Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Plowing with a 23 HP tractor

Years ago I bought some land within the Black River State Forest and built a cabin. Granddad came to visit in the spring and noticed the 1/2 acre open field and said son we need to open it up and plant some corn and vegies. The following week he trailered his Ford 8N, a harrow and old horse plow from his farm and we commenced to turning soil.

Huge, enormous, unbelievable difference between 23hp in an old Ford and
a modern 23hp tractor.

That will piss off the Kubota/Manhindra big lawnmower owners.😁😁😁




If they ever go up against an old Putt Putt, 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.

That, is doing it the hard way!

The hard way would be with a rented mule.

Read the title and thought, I’m plowing snow with a 26hp tractor.

Think I got the easier deal.


What is the tripod for?

What a coincidence. While out deer hunting a few weeks ago I found an old horse drawn walking plow like the one shown It was half buried in the mud on an old abandoned farm yard. I need to buy a set of handles for it and sharpen it up. Even Amazon carries them.

I don't think my old 8n was close to 23 horse, even with a rebuilt engine. My Kabota is rated at 25 though and handle a middle buster on 3 point hitch.

I have a few old single trees around and thought I would try it on some pasture I need to reseed if I can get my wife to drive the tractor. I sold all my harness few years ago and only have collars and hames left.

I do have one old mule left. Maybe I could pick up single harness at an auction and see if I can convince him to walk a straight line with the plow.

Spurs good memories of old IHs and Granddad teaching me how to plow behind a mule. Thanks for posting.

When I was a kid of about six or seven, the folks raised a huge garden(saved on grocery bills).
I remember watching them plow like that only they used a 30 Fergesen to pull it.

Later he bought a side by side plow for that miserable job

That's cool, Roundoak!

A fellow would have arms like Popeye!

The plow itself is pretty heavy. I'd say a little over 100 pounds, but supposedly not all that hard to plow with if adjusted right. On the end of the beam(tractor end),there are two sets of holes in separate pieces steel. One has a row of holes vertically and one has row of holes horizontally. The vertical adjust the depth of the plow and the horizontal adjust for any side pulling.





Click on this,scroll down, and it shows a fellow walking along the plow only using one hand.

https://smallfarmersjournal.com/plowing-with-the-single-horse/

many jobs the weight is as important as the horsepower.

Fairly easy until you hit a stout oak tree root or a sizeable stone.

I still have Granddad's steel beam walking plow and wood beam breaking plow.


Granddad young man on the farm.

Saw that very thing going on in a field in Houston County TN back in the 70s
Both were old men.
When I came back through later in the day, they were partially done and still at it.

I am sure both were glad for the tractor rather than a Mule.

Mind looks identical to the steel beam one. Also missing the horizontal adjusting piece. I can believe it about hitting a stout root or rock. I bent my middle buster that way pulling it with tractor, cutting irrigation ditches.

When we use to grow big gardens, we used a middle buster, that was usually drawn by a team of mules, but we pulled it with a tractor, to dig potatoes. Turning them up with that middle buster was a whole lot easier than digging by hand.

We hooked a chain to the drawbar on the lift arms. Since a middle buster throws soil to both sides, it was easy to control the depth with the lift arms.

Someone modified mine so I can use it on the 3 point hitch

I just read pretty much the entire debacle you were involved with in posting those deer photos and stories.

I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed.

Is there some explanation other than what people said?

I always liked you, and valued reading your posts. Now I just wonder how many of them have any credibility...

If you did lie about all that, please just go away and don't come back.