good questions. And one of my favorite subjects.

Walking with a plowman’s knot and a walking plow is probably a really natural thing for turn-of-the-last-century farmer. I have found it really challenging. A little too challenging.

In my experiences, horses that are not accustomed to plowing are best started with a sulky. If you use a pole and neckyoke, you have your team linked and spaced at the right distance at the front and that is one less variable to contend with. Then your furrow horse needs to learn to walk in the furrow. They don’t like this, always try to climb out one way or the other, then your plow goes awry. But they will learn. With your hands on the reins only you can focus on keeping that furrow horse in the furrow and let the plow take care of itself.

I am not a big fan of the two-way. It seems that one of the main reasons for using them was for plowing hillsides so that one would always be plowing with the earth flipping downhill. We all know that we shouldn’t be plowing steep hillsides, and if we do, we want a layout that won’t hasten erosion more than necessary. Also I find that it’s tricky to change directions and have the physics remain the same. Keep in mind your furrow horse alternates with each change of direction, which keeps them guessing.

Learning how to layout a field for a single bottom is not a big deal. So I am a fan of the single bottom sulky. There are relatively few things to adjust, and those are pretty easy to master. I have a pioneer with a kverneland bottom. If you have lighter soil you don’t need that bottom. It wasn’t cheap, but it is the best. You can order one just the same from White Horse through Ted Russel or pioneer from Pat Palmer. But you probably know this.

I know where there are a few junk sulkies sitting in hedgerows, if you prefer a project to outright expense. Viability depends chiefly on the condition of the bottom and the absence of damage due to, for instance, having been pulled at high speed/power with a tractor then hitting a rock. If the beam looks true then it probably is. If the bottom is worn, you may be able to replace it. A new bottom is relatively cheap from the above mentioned suppliers.

If you want to try out sulky plowing here you may consider yourselves invited.

[Rick Alger]

If you have a forecart, you can pull that walking plow with it. You’ll still need someone guiding the plow, but once you’ve got things adjusted, you’ll be able to plow straight.

[goodcompanion]

@Rick Alger 1221 wrote:

If you have a forecart, you can pull that walking plow with it. You’ll still need someone guiding the plow, but once you’ve got things adjusted, you’ll be able to plow straight.

That is a great idea. I wish I had thought of that.

[Carl Russell]

George, I have one of the hedgerow rescues. An Oliver two-way sulky that I have used for 20 years. It was (is) a little banged up like Erik suggested, but for the plowing I do, which is yearly for gardening, it works fine. I have straightened a few things, and even bent a piece of plywood to fill in a portion of a broken moldboard. However if I were going to plow like Erik is, I would seriously consider newer. It is extremely important that the equipment can survive the season, and provide safety, and as Erik points out, it gives you one less thing to pay attention to.

I have not found trouble with the horses, or steers, when using both bottoms and expecting a different one to be in the furrow each turn. I have found that the animal generally catches on pretty quick to the furrow thing. The disadvantage to switching bottoms is that the tongue angle has to be switched back and forth, and the evener also has to slide over to the other beam. These are not huge problems, but I have found that the fewer readjustments, the better I can maintain consistency, so I just use one bottom now, and plow from the center out.

Walking plows are a bit trickier, but before I broke the wooden beam on my old reversible plow I found it to be workable. When it comes together, there is something empowering about working a walking plow. I actually put in time plowing in a neighbors corn field, to get some long consistent furrows before taking on this stony hillside. I would definitely take Erik up on his offer, not knowing what you are working with at home.

I find plowing with animals to be one of the most intimate experiences on the farm. I can feel, and smell, and hear the Earth as we peel open her outer layer, such an invasive procedure, but done with the best of intentions, and in this manner, fully awake, and aware of the impact, taking responsibility by participating physically.

Carl

[Kristin]

We own a collection of plows, all with something wrong with them. The one we use is a borrowed walking plow. The first year, we couldn’t make it work at all, ended up hiring someone with a tractor to get our sod turned. The second and third years, Mark and I plowed together, one driving horses and the other guiding the plow. Last year, I was pregnant and Mark learned to plow by himself, but occasionally I’d go out and drive the horses for him, just because it was fun. I have a picture of us plowing together, me with a giant belly. I like seeing the soil up close and really feeling the draft it takes to turn earth. For what it’s worth, it took us a while to figure out how to adjust even the simple walking plow properly.

I guess if we were doing it over we might have allocated more budget toward a good plow at the beginning instead of fooling around with broken or inappropriate ones, but I’m glad we were forced to learn to use the walking plow.

all best,
Kristin

[Does’ Leap]

Thanks for all the input. I will digest all this information as I wait for a couple of spring auctions. Talked to Ted Russell last night about the White Horse sulky. Very tempting, but I’m not sure the amount of plowing we will be doing justifies the expense. Erik, thanks for the offer, I will shoot you an email to coordinate a time.

George

[Donn Hewes]

I have had many of the same experiences as others. A walking plow can be one of the great pleasures of working with horses. It can also be difficult to get horses started that have never plowed before. You keep stopping to make corrections and they never get a sense of what you are trying to do. A couple of observations I have made in my limited experience with plowing are Long furrows are better than short ones; and plowing sod or old pasture is much harder work than plowing in last years garden.

On our current farm no one had plowed for many years. Mostly because we are a hill top, pasture based dairy farm. all our gardens have been close to the house and dug with a shovel or a rototiller. Last year I wanted plow a 1/4 acre to experiment with some new crops. I have a good walking plow, and I tried different combinations of horses and mules. The plow didn’t scour very quickly and the horses and mules were all over the place, but we made some furrows (all my former plow horses have passed away and this was a first time for all these). Then I borrowed an old trailer plow from a neighbor. These are plows on wheels that were towed behind old style tractors before three point hitches became popular. With two twelve inch bottoms this hooked great to a fore cart. It has a rope you pull from the seat of the fore cart that trips the plows and down they go. Pull it again and they pop out of the ground. It was a lot of load for three on the fore cart, but they did it. This year I may try it with fore up.

I only mention it as another cheap alternative, there are alot of these trailer plows (some with a single bottom) in the hedge row as well. Like a sulky plow, you can set the depth and go in a straight line, so they make it much easier for a novice or horses that are new to plowing to make a good looking job. That is plowing pasture sod also.

[Jean]

Hi, I have an idea I would like to put out there for your reactions.

I have been talking to some members of a very active draft horse club in CT and one of the fun things they do as a club is to plow a community garden with horses. The town that they work with turns this into a fun all day event. The garden is large enough for 100 families to have a plot in it. Last year they sold all the plots in that one day.

The club only uses experienced teamsters to do the plowing, because there are lots of eyes watching and they want the work to look pleasing not only once it is done, but while the ground is being worked.

I would like to find a town in Vermont that would welcome a group of teamsters to come and plow their garden space, make a day of it and open the eyes to a few more people about how great life can be with draft horses.

Anybody here have any thoughts on this idea?

Jean

[416Jonny]

I might be able to chime in here real quick.

From having turned wrenches, busted rust, greased and painted enough machinery to have the stuff permently embedded in my body, I think I can lend a hand. I swear, I’ll never rot once I die, I’m so full of industrial chemicals.

In choosing machinery, I think the lines to follow are clear, but figuring out where you fit in there isn’t easy. More so when the things you want or need to do with any piece of equipment are always changing.

If you buy a beat up piece of machinery you’re probably going to spend less to start with. However, it may (more often than not, I believe) end up being more hassle than it’s worth. You have to decide how much your time is worth to you and more importantly, your sanity. To me, time is nothing when working for myself or a friend. Money is harder to come by. And sanity, well, that’d break my doctor-patient privilage to get into.

But then again, working on such machinery can do wonders for people. Swelling of pride and knuckles aside, keeping old iron alive drives people to make some very poor and interesting life choices. Hilarity usually insues.

One more part of the old iron side, if you’re not doing a whole lot of work, you made not need to do very much maintenance to your equipment. If you drive a forecart only a few times a month, as long as it’s reasonable well covered, you may not need to check tire pressure once a month or grease wheels bearing more than once every 5-6 years. Or at all for that matter.

If you’re depending on your equipment for a living, it always pays to keep your gear in tip-top shape. Absolutely, no agruement. Which bring us to the other side of the coin.

Brand spanking new equipment!

And boy, is some of it expensive!

But what I’ve seen so far at Animal Power Field Days and used on Bound Brook Farm I can say with certainty that it’s all well made. That Pioneer KV bottom plow of Eriks with proper upkeep should easily last him the rest of his life, his kids and maybe a few more generations. There may need to be a few parts of the plow itself that has to be replaced and was designed to do this relatively easily. Grease is always cheaper than parts, so slather that stuff on!

I like lots of equipment, so I’m a little biased against buying just a three point forecart and using a bunch of little tractor equipment to farm. Certainly can be less expensive if you want new stuff, but equipment designed to be used for a certain task, in a certain manner will always out perform something that has been merely adapted to the situation.

I think some of the members of the forum that have seen and worked with the older horse drawn stuff that ended up being pulled by tractors can attest to how this works. You take a plow that was meant to be pulled slowly and reasonably gently and strap it behind a 20 horse power tractor. Start down the field and let the carnage begin.

While I do think having a piece of equipment for each task you need to pull off is a great way to go if you have the money, I do like HYDRAULIC three point hitches. If you are going to use a forecart, hydraulic is the way to go. With a “wet” system, force is only applied upward. As in, the system is always trying to lift the implement. If your plow is setup right, the plow will want to stay in the ground. So when, not if, you hit an obstacle, the hydraulic lift will help pull it out or over the obstacle. I think that may be more critical for use behind a tractor because of the speed involved, but every little bit helps. Easier than backing up a plow, I think. Easier to lift, too.

It all kind of boils down to what you need, or think you’ll need. “What you think you’ll need” is commonly translated into, “want”.

Either way you go, preventive maintenance will always pay off better than just letting it all fall apart.

You know, just a quick reply.

Jonny B.

[416Jonny]

I almost forgot, Jean, there are some opportunities in Vermont.

Erik Andrus and I plowed out part of a soccer field for a local school back in October. That might be an option. Schools alway leap for more chances to teach kids anything. More so if they don’t have to pay anything for it.

The community garden on the Intervale in Burlington used to be plowed with horses. They use a tractor now, but I think it may have had to do more with being able to have somebody come out to do it with horses more than needing to do it some how cheaper. Of course, there are logistical issues, since you can’t keep horses in Burlington. Which I think is stupid, what’s wrong with having a livery and stable in the city? You can’t drive a car in Burlington hardly any faster than you can drive a wagon….

Jonny B.

[goodcompanion]

@Jean 1234 wrote:

I would like to find a town in Vermont that would welcome a group of teamsters to come and plow their garden space, make a day of it and open the eyes to a few more people about how great life can be with draft horses.

Anybody here have any thoughts on this idea?

Jean

Middlebury College has a pretty big student garden in a field with excellent tilth so I’m told. I bet they would be on fire to have this happen. If you want to investigate this possiblity, I’d be curious to hear from you whether they bite or not.

[goodcompanion]

@416Jonny 1238 wrote:

I almost forgot, Jean, there are some opportunities in Vermont.

Erik Andrus and I plowed out part of a soccer field for a local school back in October. That might be an option. Schools alway leap for more chances to teach kids anything. More so if they don’t have to pay anything for it.

The community garden on the Intervale in Burlington used to be plowed with horses. They use a tractor now, but I think it may have had to do more with being able to have somebody come out to do it with horses more than needing to do it some how cheaper. Of course, there are logistical issues, since you can’t keep horses in Burlington. Which I think is stupid, what’s wrong with having a livery and stable in the city? You can’t drive a car in Burlington hardly any faster than you can drive a wagon….

Jonny B.

Hi Jon,

Good to see you on board. Stay out of trouble in the big city now.

[Plowboy]

We use a Syracuse walking plow with a team, Pioneer 14in right hand sulky with a standard radex bottom with 3, and a converted Little Genius “McCormick” rope trip 2 bottom with 6 using the rope and pulley hitch. 4 will pull it but 6 will plow all day with less rest breaks. There are many good walking plows and if you get the “knack” they really require little effort to use if they are adjusted properly. As far as the new one way sulkies there is really little difference between Pioneer, White Horse and Hochstetler “Soil Master”. The McCormick works good in our soil although the Pioneer gang plow looks like a sweet ride but expensive. Ours is set up similar with a tongue, seat and dashboard. The old 2 way sulkies are ok for occasional use but a walking plow or newer sulky does a way better job as well as our converted tractor plow. some folks have even gone as far as retro fitting new radex bottoms on the old sulkies for improved results. Good luck with whatever you choose but this is what works for us but we only plow 20-25 acres a year .

[Rob FLory]

To make your decision easier, I’m going to throw some contrary advice your way.

Forget about the forecart ahead of the walking plow. Why would you make it more heavier and more complicated? You’ll upset the line of draft so that the plow is not getting the lift it needs to run flat, or it will get too much. The forecart won’t let you steer the plow.

The earlier comment about sulky plows being harder to adjust is right on.

You’ll do best to break this down into baby steps.

If your horses are not used to plowing, some furrow training is in order before you start pulling the plow. I did this with my oxen recently and it only took 2 furlongs for them to get the idea.

Start with a walking plow that is known to work, and someone who knows how to plow. Drive your horses while your plowman plows and gets the plow adjusted. Now you could try plowing by yourself before you move on to trying the new plow, again while you drive and your plowman gets it adjusted.

When you break these down into one step at a time, your results are more assured than if you have a team, plowman, and plow, none of which have plowed before.

We do this routinely at our farm with new horses and new humans. Every now and then we try a new plow, and we have come across the occasional plow that just will not adjust, due to a bent beam or something. I’d sure hate to try to figure that out with horses that are not experienced.

Maybe this would be a good workshop for the next Northeast Draft Animal Field Days!!

Rob Flory
Howell Living History Farm
Titusville, NJ

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