Plowing question

[gwstang]

Morning fellows, I have a question for the brain-trust on here. I picked up a middle buster yesterday for my '52 8N and I am wondering if when I start to plow with it, should the draft lever be on or off for this use? I just have a fairly small garden (1/2 acre or so) so I did not see the $$ for a bottom plow. This is some pasture land (kept cut) that I am needing to break up and then take my handy dandy tiller (Sears 5 hp, I have had forever and still works great) to work it in several times before spring. I'm adding more corn/potatoes this year. Right now we just had about 9" of rain over several days and it is pretty soft out there...lol When it dries out some I'll have at it. Thanks, Gary
 

[HCooke]

I would start off with draft control. You will be
able to control the depth better that way.
Experiment - try both ways and report back.
 

[Colin King]

I agree, play around with it, but draft control is probably going to be your best bet.

You're going to want something use as a drag before you till. Trying to till with large furrows will be killer on your back, and not good for the tiller.

If the middle buster is all you have available, I'd get it "plowed" as soon as it dries out a bit. Let it sit a couple of weeks, then do it again. Sit a couple of weeks and hope for dry weather. Then "plow" again until the soil is pretty broken up. Then drag it with a large timber to level off the furrows good before tilling.

HTH

Colin, MN
 

[tn8n]

i agree with Colin here. i've plowed a large garden spot for a few years with a middlebuster because when i bought it didn't know it wasn't truly for plowing, and couldn't afford a turning plow anyhow. after you go over your garden with it, you will have large hills and deep furrows in between. the problem is, under each large hill has not been busted up, and it's practically impossible to run the buster blade exactly along them to plow every bit. after i did mine i disced it and it broke up nicely, but a few inches under the top the were always long rows of unbroken soil. if you are going to run a manual rototiller on it, it will HAVE to be spread around first.
 

[Bill M(OH)]

I have a regular plow (2-14) and a middle buster, but have
always used the plow for the garden. I suppose a
middlebuster would work somewhat, especially if you used
straight rows first followed by an across pattern the second
and later times through. I follow the plowing with a spring
tooth harrow set all the way down - both rows and across
until everything is pretty well broken up, and then use the
rototiller to make the planting rows as the 8N does compact
the clay soil when using it.
And yes, I would use draft control on the middle buster.
 

[Kirk-NJ]

I've never used a middlebuster for plowing but you'll like making furrows and harvesting potatos with it. Don't know where your located but a guy I know in Ga turn over his garden on Jan 13.

Kirk
 

[gwstang]

Thanks to everyone for the wisdom/knowledge this forum offers. I do have a 5' box blade and usually drop the tines down to dig/scrape the grass away before tilling a new area. I thought I would get the middle buster first and then look for a good used 1 bottom plow as every now and then a 1 or 2 comes available on craigslist etc. I just got back from an appt with the neurosurgeon as my neck has been bothering me again and getting a bad head ache every day and feels like someone is jabbing a dang ice pick under my left shoulder blade. I already have a titanium plate in neck from the blessed F4 April 27th tornado a couple of years ago ( on my b-day of all things). Looks like I may end up with another one. I'm gonna be setting off metal detectors soon...lol. I can durn sure tell you when its gonna rain..lol
 

[Kenster]