Ploughing is the process of scooping up an 8″ deep by 12″ wide piece of soil and turning it over 180 degrees, burying any crop leftovers or weeds. As a result, the soil is loosened and ready to be turned into a seed bed. We’ll go over the fundamentals of ploughing in this post.
Preparation
Make sure your tractor has enough oil, coolant, and fuel, among other things. Also, make sure your tyre pressures are correct — this should be self-evident! Ensure that the ploughed field is free of plant material that could clog the plough – it should be mowed close to the ground and the cuttings allowed to dry to reduce their bulk. Ploughing on damp ground or allowing your wheels to spin will cause the soil structure to be damaged. It is recommended that you have sturdy tyres and a tractor with a differential. Better yet, lock
Connect the Plough
Connect the plough to the three-point linkage and adjust the ‘check chains’ so that the plough swings from side to side without hitting the back tyres. If you hit a large boulder, this adjustment allows the plough to drift sideways rather than destroying anything on the tractor. Also, look for the right plough parts from suppliers, manufacturers and distributors like Kverneland plough parts.
Get Ploughing!
Drop the plough onto the ground with the 3 point connection on the right side of the field, drive the tractor 6 feet forward, and evaluate the results. Because there is no nearby furrow for the turf to fall into, the first cut is always more difficult. Don’t worry if this doesn’t make a lot of sense right now. If you’re using a two-furrow plough, you’ll eventually want the two rows of upturned turfs to be roughly the same size, but this is difficult, if not impossible, in the initial cut. The initial goal is to make a single, tidy, straight furrow in the ground that is about 8″ deep.
Next Furrow
Return the tractor to the beginning of the first furrow and place the right-hand wheels in the furrow. Lower the plough and drive 6 feet forwards, inspecting the results. To achieve good results, you’ll most likely need to modify the plough.
Adjusting the Depth Wheel
The depth wheel is the initial adjustment, and it should be set to an 8″ furrow – don’t go any deeper than your plough is built for, otherwise the turfs will not fold over cleanly. You’ll have to rely on the tractor hydraulic depth control if you don’t have a depth wheel.
Top Link Adjustment
The top link, which changes the angle of the plough to the ground, is the next adjustment. The back plough will be lowered and a deeper furrow will be created if the top link is lengthened, but if it is too short, the plough will point upwards and will not dig into the ground effectively. The depth wheel may need to be re-adjusted until the plough is fully functional. Plow a 6-foot section until you get a beautiful set of ridges and a lovely clean 8-inch furrow by making these two changes.
Further Cultivation
Ploughing is only the initial step in cultivating the soil; more tillage, such as rotovating or harrowing, should be done before planting. Also, while ploughing for the first time, have an expert on hand to avoid making a mess!
