Plow coulters?

[DeltaRed]

Most midwest plow guys here seem to be 'obsessed' with coulters.A "must have".Why?Here ,we dont use em,dont have a problem with a dirty furrow.Is it becausr we plow deeper here(irrigated western Colorado)than 'back east'?Less than 10%of plows have coulters,of those only the rear bottom will have the coulter.I owned a plow with some coulters once,could not see any benefit,plus they were a PIA.They got removed and got hauled to a sale.Didnt even get a bid.Later,hauled em to the scrapper.The newer JD 'switch plow" doesnt use em at all.Thanks,Steve(a two way/rollover user)
 

[JD Seller]

Steve: Anytime I tried to plow in heavy trash or sod without coulter they would plug much more easily it seemed. I wish I had know you had coulter to sell. They will bring fairly good money here.

Part of that maybe that we are not as dry as you. The trash here is many times tough because of the moisture in the trash. Also we like to have a much smoother finished plow surface than what it seems is common where you are.

I just know I have had a couple of sets of plows without coulters and they did a terrible job compared to the plows I had with coulters.

The top picture is more of the finish we usually want/have around here. The bottom picture is from your area and seems rougher. I think it might also be the soil types as well.


 

[Deere Scotty]

I have never plowed without them; but here in Indiana I rarely see a plow without them. On an older plow (like I use) it helps cut trash from hanging on the plow bottom. I remember specifically a neighbor that always had large lumps of corn stalks where his plow deposited maybe a hundred or better stalks at once after dragging them several feet when the corn stalks just would not break; until enough weight, & drag made it happen. Older plows sit low, & trash clearance is a real concern. Also in cases of hard soil it might actually reduce the HP requirement by a little. That was very important when people used only 10 - 15 HP to pull each plow bottom! My dad believed he saved up to 2 HP per bottom in hard 5 year old Alfalfa fields. He himself would say he couldn"t prove it; because he never went without coulters either!
 

[IaGary]

It must be the trash thing. I had a bearing go bad on a coulter so i just removed the coulter to finish the field.

Ended up having to fix the coulter to finish. I could not got a 100 yards without the plow plugging on that bottom.

I had never seen a plow without coulters till I saw your plow Delta and Allans plows.

Gary
 

[Tech 7]

Plowing without coulters? Wow my Dad sure wouldn't let me get away with that. He and my FIL thought we should all be using skimmers still.
 

[WyoDave]

It's because we use spinner plows. They don't plug. I don't use coulters either.
David
 

[dboll]

the only coulter worth anything for corn stalks was the M&W trashmaster, I have a 500 Case (588 White) for cornstalks and never use coulters, coultrs are ok for sod otherwise I have had better luck without them.
 

[miner09]

How many farmers still use the breaking plow? All I see (Texas)is no-till or just a light disking.I thought it was new types of seed or the cost per acre. The farmers here bale wheat straw and corn stacks to sell to dairy's and it's ground into feed.
 

[Dick2]

Back in the days before fertilizer and straw choppers, colters were a mecessity. We plowed under 6-7 foot tall green sweet clover in mid-June for somerfallow; that stuff wouldn't plow under at all without a good coulter cut.

We needed properly adjusted coulters to plow under the straw residue from the combines in the fall. I remember we tried a couple times to plow without coulters but it wouldn't work.
 

[DeltaRed]

In my part of the world,as well as all flood/furrow irrigated areas,all 'farmed' ground is 'moldboarded'.We need a clean surface.Plowing is the only way to get it.
 

[BANDITFARMER]

Steve I will try to explain this the way it was told to me many many years ago. There are many diffrent types of soil around and as many diffrent types of coulters can be used. But I will keep it simple. The general purpose of the coulter is to cut through trash and cut the soil open so the bottom can simpley slice and lift and turn the soil over. A plow with the coulters set right will pull easer whan one without them. A plow without them will wear the points, shins and land sides faster than one that has them. Hear in the Mid-West (SW Ohio) we have so many diffrent types of soil from white ground to heavy clay to black gumbo and everything inbetween and they all plow diffrently but still need coulters to plow them right. Around us there are diffrent types of bottoms in use and that plays into how a plow works too. I wont have a plow without coulters myself but to each his own. Bandit
 

[allen in texas]

OK dang it. I'll put coulters on my Oliver 6241 If I can find them.
Dang pushy people.
 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Plowing established sod without coulters here makes a messier job but its possible to do if the grass is short.

From visiting areas with less moisture, your grasses don't seem to form the same density of sod.

Plowing fields that are in constant tillage they aren't really needed.
 

[BANDITFARMER]

Ok. You just cant have mine! LOL Bandit

 

[jon f mn]

This is one of those "we don't do it like that here" things. Tried to plow corn stalks here in Mn. this fall, had nothing but problems with plugging til we took the coulters off. Was a 5-16's oliver semi mount plow, don't know the model. Looked just like the one posted here tho. The soil in that field was loose and gravelly.