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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

hardest ground (soil) to plow

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cadet trooper

01-29-2007 17:47:16




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I don't know if this has been brought up before but here goes. What is your opinion of the hardest ground you have plowed? Jack Wax, Red Clay or something down south or north or whatever wherever? I grew up with Red Clay in April but I found out Jack Wax anytime is quite a match too. I've seen that 2-14's on a WD-45 in April is a load and that 8-18's on a Steiger 310 Panther turned up is a load in the fall in Jack Wax.Just curious. CT

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cadet trooper

01-30-2007 16:04:43




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Sorry about the Jack Wax term I think it's what they call Iowa Gumbo It's kinda like a blue clay and man it can sure stand up a crop if you can get the weather to beat it down before planting. Red Clay is about the same way but not quite as productive I've actually pulled the hitch off of a new Case 6-18 plow with a 1466 hitting the area where the manure spreader ran all winter that bad girl didn't have a chance to pull the front end off the ground then Bam! Slammed me into the steering then back into the seat. Them old bull gear tractors don't like that too well tends to snap off teeth. It's interesting to hear about other people's soils I've heard that clichea (however its pronounced)is one hard badboy! I'm glad we've switched to mostly No-Tll and chisel plowing here in SW Ohio.

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buickanddeere

01-30-2007 14:24:23




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Dry blue clay. If the plough will eventually dig in. It pulls so hard it makes the rear tires squat which sinks the plough in even deeper. End result is you spin or stall out without lifting the plough some to maintain the desired tillage depth.



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dhermesc

01-30-2007 05:32:41




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Old Alfalfa ground. The front tires of our 1466 never touched the ground except on the turnrows while pulling a 618 high clearance plow.



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jdemaris

01-30-2007 05:27:47




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 Re: What's Jack Wax? in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Must be a regional term? In Vermont and New York Jack Wax is a reference to maple syrup put on snow and eaten like candy. Been around since the early 1800s. Some towns still have a Jack Wax (or Sugar on Snow) day every year. Never heard the term used in reference to soil - in my area.

Bad soil around here is simply referred to as "hardpan", and there's lots of it.



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Leroy

01-30-2007 17:41:48




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 Re: What's Jack Wax? in reply to jdemaris, 01-30-2007 05:27:47  
Ground here in Ohio has been called jack wax as long as I can remember and am 63, never heard the term as you are useing it



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jdemaris

01-30-2007 18:00:56




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 Re: What's Jack Wax? in reply to Leroy, 01-30-2007 17:41:48  
Hey, that's one of things I like about this forum. I grew up in the Northeast and used to assume American English was the same all-over, but it's not. In regard to the term "Jack Wax" around here, it's been in use since the 1700s - but since it involves maple syrup production - I guess it HAS to be a regional term. From what I've read, the term first got used around 1760 in Canada or Michigan - after some explorers were given some maple sugar mixed with snow by some Chippewa or Ojibwa Indians. Can't say who came up with the name though.

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farmerjohninpa

01-29-2007 21:40:30




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
funny story:: i think my buddy found the hardest ground to plow yesterday, right here in lancaster,pa. after hearing about this sears 14hp tractor from back in the 60`s that he was looking for,i found one,running and descent. i bought it $25. and set it in his driveway while he was working. he was tickled pink and of course right away he wanted a plow for his garden,i had one from a david bradley here i gave him and since then he has been streching yankee enginuity for all its worth to make the 3 point hitch assembly and weld-up all he needed to bolt it all together and have it ready for spring. until now i have not seen what he was up to with it,but i did get a phone call this afternoon from his wife who invited me up to watch a video she had made but did not say of what content. so i went up and looked at this video and i still have tears in my eyes and pain in the sides. he took this machine and this plow assembly out back to the garden and attempted to ""try it out "". she has real good close-ups of the top link snapping in two just as the lower arm on the right side bent and snapped off where he welded it to the plow frame. the whole dang thing looked like it was hit by a semi before she caught this wonderful look on his face as he finally turned around to look back at his pride and joy. she was raised on a farm and tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted went ahead, he now knows by first hand exsperience what she meant when she told him the "THE GROUNDS TOO HARD , ITS BEEN BELOW FREEZING HERE FOR OVER 2 WEEKS" so unless your ground has done this to your plow,i think my {embarressed} buddy found the hardest ground to plow ! LOL john

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Jim Johnson

01-29-2007 21:26:35




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Black Gumbo, man that stuff gets as hard as concrete. Jim



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old

01-29-2007 21:06:32




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Missouri clay/rock that hasn't been plowed in 10 years and its full of roots. This stuff down here will make a 4 bottom plow tractor pull a 2 bottom in a heart beat



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KIP in MX

01-29-2007 19:36:35




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Pecos Valley caliche is tough if you get into it.



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Gerald J.

01-29-2007 19:18:55




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Iowa black dirt that's been run over by machinery planting a gas line while the ground is wet. It pushes my plow out of the ground. The next hardest is in North Texas (all under houses now probably) about Allen Texas where it was only 2' to limestone. A black gumbo, to hard to dig dry, to sticky when its wet to turn off the shovel. Its better off growing houses than crops.

Gerald J.



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Gorilla

01-30-2007 20:46:15




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to Gerald J., 01-29-2007 19:18:55  
That black land in North Texas that you are talking about is pretty bad when it is wet but it is dang good cropland! And you are right... lots of it buried under houses now.



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Allan In NE

01-29-2007 18:02:50




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to cadet trooper, 01-29-2007 17:47:16  
Shhhh,

I'm trying to forget. :>)

Allan

third party image



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Walt Davies

01-30-2007 14:02:40




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to Allan In NE, 01-29-2007 18:02:50  
Dang! that's pretty.
I wish I had some soil like that on my farm that wasn't under water most of the year.
Walt



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Matt Smith

01-29-2007 19:36:42




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to Allan In NE, 01-29-2007 18:02:50  
Aww come on! Next year, sittin' in the cab, plowin' that will be like peeling an orange! : )



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Larry806

01-29-2007 18:53:15




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 Re: hardest ground (soil) to plow in reply to Allan In NE, 01-29-2007 18:02:50  
Allan that looks a little tough but when I was a boy we had a field that was so tough to plow that at each end of the field you had to back up a couple feet to unhook the furrow. No kidden my brother in a hurry to get to the house one night forget to back up and drug the furrows half way to the barn . Good thing he hit a bump & they came unhooked ><~



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