mcmxi
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
***Current*** M6060HDC, MX6000HSTC & GL7000 ***Sold*** MX6000HST & BX25TLB
I think it could be interesting to start a thread about the John Deere plow that I bought this week in case anyone else is interested in buying an old piece of equipment, fixing it up and using it. I don't farm for a living, don't intend or need to make money from plowing, and probably won't plow more than 10 to 20 acres twice a year. So the point of this thread is to document repairing, replacing, upgrading and using what appears to be a 60+ year-old plow.
So why a plow? Well, after spending 16 or more hours cutting a friend's 10+ acres of weeds a few weekends ago, we had a conversation along the lines of "we should grow something here that will be good for bees (my friend has bee hives), will provide habitat for upland birds, that could be a food source for deer, that will help keep weeds down, and that might even produce a crop to consume or sell". After that conversation I started looking at new plows, and specifically two and three bottom turnover plows that are more efficient than the fixed type. Do I need a plow to help out my friend, maybe, maybe not, but it sure would be fun to get a 60 year old plow working again, do some tillage, learn a new skill and have some tractor fun along the way.
After requesting a quote on a very nice and very modern three bottom turnover plow from Kuhn, and being told that it would be $28,000 for the base model, I decided that I should find something way cheaper, and something that would work well enough for my twice yearly "plow day". Something that I could pull behind the M6060 when needed, but something that will sit idle for 363 days a year.
As it turns out, the place that quoted me for the Kuhn also sells various used and new implements and farm equipment and they happened to have both a three bottom and a four bottom turnover plow made by John Deere. So off I went, and after looking at both, thinking that the four bottom looked way too big and heavy (Kubota states that the M6060 is rated for a 14" three bottom) and seeing some significant and poorly executed repairs on the four bottom, decided to buy the three bottom. I knew right away that the hoses were junk, but they're cheap enough so I wasn't overly concerned. The plow appeared to be complete to my untrained eye with the exception of not having any coulters, and there was one repair and subsequent failure made to a fairly small bracket/brace that I can take care of.
Things I didn't know included whether or not the vane type rotary cylinder worked (rotates the plow bottoms) or whether or not as it sat would it do a decent job of turning over a relatively stone-free field.
Running total:
John Deere three bottom turnover plow - $1,200
Pole Creek Supply Co. in St. Ignatius, MT and loading up the plow for the 80 mile trip home.
So why a plow? Well, after spending 16 or more hours cutting a friend's 10+ acres of weeds a few weekends ago, we had a conversation along the lines of "we should grow something here that will be good for bees (my friend has bee hives), will provide habitat for upland birds, that could be a food source for deer, that will help keep weeds down, and that might even produce a crop to consume or sell". After that conversation I started looking at new plows, and specifically two and three bottom turnover plows that are more efficient than the fixed type. Do I need a plow to help out my friend, maybe, maybe not, but it sure would be fun to get a 60 year old plow working again, do some tillage, learn a new skill and have some tractor fun along the way.
After requesting a quote on a very nice and very modern three bottom turnover plow from Kuhn, and being told that it would be $28,000 for the base model, I decided that I should find something way cheaper, and something that would work well enough for my twice yearly "plow day". Something that I could pull behind the M6060 when needed, but something that will sit idle for 363 days a year.
As it turns out, the place that quoted me for the Kuhn also sells various used and new implements and farm equipment and they happened to have both a three bottom and a four bottom turnover plow made by John Deere. So off I went, and after looking at both, thinking that the four bottom looked way too big and heavy (Kubota states that the M6060 is rated for a 14" three bottom) and seeing some significant and poorly executed repairs on the four bottom, decided to buy the three bottom. I knew right away that the hoses were junk, but they're cheap enough so I wasn't overly concerned. The plow appeared to be complete to my untrained eye with the exception of not having any coulters, and there was one repair and subsequent failure made to a fairly small bracket/brace that I can take care of.
Things I didn't know included whether or not the vane type rotary cylinder worked (rotates the plow bottoms) or whether or not as it sat would it do a decent job of turning over a relatively stone-free field.
Running total:
John Deere three bottom turnover plow - $1,200
Pole Creek Supply Co. in St. Ignatius, MT and loading up the plow for the 80 mile trip home.
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. That’s where I wonder would the MX even lift your plow off the back end, and it you tried to pull it would it even keep the front end down, assuming it have the weight / traction to try to pull her.
