Wednesday Rust

[Majorman]

A very rare attachment found on a Field Marshall tractor, an Ardrolic lift system, Ardrolic were a Scottish firm that made attachments for tractors that did not normally have lifts from new.

I never saw one in use but did drive a Field Marshall a lot in my youth. On a trailed two furrow plough, the front would come off the ground when pulling hard and many times, I have driven down a furrow with the front wheels just off the ground, so what it must have been like with a mounted plough, I have no idea.
Wednesday Rust

 

[Janicholson]

On this side of the pond we discovered weighting the front bolster and often the wheels as well. to limit front end lift. My dad didn't figure that was important, and we did not. Row-crop Farmalls were pretty long front to back and letter series had no lift systems, and thus were never light on the front under normal tillage. The swinging drawbar up under the middle with its pivot point kept the front wheels from pushing (tending to go straight) when pulling implements that were allowed to swing, like pull type discs, drags and spring toothed harrows.
When we got our first utility style tractor (International 350U we still have) with a Fast Hitch, the disc was heavy enough when lifted that the independent wheel brakes were 50% of the steering when the tool was lifted. There was maybe 200 pounds on the front wheels down the road, or on the headlands. I, in my youth, just learned to navigate with foot brakes controlling much of the direction of travel. the plow was much less massive, and not as cringe worthy.
Under most tillage field operation we had the down force pin pulled out of the hitch allowing the implement to float upward as it might. Also allowing the front wheels to lift if traction and gearing/power allowed. the Fast Hitch also pulled from a position in front of the rear axle about 14 inches on a utility. Adjusting the pitch of the plow was used to control suck into the soil, to maintain depth of the furrow. If the down force pin was in place, the lowering of the implement could quickly stop forward progress by lifting the rear wheels enough to spin. This could happen if the plow or disc was on dry clay (we had lots of that) or had dull points/shares. That lift device is interesting on the Field Marshal. I have seen a few of them, none in action pulling in the field. They look cantankerous! Jim