9n plow advice

[oldmanbishop]

I have a 9n working tractor that I"m planning to use to put about 15 acres of corn in this spring. My soil is clayey with some stones and currently has a pretty dense sod. I"ve got a 3pt disc, but it won"t cut it for primary tillage.
So now I"m thinking of buying an old moldboard plow. Any suggestions? Would a 2 bottom Dearborn be too much for an old 9N? The tractor pulls pretty well, but the hydraulics get shaky with a lot of load. How about part availability? I"d need to replace shares etc.
Thanks!
 

[Bill Rowles]

If she is in good shape a 2-bottom plow should be OK. I suggest plowing it when ground is damp (not too wet) in the fall and disc and plant in the spring. Better try the old tractor on the plowing duty ASAP incase there is a problem with insufficient hydraulic function or other malady of the aging machine so you have time to repair and recover before spring planting.
 

[Dave8N in Pa]

If you can find a 2-14 you can still get parts (moldboard # ends 409). A 2-12 (moldboard # ends 404), I don"t know where to get parts.
 

[Colin King]

2-14 Dearborn will probably work if your N has good power. Clay is hard to plow, so if you found yourself a 1 bottom, you might actually be happier. If you are willing to wait a season or two, another option is to repeatedly work over the ground with your disk.

Good luck,
Colin, MN
 

[HCooke]

I turn over my garden each year with a 12" 2 bottom plow amd this tired old 9N. This is pretty clayey but it works well. I don't do 15 acres, lol. Best of luck.

 

[oldmanbishop]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. I'll probably shoot for a 2 bottom then. My soil is more of a clayey loam than hard clay, and the tractor pulls well... Hopefully, I'll be able to report back with how it goes.
 

[jackinok]

one bit of advice,look for the later ford marked plows with what they call economy bottoms.MUCH easier to find wear parts.
 

[oldmanbishop]

I was reading about the economy bottoms in one of the dearborn manuals. Any idea about how you would recognize them? I know that the shape is somewhat different, but I don"t know that I"d be able to tell based on that alone.
 

[jackinok]

easiest way to tell is simply look at the mold board.on a economy model it will most often be two piece.one the moldboard itself the other a replaceable shin or front wear piece. the shares themselves appear to be at first glance just a flat piece of metal with a sharp angle on the front or point.to see pictures go to the n tractor website and look in manual section.the so called prior models ,and the later economy models diffrences will be really apparent.they are called economy models simply because you could replace pasts indiviually as they wore. and i suggest the ford models simply because you can often buy the parts at new holland still. lots of jd or other brands will work also behind your tractor ,just check to see if its still supported before you buy. MY opinion of course.lots of guys just plow a garden each year,but if your going to plow several acres youll not want to hunt increasingly harder to find parts most of the time.