Walking Plow adjustment

[Rod]

Thanks for the drawing and explanation. I will look at the plow more carefully in the morning. I did examine the wood beam and being a life long wood worker know something about dry rot and other wood weaknesses. I think the beam is sound and fine for what I want to do with this $50 plow which is to plow my garden. No rocks, roots or anything but nice loose topsoil having been my same garden spot for the last 30 years. I could probably plow it with a coal shovel on a rope. I also looked again at the plow share before I came in this evening and don’t think the wear on it is significant enough to effect what I want to do with it.
I bought the plow and the cultivator after reading about all the fun folks were having with their walking plows and wanted to give it a try without spending a lot of money. I do have a rototiller in case it doesn’t work.
I am sorry I snapped at the critiques of both you and Carl as I know you both were just trying to be helpful, no excuse for that and I apologize.

[grey]

Considering that in ancient times folks used to plow with a forked log, a fellow could hitch their horse to just about anything and make do. I’m sure you can turn over your garden soil just fine with what you’ve bought. A bit more struggle than with a less-worn share, but as long as the wood beam and handles are structurally sound, it should be safe, if not easy.

The main difficulty is that, with a plow that isn’t in good shape and adjusted correctly, you have to rassle and man-handle it more. If you are steering the horse(s) with lines around your body, the ‘rasslin makes your torso send unintentional signals down the lines to the horse(s). Easily eliminated by having one person drive the horse(s) while the other handles the plow… which is what they did in ancient times and in areas where farming technology is not quite what it could be.

Alternately, if you have a well-trained plow horse and an initial furrow for him to follow, you shouldn’t have to use the lines much.

Put a carriage bolt in that hole closest to the end of the beam.

[Rod]

Here is another part which was loose wired to the plow. Any ideas what it is or is used for?

[grey]

It’s the point off another plow. A middle-buster or lister plow, as they are called. Good for trenching and planting potatoes.

I was mistaken about the carriage bolt. The bridles on my plows have square holes, intended for carriage bolts. I think maybe yours just wants a pin, like is in the one hole. My little wood-beam plow has a pin that has a wrench on the head. I can yank it out and use it to make adjustments on the plow.

Have you found any maker’s marks on your plow? Flip it over and start scrutinizing the metal parts. Take a wire brush and have at it.

[grey]

Y’know, I don’t know what I was thinking. With that kind of plow bridle, you can’t put a piece on for horizontal adjustment. You’d have to have the kind of bridle that is two plates – one plate on either side of the end of the wood beam. With this kind of hitch plate, you get what you get. I’d still like to see what the beam looks like, where it attaches to the standard and the handles.

[Carl Russell]

grey;12621 wrote:

It’s the point off another plow. A middle-buster or lister plow, as they are called. Good for trenching and planting potatoes……

It also looks a lot like the point off a “Side-hill”, or reverse-able plow. These were wood beamed plows with a double-sided point and share with a rounded mouldboard. One could turn at the end of the furrow, flip the whole thing over, put the other horse in the furrow and plow back the other way. Called “side-hill” because on sidling land one would want to lay the furrow down hill.

Rod, you may feel that your project is pretty simple, but I was only suggesting that you replace that wood because plowing can be more stressful on the equipment than you may be aware. I am sure that that beam is not “rotten”, but being as old and dry as it is, I would just throw on a new one. Looks like a pretty simple repair, and it will make things more successful. Otherwise, if you want to protect the historical nature of the piece, I would suggest not using it.

Carl

[Joshua Kingsley]

Has anyone ever used one of those reversable plows? I was given one with new handles and have yet to try it though an old timer near here says they are more for decoration than actual use. The plow looks to be in fair shape and could probably be pulled fairly easily but I have been hesitant to put it in the ground. Any advice or should I try to find somthing better? The one that I have is a steel beam plow so that should be good to go.
Thanks Joshua

[Carl Russell]

Josh,
I used one quite a bit years ago.

They do work, but you don’t get as good cover, as the mouldboards are short, and curve back instead of out.

If it’s all you got, I’d use it. It’s pretty easy to just turn back into the last furrow and work your way across the field without having to cover all the land between furrows as with a one way.

It is also good for the horses because they both learn to work on the furrow.

Carl

[Rod]

Here are some more photos. The only mark I can fine on the back is a raised number 1. I can see what Grey described as plow wear and wondered if I could weld in some steel and reshape it to get back to the original shape? Doesn’t appear to have any provisions or adjustments to change the width of the plow.

[Author]

Posts