Trip plow

[Frank Caldwell]

What are the many reasons a trip plow balls up?

 

[Janicholson]

The endless list includes:
Mold boards rusty, not scoured, need to be shiny
Plowing conditions moisture depth
Colters missing
Colters way out of alignment
Colters so dull they do not cut the trash
Jim

 

[used red MN]

The question is what was balling up? I would suspect the plant residue on top of the soil. As Jim said it can be many things, but number one is conditions. If there was a lot of ..tough.. crop residue plowing with an older low clearance plow can be a challenge. Couple that with another condition of soft soil and now you have more trouble yet. Soft soil will also not allow a plow to ..burnish or polish very quickly adding more troubles. Also if you were plowing corn stalks that is on a field growing this newer genetically modified corn the stalks are far tougher than old standard varieties. In those conditions the colters need to be sharp and set probably an inch lower than normal settings call for. This means some where around 3 or more inches, often normal colter depth is half the depth of your furrow. I am linking a fairly long post compiled by a YT member. A lot of good info there, if it had some diagrams with it would be very helpful.
YT plow setup post

 

[Frank Caldwell]

I am having a good deal of the soybean stems balling up.

 

[fastfarmall]

Well i will say soybean stubble/straw is real tough residue, especially if the straw chopper didn't didn't get it broken up, were having trouble getting through it, with a 4 rank chisel plow,plugs near the wheels, and it's a 25ft IHC !!!But i think i could plow threw it with a 16 inch plow, with new coulters, and a dry day!

 

[rustred]

Plus it can be the plow its self. U didnt say what model u have. Plus a 16 inch is better than any 14 inch. Higher the beams the better. Them low beamed j d were a real buggar. Plus need heavy soil. Wait for a rain.

 

[Janicholson]

If there seems only poor results, disc the stubble first. Jim

 

[teddy52food]

Take the coulters off as they only add to the plugging.

 

[rustred]

Yep, agree. We never used coulters.

 

[fastfarmall]

Teddy- Rust,have you ever plowed 4 foot tall sweet clover or 5-6 foot tall cattail sloughs, with out coulters, if you have i wished you would of taken a picture of that,Incidentally plowing cattails pulls as hard as Alfalfa ground !!

 

[teddy52food]

With a 1/16 behind the super C with a rod bolted to the beam to help bend it over in sweet clover. Never in cattails as they are in water around here.

 

[55 50 Ron]

Please define what you mean by balls up. Do you mean the moldboard not scouring which means dirt sticking to the moldboard? Or maybe crop residue on the surface plugging between the plow bottom and the frame?

 

[Leroy]

Never could plow without them. Some types are better than others Yetter being better than older orignals.

 

[fastfarmall]

I plowed about 35 acres of Cattails that dried up years ago,i had to plow under wire,and deep to bury it, the thick stuff i would get from the railroad dock,until it would wear out, put on a new piece and go again !!

 

[rustred]

dont want to do that, u want nice solid ground. never heard of discing then plowing. if plowing dont work deep till it.

 

[Frank Caldwell]

Crop residue

 

[rustred]

i am replying to the poster in crop residue. he never said a thing about cattails or sweetclover. things sure get sidetracked. yes in your case u need coulters. we plowed stubble wheat and barley fields and never needed them. and yes that low beam j.d. plow plugs up more with the top trash with coulters in softer ground. cattails are for the ducks unlimited.

 

[Frank Caldwell]

IH #8 Little Genius 2-14