Ploughing

MF290

Hi all, have been lurking about in the farming section for a while and the time has come to seek advice. Have been told I'm ploughing tomorrow with a 5 sod Kuhn varimaster. I know sfa about ploughing to be honest, only ever ploughed for a half hour to give a fella a break last year. The German farmer said he'll start the field and will do the boundaries (no hedges and ploughing 1cm into neighbours land is a real insult). Anything to watch out for or any tips. Should be fairly straight forward, just drive in straight lines and don't forget to flip the plough?

Dawggone

MF290 wrote: »

Hi all, have been lurking about in the farming section for a while and the time has come to seek advice. Have been told I'm ploughing tomorrow with a 5 sod Kuhn varimaster. I know sfa about ploughing to be honest, only ever ploughed for a half hour to give a fella a break last year. The German farmer said he'll start the field and will do the boundaries (no hedges and ploughing 1cm into neighbours land is a real insult). Anything to watch out for or any tips. Should be fairly straight forward, just drive in straight lines and don't forget to flip the plough?

Are you working in Germany?

MF290

Yeah, doing work experience on a tillage farm

lefthooker

If the farmer is going to set up the plough for you, mark out the field and do the headlands then really you've got F All to do except drive up and down the field making sure if a leg trips then it resets and flipping on the headlands. Most of the time the tractor will follow the furrow herself. I'm sure he's not going to abandon you without sitting up beside you for a few runs anyway.

Dawggone

MF290 wrote: »

Yeah, doing work experience on a tillage farm

Student?

MF290

lefthooker wrote: »

If the farmer is going to set up the plough for you, mark out the field and do the headlands then really you've got F All to do except drive up and down the field making sure if a leg trips then it resets and flipping on the headlands. Most of the time the tractor will follow the furrow herself. I'm sure he's not going to abandon you without sitting up beside you for a few runs anyway.

That's what I was thinking/hoping ,he'll definitely set me up but just in case I can't understand his German! Won't be doing any headlands as boundaries are marked by stones and fierce arguments erupt over land.

MF290

Dawggone wrote: »

Student?

Did the LC this year, wasn't planning on heading abroad for summer but couldn't resist the opportunity when it arose! Definitely not regretting it after hearing the father's daily weather report of "pissing rain".

larrymiller

MF290 wrote: »

Did the LC this year, wasn't planning on heading abroad for summer but couldn't resist the opportunity when it arose! Definitely not regretting it after hearing the father's daily weather report of "pissing rain".

Fair play. Don't forget to ask how deep he ploughs and keep an eye on it, and learn the dept controller if your going on hills etc

Blackgrass

Presuming he'll set the plough that's 80%, just be gentle with the plough or you could end up with headstock in the air and furrows in the ground. Keep in outs even and pull in straight to avoid an s shape across the field.

larrymiller

And 2 boxes of fags

Mad4simmental

Last sod out first sod in, lol. I know fcuk all about ploughing just farting around at home with a small one, you'll enjoy it when you get into it.

White Clover

Are you related to mf240 of this parish ?!!!

yellow50HX

Watch the depth, get your speed right and keep her straight.

Most moderne tractors have headland programming so once it's set up you just steer and press the change over button at the headlands, just line her up right and watch out for stones

Jb1989

White Clover wrote: »

Are you related to mf240 of this parish ?!!!

I think he's your boys, big brother
Op middle name is 290.

Sam Kade

larrymiller wrote: »

And 2 boxes of fags

I did plenty ploughing without the need for coffin nails

blue5000

Just watch if the plough swings a bit to one side as you enter the headland. In my experience it's where newbies go wrong. eventually if it's not corrected you will have a curve. The way to correct it is if you are turning right at the headland every time you lift the plough up to turn, try turning steering the other way, it will lessen the swing of the plough as it drops back in the ground, and hopefull straighten things up.
What are you using?

I'll try find a few links for you. try looking on youtube as well.

MF290

blue5000 wrote: »

Just watch if the plough swings a bit to one side as you enter the headland. In my experience it's where newbies go wrong. eventually if it's not corrected you will have a curve. The way to correct it is if you are turning right at the headland every time you lift the plough up to turn, try turning steering the other way, it will lessen the swing of the plough as it drops back in the ground, and hopefull straighten things up.
What are you using?

I'll try find a few links for you. try looking on youtube as well.

Started a bit the other day but land has gone too dry out here, hit 40 degrees the other day! Hopefully get a bit of rain so we can get the ground ready for winter osr. Looking like maize will be ducked too if this rain doesn't come. Ploughing with 7430 and 5 sod Kuhn 183 varimaster. Was told once to let the plough down just before the back tyre goes into furrow to prevent a bow at the headland, any truth in that?

Greengrass1

I progressed from this to this.
See the giant tail at the top.
Ploughed 200 ac that spring.
Forgotten it all now :rollyeyes:
Once plough is set up and headlands marked it's very easy

Brown Podzol

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I progressed from this to this.
See the giant tail at the top.
Ploughed 200 ac that spring.
Forgotten it all now :rollyeyes:
Once plough is set up and headlands marked it's very easy

There is something very satisfying and mesmerising looking back at the sods rolling over perfectly into place.

frazzledhome

Brown Podzol wrote: »

There is something very satisfying and mesmerising looking back at the sods rolling over perfectly into place.

Therapeutic, it actually the aroma of freshly turned soil I love

Greengrass1

Brown Podzol wrote: »

There is something very satisfying and mesmerising looking back at the sods rolling over perfectly into place.

That's clonroche soil there. Boys ground blackgrass calls it.

Brown Podzol

frazzledhome wrote: »

Therapeutic, it actually the aroma of freshly turned soil I love

Never liked the next step,harrowing,but I could return every day to the field to watch the resulting crop emerge. There can't be any other job in the world as satisfying.

larrymiller

Greengrass1 wrote: »

That's clonroche soil there. Boys ground blackgrass calls it.

Clonroche soil.. Apparently lads in the mart can pick out the sheep that were from Clonroche soil..

blue5000

MF290 wrote: »

Started a bit the other day but land has gone too dry out here, hit 40 degrees the other day! Hopefully get a bit of rain so we can get the ground ready for winter osr. Looking like maize will be ducked too if this rain doesn't come. Ploughing with 7430 and 5 sod Kuhn 183 varimaster. Was told once to let the plough down just before the back tyre goes into furrow to prevent a bow at the headland, any truth in that?

Ya it will work alright, provided it goes down in exactly the right place, but the trick is to do it without stopping. Google ploughing guide. If it has a ram on the cross shaft you can tweak the bends a bit to get rid of them, if/when they happen.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79076399

After about 20 hectares it's a skill you'll have for life. I was in a similar situation to you in Denmark many moons ago, on the morning of the second day of ploughing the boss says to me 'Today we are going to do something different, we are going to plough straight today'.

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

Therapeutic, it actually the aroma of freshly turned soil I love

Closet tillage man?
Just admit it, it's not illegal anymore!

frazzledhome

blue5000 wrote: »

Ya it will work alright, provided it goes down in exactly the right place, but the trick is to do it without stopping. Google ploughing guide. If it has a ram on the cross shaft you can tweak the bends a bit to get rid of them, if/when they happen.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79076399

After about 20 hectares it's a skill you'll have for life. I was in a similar situation to you in Denmark many moons ago, on the morning of the second day of ploughing the boss says to me 'Today we are going to do something different, we are going to plough straight today'.

Lol

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

Closet tillage man?
Just admit it, it's not illegal anymore!

So true, sheep and tillage would be a dream come true.

It's amazing I'd say its a DNA thing. I was reared on a sheep and tillage farm and then the boss went reluctantly to cows. I'd say he only did it to get my mother to stay she being dairy born and bred.

Feck you for that post, you have interrupted my denial. I visited a fellow boardsie farm a few weeks ago. I got down on one knee to get a piece of soil and as I sniffed it I could feel him looking at me and asking himself, "what kind of mental patient have I here"?

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

So true, sheep and tillage would be a dream come true.

It's amazing I'd say its a DNA thing. I was reared on a sheep and tillage farm and then the boss went reluctantly to cows. I'd say he only did it to get my mother to stay she being dairy born and bred.

Feck you for that post, you have interrupted my denial. I visited a fellow boardsie farm a few weeks ago. I got down on one knee to get a piece of soil and as I sniffed it I could feel him looking at me and asking himself, "what kind of mental patient have I here"?

Nothing mental about it until you start digging holes like a dog....forever digging holes I am.


I was brought up with tillage and dairy. In fairness the dairy was for cash flow to support the conacre habit.


Edit. Not much has changed as I now view my few cows as a way to add value to grains...

frazzledhome

Dawggone wrote: »

Nothing mental about it until you start digging holes like a dog....forever digging holes I am.


I was brought up with tillage and dairy. In fairness the dairy was for cash flow to support the conacre habit.


Edit. Not much has changed as I now view my few cows as a way to add value to grains...

It's amazing what info you get with a spade. When you go down 8-10 inches and hit resistance.......

kowtow

larrymiller wrote:

Clonroche soil.. Apparently lads in the mart can pick out the sheep that were from Clonroche soil..

Ribbons in their hair?

Dawggone

frazzledhome wrote: »

It's amazing what info you get with a spade. When you go down 8-10 inches and hit resistance.......

Abandoned the idea of ploughing this morning. The only way the ploughs would enter the ground was to subsoil ahead of them. You couldn't keep your hand on the plough points after working...so plan B.

We've had no rain since April/May and a lot of non irrigated maize is a write off. For the first time in years maize is trading dearer than wheat. I never had as little maize because I had no appetite for risk this spring...then along comes a drought and prices rise!
C'est la vie.

Blackgrass

Plough around here pray for an inch of rain then dry then rain then dry or leave it a few more months. Lads were late so muggins did combat me this am met neighbour going to work down ploughed ground funnily enough. Cutting down a green lane on the farm. It's pray for the weather to do you a favour or hit it quickly with lots of steel

Dawggone

Blackgrass wrote: »

Plough around here pray for an inch of rain then dry then rain then dry or leave it a few more months. Lads were late so muggins did combat me this am met neighbour going to work down ploughed ground funnily enough. Cutting down a green lane on the farm. It's pray for the weather to do you a favour or hit it quickly with lots of steel

I've a farm that has some 'marais' which is reclaimed from the sea, something like fen/polder, and I'm still trying to get my head around how to manage it.
Lots of steel and diesel doesn't really do a good job. Frost is the best. Fantastic yield potential if its established properly. Hard red died from frost this year on it...hard to win them all!

BnB

larrymiller wrote: »

And 2 boxes of fags

..and a large bottle of Cidona....

White Clover

BnB wrote: »

..and a large bottle of Cidona....

If ever there was piss......