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How big of a tractor for a 3 bottom plow

J

johnofnewhaven

Well-known Member
Here is some info on how big of a tractor for a 3pt. 3-14" plow. I plowed a 60'x100' for a garden today. This was a garden 5-6 years ago but was put back as a yard so all sod. It was wet and heavy, not muddy. I had the plow set up right and plowed 6"-7" deep. Well I used my Ford 5000, fluid in rear tires and a loader. It was all it wanted to pull! Had plenty of power but could of used more rear weight. I did use the diff lock and my rear tires are like new. Just FYI...
 

A Ford 3000 would be plenty as far as HP ( equal to a WD045 more or less), just traction will be the limiting factor..

The old AC WD tractors came with a 3-14" and worked well on them.

Ron..
 
Ford 5000 with loaded tires gas or diesel will play with them IF like case guy said if your using the draft control properly and IF the moldboards are nice and shinny . If they are rusty and pitted all bets are off . I have personally pulled 4x4 I H 540 plows behind a 5000 running between 7-9 inches and it ran along just fine holding between 4 and 5 MPH , it impressed me as i am not a Ford guy . So best to take a real good look at how well you have them set and getting the draft set .
 
Different areas of the country pull harder or easier. Here I think 3 bottoms is plenty for a 60-70 hp tractor. Most Farmall M's pulled 2-16, and 4020's pulled 4.
 
I have plowed a lot of acres with a Ford 5000 diesel and a 3 bottom Ford plow. The only problem I had was when I would hit a wet spot with a slick clay bottom.
I plowed some of the same ground with an IH 1086 and a 5 bottom plow and it would lift the front end off the ground.
 
Thank you Josh in PA. I just used this 5000 diesel and 3-14" to plow a 11 acre field about a month ago and it walked right along with no problems. I do believe I have my draft set correctly. On the other hand I have never plowed compacted sod with this 5000 and plow. Just was saying it pulled hard and surprised me. I also have a 3000 and it never would of plowed this ground today with a 3-14"! Soil types make a huge difference.
 
Ford 5000 is 60.37 tested PTO HP. Wow, it should really play with that plow as mentioned. Does that tractor have draft control, it was not clear from tractor data? Being a Ford I guess that might be like asking if the Pope is Catholic.

Thanks for the reference point but it seems your tractor needs to be setup for plowing. My JD 2510, 54 PTO HP, will handle 3x16" in tough clay and hills. As pictured it has fluid in the rears, one set of rear weights, ROPS, and loader mounts. For big hills I would need to add front weights.

Paul
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A MF150 with 45hp, and loaded rear tires can drag a 3-14 like nothing. My uncle had a Long 445 with 45hp, and it had kind of a hard time with a 3-12 in the same soil.
 
I believe you. Soils vary quite a bit by region. Our threshing show happens to be on very black tough soil. Some of the guys who are experienced with our show and plan to plow bring a plow that's one bottom smaller than the one they use at home.

I remember one year a guy came to our show with a really sweet 856 wheatland. He hooked up to a 4X14's Deere pull type plow the show owned and took off to the field with a smug look. When he dropped it in the ground the tractor killed. LOL He had to shift down to about a 4 MPH gear in order to pull it and he was having traction trouble. Other guys will shallow the plow way up so they can look like they can really pull it. LOL
 
I pull 4 14" in heavy clay 8" deep with a worn out MM UTU. 2nd gear 2 wheel weight on each side no fluid. An M should pull 2 14 up Mt. Everest in road gear. Course if you're in PA those are pretty steep hills.....
 
Also the speed at which we plow has changed over the years. In early tractors they plowed at horse speeds, 2-3 MPH. The more modern tractors usually plow at higher speeds, 4-6 MPH. The added speed increases the horsepower requirements. They used to figure 10 HP per bottom now it is more like 20-25 HP per bottom. An example is the JD 4020 most of them around here pulled four bottom plows.

So an older tractor maybe rated as a three plow tractor but really only handle two at modern speeds.
 
(quoted from post at 15:47:44 11/26/17) Here is some info on how big of a tractor for a 3pt. 3-14" plow. I plowed a 60'x100' for a garden today. This was a garden 5-6 years ago but was put back as a yard so all sod. It was wet and heavy, not muddy. I had the plow set up right and plowed 6"-7" deep. Well I used my Ford 5000, fluid in rear tires and a loader. It was all it wanted to pull! Had plenty of power but could of used more rear weight. I did use the diff lock and my rear tires are like new. Just FYI...
Click to expand...

I can pull 6-18's with my 54 drawbar hp Allis :)
mvphoto6788.jpg
 
JD I am originaly from the east coast and most 4020 were sold with 5 bottom plows and could pull them ok. It was work as you were maxed out in capacity. Then farmers began to realize that you could pull a 4 bottom plow one or more gears faster and do the same amount of work and be alot less tired at night. Tom
 
Last fall I plowed an acre for sunflowers using a 3-14 behind a Ford 3000. First try was when it hadn't rained in several weeks and it was a no-go in our black clay. Power wasn't the issue, traction was the problem, no wheel weights or loaded tires and the 3000 has a loader.

Waited till we had a good rain, when it was dry enough to not sink but still a little soft the 3000 pulled it without any trouble. Am sure if I would have filled the tires or added wheel weights the 3000 would have handled the 3 bottom even when it was a bit dry.

Just finished taking one bottom off and turning it into a 2-14. Will be pulling it with my 3600, no loader. I would load the tires but already have issues with the tractors making ruts doing other tasks when the ground is a little soft, loaded tires would just make deeper ruts.

Of course the answer is wheel weights but around here anything I have seen for sale must be made out of gold.
 
The show grounds is the only place that I cannot pull my 3/16 trailer plow in 4th (slow transmission) with my 720 diesel. Kind of embarassed me, but oh well.
 


Well, there are three bottom plows and there are three bottom plows. A big factor is the overall size of the frame and of the hitch. I had a 3x14 Fraugde Sanderum that was category II hitch. It was very heavy. Most of the tractors already mentioned would not have been able to hook to it let alone lift it. It weighed probably over a ton. A friend borrowed it and pulled it with his Ford 6710, and didn't want to return it, so he owns it now.
 
A person I used to know that had same type of ground as me said he pulled 3-16" with an M Farmall and they pulled easier than the 3-12" he had earlier. I did not believe him. Yes some plows pull easier than others. I had a Deere with same rated PTO HP as the M and was only pulling 3-12", never would even try a 3-16 behind it. And the Farmall H and Deere B both rated within 1 HP of the same pulling exactly same model of plow pulled in same gear at same speed. Would not have wanted to try a 16" plow behind either one. I figured 13 Horse for 12", 15 horse foe 14" and 20 horse for a 16" bottom and I have had all sizes of bottoms. Ford 5000 had trouble draging 4-14", put on 3-16 and no problem.
 
Sounds like you didn't have your draft control set right to shift the weight of the plow to the rear tires. My uncle pulled an Oliver 3x14 mounted with his Oliver Super 55 for years. He had to hang some old railroad iron on the front to keep the frontend down though.
 

Many of the posters here lack experience in heavy compacted clay soil. They are used to sand , loam or river silt.
As you experienced , three bottoms can stop the tractor .
 
My Father pulled 3 x 16s with a Super M for years and years, it was a good match here in south central MN . He bought a new IH 886 in 1977 and figured he could go up to 4x18s , but that proved to be all it could handle. He always said he should have gotten a 3 bottom or at the least gone with 4 x 16s. My Super H s struggle with 2 x 14s if the conditions are tough.
 

Loader not helping at all. Most 2wd loader tractors do well to move themselves in the dirt let alone pulling something.

Draft control shouldn't matter...it should still pull it, unless you are letting the plow go down way too far (no depth wheel?) Draft control will make up for lack of depth wheel, but you can accomplish the same weight transfer with position control.

I pull 3pt 3 furrow w/depth wheel, plowing sod with a tractor with no draft control.
 
Just show you the difference in soils a neighbor got a new 1965 706 IH diesel and got a new 5x16 IH plow with it....I thought he was crazy but it pulled it OK in low 3rd with the TA forward except in the clay spots where the TA was used......I did lots of plowing with it...Go 10 miles north and I expect 3x16's or 4x14's would be plenty for a 706....They have real tight black soil thats 100% different than ours..
 

It all depends on the ground you're plowing. Our clay demands you figure on either dropping one bottom or adding 25-30hp to what would be "normal" on a decent soil type. I've seen a 45hp tractor struggle with 2-10's! I've seen a 90hp 4wd tractor pulling 3-16's come to a dead stop when it hit a bad section.

Not all soils are equal.
 
(quoted from post at 00:47:21 11/27/17)
The old AC WD tractors came with a 3-14" and worked well on them. Ron..
Click to expand...

We used a WD (with M&W power kit), just loaded wheels, no external weights, and pulled 3-14"s with no problem. Even used it to break ground on some land that hadn't been farmed in 15 years, turned over multiflora rose bushes without any issues. It's a matter of having the right weight and the plow set up correctly.
 
(quoted from post at 00:24:58 11/27/17) WD45 Aliis 3/16 mounted in heavy ground all day long
Click to expand...

Yep - We used two WD-45s with 'D-17 kits in them (55 & 56 horse on an MW dyno) in the clay hills north of Alexis, Ill. they both pulled the devil out of 3-14s in 3rd gear! Also had a WD but had to remove one bottom to pull with it. 8)
 
(quoted from post at 07:06:34 11/28/17)
(quoted from post at 00:47:21 11/27/17)
The old AC WD tractors came with a 3-14" and worked well on them. Ron..
Click to expand...

We used a WD (with M&W power kit), just loaded wheels, no external weights, and pulled 3-14"s with no problem. Even used it to break ground on some land that hadn't been farmed in 15 years, turned over multiflora rose bushes without any issues. It's a matter of having the right weight and the plow set up correctly.
Click to expand...

The traction booster system that Allis had was the biggest advantage....I heard that in field competitions that AC dealers held, the red and green tractors of that era would soon get lapped. Got so bad that eventually the red and green refused to participate :D
 
...... pulling 3-16's come to a dead stop when it hit a bad section.
Click to expand...

I was pulling a 2-14 once and came to a DEAD stop when I hit a "bad section". The "bad section" was a 5' long piece of concrete foundation someone had buried. ;)

Had never worked that piece of ground til the wife asked for a patch to try to grow giant pumpkins for the kids.
 
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